Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Chrome OS dark mode: Here's how to enable it
Chrome OS lacked a very important feature, which was dark mode. However, Google eventually added the feature, starting with the beta channel, then the stable channel, until finally, it became a standard feature for everyone in the Chrome OS settings. Here’s how to enable dark mode on Chrome OS. It’s very easy, and your eyes will thank you for it.
QUICK ANSWER
To enable dark mode on Chrome OS, go to your Chromebook's Settings, then go to Personalization. Go into Set your wallpaper & style. Under the Wallpaper section, you will see the Theme section, where you can choose between Light, Dark, and Auto. Select Dark, and everything will go black. Selecting Auto will only make the computer dark when it is dark outside at your geographical location. This will require revealing your location to Google.
Editor’s note: We used an ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip running Chrome OS version 123.0.6312.112. Some steps may change depending on your device and software version.
How to turn on the Chrome OS dark mode
Changing your Chromebook’s theme isn’t too hard, but the option is a bit hidden. Let’s walk you through the process step by step.
- Launch the Settings app.
- Go into the Personalization tab.
- Click on Set your wallpaper & style.
- Under the Wallpaper section, you will see the Theme section.
- Here, you can select between Light, Dark, or Auto.
Bear in mind that Auto will require that you tell the Chrome OS your geographical location so it knows what time of the day it is where you are. Privacy-minded users may not like that idea.
How to enable dark mode in Chrome
Even if your Chromebook is using dark mode, this doesn’t mean that the Chrome browser is doing the same. If you notice websites are using light mode, follow the same steps to get Chrome to showcase websites in dark mode.
How to enable Chrome dark mode in the settings:
- Launch Chrome.
- Click on the three-dot menu button.
- Go into Settings.
- Go into Appearance.
- Click on the drop-down menu next to Mode.
- You can now pick between Light, Dark, and Device. The last one syncs with the mode you set in the previous section.
Sadly, dark mode doesn’t always work, even if you set Chrome to use dark mode. This is likely due to web developers not updating their code to support this feature. If you want to force dark mode on these websites, you might have more luck using a Chrome Flag.
How to force dark mode on Chrome using Chrome Flags:
- Launch Chrome.
- In the URL bar, type in “chrome://flags”.
- Search for “Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents”.
- Click on the drop-down menu next to Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents.
- Select Enabled.
FAQs
The Chrome OS dark mode displays dark greys in most cases instead of pitch black, so even if you have an OLED screen on your Chromebook, the battery life change will be minimal at best.
Go back to Settings > Personalization > Set your wallpaper & style, and select Light or Auto.