BlogAdd to Chrome — it's free

How do I turn on dark mode in Gmail?

Published

A laptop and a phone both showing an email inbox in dark theme, with a crescent moon

In short: On a computer: Settings › Theme › View all › Dark › Save.[1] On Android 10 and up: Menu › Settings › General settings › Theme › Dark.[2] On iPhone and iPad (iOS 13 and up), Gmail follows your device's Dark Mode.[3]

Gmail is often the first tab you open in the morning and the last one you close at night. If it's still a bright white rectangle at midnight, here's how to fix it on each device, in under a minute.

Gmail dark mode on a computer

  1. Open Gmail and click Settings (the gear) at the top right.[1]
  2. In the Quick settings menu, find the Theme section and click View all.[1]
  3. Select Dark.[1]
  4. Click Save.[1]

The same window offers photo themes. For some of them, Google lets you change the text background, darken the corners or blur the image.[1] If those options are greyed out, the theme you picked doesn't support them.[1]

Gmail dark mode on Android

  1. Open the Gmail app and tap Menu at the top left.[2]
  2. Tap Settings, then General settings.[2]
  3. Tap Theme and choose Dark, or System default to follow your phone.[2]

Google notes that the dark theme needs Android 10 or later.[2] If you don't see the Theme option, check your Android version first.

Gmail dark mode on iPhone and iPad

There's no theme switch inside the app. Google says Dark Mode is available on iOS 13 and up, and that when you change your device setting, all apps on your iPhone or iPad change to match.[3] So turn on Dark Mode in your iPhone settings, then open Gmail.[3] Apple's current path is Settings › Appearance › Dark; on iOS 26 and earlier, the option is under Display & Brightness.[4] You can also add a Dark Mode button to Control Center.[4]

If Gmail won't go dark

Gmail's Dark theme is a Gmail setting. Chrome's dark mode, by comparison, covers the browser's homepage, toolbar, settings and some other pages.[5] That's why one dark tab doesn't make the next one 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

The attachment you open next is still white

Here's the part nobody warns you about. Your inbox is dark, you click a shared Google Doc, and the page in the new tab is blinding white again. Google Docs has a dark theme in its phone apps, not on a computer.

We built Keeptab Dark for that tab. It's a Chrome extension that darkens the page itself in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel for the web.[6] Images keep their real colors and the file stays the same for everyone else.[6] The Soft gray theme is free, and the Pro option adds a night schedule.[6] Our guide to Google Docs dark mode on a computer covers the other options.

FAQ

How do I make Gmail dark on my computer?

Click Settings at the top right, go to Theme, click View all, select Dark and click Save.

Why is there no dark theme option in my Gmail app?

On Android, Gmail's dark theme needs Android 10 or later. On iPhone and iPad, Gmail follows your device's Dark Mode (iOS 13 and up) instead of having its own switch.

Does Gmail dark mode make Google Docs dark too?

No. Gmail's theme only changes Gmail. Google Docs has a dark theme in its Android, iPhone and iPad apps, not in the browser on a computer.

Sources

  1. Gmail Help. Change your Gmail background (Computer). https://support.google.com/mail/answer/112508?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
  2. Gmail Help. Change your Gmail background (Android). https://support.google.com/mail/answer/112508?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
  3. Gmail Help. Change your Gmail background (iPhone & iPad). https://support.google.com/mail/answer/112508?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS
  4. Apple Support. Use Dark Mode on your iPhone and iPad. https://support.apple.com/en-us/108350
  5. Google Chrome Help. Browse in Dark mode or Dark theme. https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9275525?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
  6. 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

More articles