Keeptab DarkGoogle Slides dark mode: a dark editor or dark slides?
Published
In short: Google Slides has a built-in dark theme only in its Android and iPhone apps.[1] On a computer, Slide › Change background makes your slides dark, but that changes the deck for everyone.[2] Chrome's dark mode darkens Chrome, not the editor.[3] To work in a dark editor without touching the deck, use an extension such as Keeptab Dark.[4]
“Dark mode in Google Slides” can mean two very different things. Some people want a dark-looking presentation. Others just want to stop staring at a bright white editor while they build one at night. Google handles the first, mostly not the second.
Two different wishes
- Dark slides: a design choice. Your audience sees dark slides on the projector.
- A dark editor: a comfort choice. Only you see it, and the deck stays exactly as it was.
Mixing the two up is how people end up recoloring a colleague's deck at midnight just to rest their eyes.
How to make your slides dark
If you want the presentation itself to be dark, Slides has it built in.
- Choose a slide.
- At the top, click Slide › Change background.
- To the right of “Color”, click the box and select a dark color.
- Click Done for one slide, or Add to theme for the whole presentation.[2]
You can also pick a darker theme with Slide › Change theme, or change the theme's colors with Slide › Edit theme › Colors.[2] Remember to switch your text to a light color so it stays readable.
This is the right tool for a deck that is meant to be dark. It's the wrong tool if you only want comfort, because the change is saved in the file. Everyone who opens the presentation sees it, and it ends up on the projector too.
What about a dark editor?
Google's dark theme for Slides lives in the Android and iPhone apps: Menu › Settings › Choose theme (Theme on iPhone) › Dark. Google notes that collaborators can't see the theme you choose.[1] That's exactly the “only for me” behavior people want. On a computer, Slides has no such setting.
Chrome's dark mode doesn't fill the gap. Google says it darkens your homepage, toolbar, settings and some other pages,[3] but Slides keeps its own light editor and white canvas around your slides.
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 freeA dark Slides editor on your screen only: Keeptab Dark
Keeptab Dark is a Chrome extension we make. It turns the Google Slides editor dark on your screen, and does the same for Docs, Sheets and Excel for the web.[4]
- The app around your slides goes dark, not only the browser frame.[4]
- Images keep their real colors. Photos, logos and charts in your slides are not inverted.[4]
- Your deck doesn't change. Your audience, your colleagues, printing and PDF exports see the normal presentation.[4]
- Alt + Shift + D switches it off in a second when you want to check the real colors.[4]
The soft gray theme is free. Pro adds 11 more themes and an automatic switch at night.[4] Keeptab Dark doesn't read, copy or send your content, and has no analytics or ads.[4]
Which one should you use?
- You want a dark presentation: Slide › Change background or a dark theme.[2]
- You're on your phone: the app's dark theme.[1]
- You want comfort on a computer, without touching the deck: Keeptab Dark.
FAQ
Does Google Slides have a dark mode?
Only in the Android and iPhone apps: Menu › Settings › Choose theme (Theme on iPhone) › Dark, according to Google Docs Editors Help. On a computer there is no dark mode setting for the editor.
How do I make all my slides dark in Google Slides?
Click Slide › Change background, choose a dark color next to “Color”, then click Add to theme to apply it to the whole presentation. Then make your text light.
Does changing the background change it for everyone?
Yes. The background and theme are saved in the presentation, so everyone who opens it, and the projector, sees them. A dark editor from Keeptab Dark or the phone app's dark theme only changes your screen.
Why is Google Slides still white in Chrome dark mode?
Chrome's dark mode darkens Chrome itself: homepage, toolbar, settings and some other pages. Google Slides keeps its own light editor.
Sources
- Google Docs Editors Help. Use Dark theme in Google Docs, Sheets & Slides (Android, iPhone & iPad). https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9955476?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
- Google Docs Editors Help. Use a Template or change the theme, background, or layout in Google Slides. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/1705254?hl=en
- Google Chrome Help. Browse in Dark mode or Dark theme (computer). https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9275525?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
- 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