How to enable Dark Mode in Windows 11

With the practical benefits it brings, dark mode has now become one of the indispensable interface options on most operating systems and even in each application. Windows 10 has long supported dark mode, so there is no reason why Microsoft does not bring this feature to Windows 11. This article will guide you through simple setup steps to enable Dark Mode on your Windows 11 system. This mode will be applied synchronously on the interface of both applications and the system taskbar.

Enable Dark Mode in Windows 11

1. Right-click an empty area on the desktop and select Personalize .

2. Click Colors . A submenu will appear.

3. Click on the Dark option from the “ Choose your mode ” menu.

You can also select Custom mode . This option will let you switch between Windows mode (taskbar) and default app mode (apps) to Dark or Light separately. However, if you really like the uniform dark background interface, you should not select this option.

Now, the interface on all your Windows 10 apps and taskbar will display light text on a dark background. However, content that has dark text on a light background by default, such as on web pages, emails, or Word documents, will still be displayed.

How to use high contrast theme for dark mode

If you want light text on dark background even in the above content, you need to use contrast theme in Windows 11.

1. Right-click an empty area on the desktop and select Personalize.

2. Click Colors .

3. Select Contrast Themes .

4. From the Contrast Themes menu that appears, select Aquatic . Of course you can also try Dusk or Night sky , but Aquatic is generally the most suitable.

5. Click Apply .

Windows 11 will quickly apply any changes, and now all your content will be in dark mode.

How to create a shortcut to turn Dark Mode on/off in Windows 11

To do this, you will need to download the Easy Dark Mode extension. This is a lightweight third-party program for quickly switching between dark and light modes.

Dark Mode offers a lot of customization options. In addition to a system tray icon that lets you switch between color modes with a single click, you can also display a floating switcher on your screen.

You can configure the Start Mode option to set the color mode when your PC restarts. Furthermore, you can set up a hotkey to switch between dark and light mode in a snap.

To set up a shortcut for dark mode in Windows 11:

1. Download and run the Easy Dark Mode executable file . This is a portable application and does not require installation.

2. You will see the Easy Dark Mode application icon in the system tray. You can click the icon to turn dark mode on and off.

3. To set up a hotkey, right-click on the Easy Dark Mode icon and select Hotkey.

4. In the Hotkey Settings dialog box , click the drop-down menu and select any letter. For example, if you want to use Alt + D to enable dark mode, select D and then check the Alt box.

5. Click OK to save the changes.

6. Press Alt + D to test the hotkey. If it works, press it again to turn off Dark Mode.

Since Easy Dark Mode is a portable application, you will need to enable the Auto Start feature for the application. To do this, right-click on the application icon in the system tray and select Auto Start. With this, the application will start with the operating system.