Keeptab DarkDoes Word or Google Docs have the better dark mode?
Published
In short: On a computer, Word does. Its Dark Mode darkens both the menus and the page in Word for Windows, Mac and the web, and your document still prints light and looks normal to collaborators.[1] Google Docs has a dark theme only in its Android, iPhone and iPad apps.[2] On a computer, the only built-in way is to change the page color, which edits the document.[3]
If you write in both, you've probably noticed it: Word goes dark at night, and Google Docs stays a white rectangle. It isn't your settings. The two editors simply took different routes, and the difference matters as soon as you share or print.
Side by side
| Word | Google Docs | |
|---|---|---|
| Dark page on a computer | Yes, on Windows, Mac and the web[1] | No built-in theme; page color only[3] |
| Dark theme on a phone | Not covered here | Yes, in the Android, iPhone and iPad apps[2] |
| Collaborators see it? | No[1] | Theme: no[2] · Page color: yes |
| Prints dark? | No, prints with a light page[1] | Page color is part of the document |
| Preview the light version | Switch Modes or Switch Backgrounds[1] | View in light theme, in the apps[2] |
How Word does it
Microsoft describes Word's Dark Mode as a dark color scheme for both the menu controls and the document background.[1] It's a view, not an edit: the document prints with the light page color, your settings don't affect collaborators, and Word respects each person's view preferences.[1]
- Windows. Set the Office Theme to Black in File › Account › Office Theme, or pick Use system setting to follow Windows.[1]
- Mac. Word follows macOS: choose Dark, or Auto to switch with your Night Shift schedule.[1]
- Web. If your system or browser is already dark, Word for the web turns Dark Mode on by itself. Otherwise, go to the View tab and select Dark Mode.[1]
Prefer a dark ribbon with a white page? In the View tab, Switch Modes (desktop) or Switch Backgrounds (web) flips just the page.[1] Microsoft also lists a few rough edges: some panes, charts, text boxes and equations may not follow Dark Mode, and the setting doesn't carry over between web, Windows and Mac.[1]
How Google Docs does it
Google's dark theme lives in the Docs, Sheets and Slides apps for phones and tablets, where you choose Dark, Light or System default, and collaborators can't see the theme you choose.[2] We cover it in Google Docs dark mode on your phone.
In a browser on a computer, there's no equivalent. The workaround is File › Page setup › Page color.[3] That changes the document itself, so everyone who opens it sees the dark page. The steps and the traps are in how to make a Google Docs background black, and the difference between a theme and an edit in does dark mode change a Google Doc for other people?
Our reading
For a dark page on a computer, Word is ahead: it's built in, it's on every platform, and it leaves the file alone. Google Docs is ahead only in one sense, its phone apps, and only for your own screen. If your work happens in Docs in a browser, the built-in options won't give you what Word gives its users.
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 freeWord-style dark mode for Google Docs
Keeptab Dark is our Chrome extension that brings the same idea to Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel for the web: the page goes dark on your screen and the file is unchanged for others, when printing and in PDF.[4] Images keep their colors, and Sheets and Excel gridlines stay readable.[4]
The Soft gray theme is free, and Alt+Shift+D turns it on or off.[4] Pro can keep one document light, handy before printing.[4]
FAQ
Does Word have a dark mode for the page?
Yes. Word's Dark Mode darkens both the menus and the document background in Word for Windows, Mac and the web. The document still prints with a light page.
Does Google Docs have dark mode like Word?
Only in the Android, iPhone and iPad apps. On a computer, Google Docs has no dark theme; changing the page color edits the document for everyone.
Do collaborators see my dark mode in Word?
No. Microsoft says your Dark Mode settings don't impact collaborators, and Word respects individual view preferences.
Sources
- Microsoft Support. Dark Mode in Word. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/dark-mode-in-word
- 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
- Google Docs Editors Help. Change page settings on Google Docs. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/10296604?hl=en
- 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