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How do I make Chrome dark on Windows?

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A desktop monitor with a dark taskbar and a dark browser window, next to a sun and moon toggle

In short: In Windows, open Settings › Personalization › Colors and pick Dark under Choose your mode.[1] In Chrome, open Customize Chrome from a New Tab page and set Appearance to Device to follow Windows, or Dark to force it.[2] Websites keep their own colors unless they offer a dark version.[2]

Windows went dark, the taskbar went dark, and Chrome sat there in bright white like it missed the memo. It didn't miss anything: Chrome simply has its own switch. Two settings, two minutes.

Step 1: choose Dark mode in Windows

  1. Open the Settings app.[1]
  2. Select Personalization › Colors.[1]
  3. Under Choose your mode, select Dark.[1]

Microsoft offers three choices here: Light, Dark and Custom. Custom gives you options between light and dark.[1] If you picked Custom and Chrome still looks light, try plain Dark first to rule it out.

Step 2: let Chrome follow Windows

  1. Open a New Tab page in Chrome.
  2. At the bottom right, select Customize Chrome.[2]
  3. Under Appearance, choose Device to match Windows, or Dark to keep Chrome dark no matter what.[2]

Microsoft says it plainly: some apps let you set dark or light mode individually, separate from the Windows color mode, and not all apps support dark mode.[1] Chrome is one of those apps with its own setting. If it's on Light, it stays light.[2]

What goes dark, and what doesn't

In dark mode, Chrome's homepage, toolbar, settings and some other pages turn dark.[2] The websites you open are a different story: each site decides whether it has a dark version. That's why so many pages stay white, as we explain in why websites stay white in Chrome dark mode.

A tip for Windows users: Chrome windows in Incognito may look dark even when you're in light mode.[2] Nothing is broken.

For late evenings

Dark mode changes colors; Night light warms the screen. Windows has both, and they do different jobs. Our article on night light vs dark mode explains when each one helps.

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

Where Windows dark mode stops: your documents

Google Docs, Sheets and Slides open as bright white pages in Chrome, even with Windows and Chrome both in dark mode. Excel for the web is often the same.

Keeptab Dark is our Chrome extension that darkens the page itself in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel for the web.[3] Images keep their real colors, gridlines stay readable, and your file is unchanged for everyone else.[3] The Soft gray theme is free, and Alt+Shift+D turns it on or off.[3]

FAQ

Why is Chrome still white when Windows is in dark mode?

Chrome has its own Appearance setting. Open Customize Chrome from a New Tab page and set Appearance to Device to follow Windows, or Dark to force it.

Where is dark mode in Windows settings?

Open Settings, select Personalization, then Colors. Under Choose your mode, select Dark.

Does Windows dark mode make every app dark?

No. Microsoft notes that some apps set dark or light mode separately from Windows, and not all apps support dark mode.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Support. Personalize your Colors in Windows. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-colors-in-windows-d26ef4d6-819a-581c-1581-493cfcc005fe
  2. Google Chrome Help. Browse in Dark mode or Dark theme. https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9275525?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
  3. 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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