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Does dark mode affect printing? No, with one exception

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A laptop showing a dark document next to a printer printing a white page

In short: No. Microsoft says Word and Excel print with the light page color whatever your Dark Mode settings, and that Dark Mode doesn't affect your collaborators.[1][2] Google says the same of the dark theme in its Docs, Sheets and Slides apps.[3] The exception is a page color you set in the document itself.[4]

Does dark mode affect printing? It's a fair worry. You've been writing white text on a dark page for an hour, and you're about to send it to a printer full of expensive black ink. Good news first: in most cases, the printer never sees your dark mode.

Dark mode is a view, not a change to your file

A dark theme changes how a document looks on your screen. It doesn't rewrite the document. That's why, in the apps that offer it, the printed page and what your coworkers see stay light.

Microsoft says it plainly about Word: the dark page background “does not convey how your document will print, or the default view your collaborators will see”.[1] The same sentence appears for Excel and its dark sheet background.[2]

Word and Excel: it always prints light

Regardless of your Dark Mode settings, Microsoft says your Word document prints with the light mode page color, and your Dark Mode settings don't affect your collaborators.[1] Excel works the same way.[2]

To check what the printed page will look like, Microsoft suggests using the Switch Modes button, which turns the page background light.[1][2] In Word, that button is under the View tab, and Word remembers your choice for the next time.[1] If you'd rather never see a dark page in Word, you can tick an option to keep the page white while the menus stay dark (“Never change the document page color” on Windows).[1]

A small trap: Dark Mode doesn't carry over between Word for the web, Windows and Mac. You turn it on for each one.[1]

Google Docs, Sheets and Slides apps

On Android, iPhone and iPad, the Docs, Sheets and Slides apps have a dark theme. Google says collaborators can't see the theme you choose.[3] Google adds that the dark theme adjusts your documents to fit, and lets you preview how a document or sheet looks for collaborators: More › View in light theme.[3]

On a computer, Google Docs has no dark mode, which is where the confusion often starts.

The exception: changing the page color

Some people get a “dark mode” in Google Docs by changing the page itself: File › Page setup › Page color.[4] This one is different. Page color sits next to orientation, paper size and margins, the settings that shape the document's pages.[4] It isn't a view. It belongs to the document, so other people opening the file will get your black page too.

If you went that way, set the page color back to white before you print or share. Then check the print preview. A black background page is the fastest way we know to empty an ink cartridge.

Before you print a document you edited in dark mode

  1. Look at the print preview, not at your screen.
  2. In Word or Excel, click Switch Modes to see the light page.[1][2]
  3. In the Docs or Sheets app, use More › View in light theme.[3]
  4. If you changed the page color, put it back to white in File › Page setup.[4]

Docs, Sheets and Slides in real dark mode. Keeptab Dark turns the whole Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel page dark. Images keep their colors, and there is no white flash. Alt+Shift+D turns it on or off.

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Dark Google Docs on a computer, without touching the file

Changing the page color works, but it changes the file for everyone. We made Keeptab Dark for exactly this reason. It's a Chrome extension that turns Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel for the web dark on your screen only.[5] Your file stays exactly the same for others, when printing and when exporting to PDF.[5]

The free version includes the Soft gray theme. The Pro option adds a way to keep one document light, which is handy right before printing.[5] If you use Excel in a browser, our guide to dark mode in Excel online explains what Microsoft offers there.

FAQ

Does dark mode affect printing in Word?

No. Microsoft says your document prints with the light mode page color regardless of your Dark Mode settings. Use the Switch Modes button to preview the light page.

Will my coworkers see my dark mode?

No. Microsoft says Dark Mode in Word and Excel doesn't affect collaborators, and Google says collaborators can't see the theme you choose in the Docs, Sheets and Slides apps.

Why did my Google Doc print with a black background?

Probably because the page color was changed in File › Page setup. That setting belongs to the document, unlike a dark theme. Set it back to white before printing.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Support. Dark Mode in Word. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/dark-mode-in-word
  2. Microsoft Support. Dark Mode in Excel. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/dark-mode-in-excel
  3. Google Docs Editors Help. Use Dark theme in Google Docs, Sheets & Slides. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9955476?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
  4. Google Docs Editors Help. Change page settings on Google Docs. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/10296604?hl=en
  5. Keeptab Dark. Dark mode for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel. https://keep-tab.com/dark/

Docs, Sheets and Slides in real dark mode

Keeptab Dark turns the whole Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel page dark. Images keep their colors, and there is no white flash. Alt+Shift+D turns it on or off.

Add to Chrome — it's free

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