Chrome Dark Mode: How to Turn It On, Force It on Every Website, or Switch Back to Light
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Chrome dark mode is really three separate settings living in three different places, and picking the wrong one is why so many people end up with a dark toolbar and blinding white web pages.
The short answer: on desktop, open a new tab, select Customize Chrome > Appearance > Dark. On Android, open the three dot menu, then Settings > Theme > Dark. These controls change Chrome's interface. Websites can follow your preference if they provide a compatible dark theme; they are not all automatically recoloured.
Start here: which one do you actually want
1. The browser itself is still light. Tabs, toolbar, address bar, settings pages, new tab page. This is Chrome's own interface, and it is the setting almost everyone means first. Go to Chrome dark mode on desktop or Chrome dark mode on Android.
2. The browser is dark but websites are still white. That is normal. Chrome does not repaint page content unless you tell it to. Go to dark mode for all websites.
3. You want a black theme, not grey. Chrome's built in dark mode is a dark grey, and the new tab page has its own separate appearance controls. Go to black themes for Chrome.
Or you want it gone. Everything went dark and you did not ask for it. Go to how to turn Chrome dark mode off.
On this page
Does Chrome have a dark mode?
Yes. Chrome has a built in dark mode on Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android and iOS, and it has had one for years. There is no extension needed and nothing to install.
What Chrome does not do out of the box is darken the websites you visit. A page renders in whatever colours its own CSS specifies. If a site ships a dark theme, you usually get it automatically, because Chrome passes your preference to the page through the prefers-color-scheme media query. If the site has no dark theme, it stays white no matter what Chrome's toolbar looks like. Forcing those sites dark is a separate job, covered further down.
How to turn on dark mode in Chrome on desktop
Recent versions of Chrome have an appearance control inside the browser, so you no longer have to change your whole operating system just to get a dark browser. Google documents the New Tab appearance panel as the desktop route. Available controls can differ with the platform, browser version and installed theme.
The supported desktop route
- Open a new tab. Use Chrome's New Tab page.
- Select Customize Chrome. Find the button at the bottom right.
- Under Appearance, choose Dark. Choose Light to switch back, or Device to follow your computer's theme.
- Check the browser interface. A website may still need its own dark-theme setting. If Customize Chrome is unavailable, check whether an extension has replaced the New Tab page, or use your device's dark appearance setting.
You may also find a Mode control at chrome://settings/appearance. Where available, its Dark, Light and Device default choices control Chrome's appearance. The instructions above follow Google's desktop dark-mode help.
Turning on dark mode for the whole system instead
If you want everything dark, not just the browser, set it at the operating system level and leave Chrome on Device default.
- Windows 10 and 11: press Win and I to open Settings, go to Personalization > Colors, then set "Choose your mode" to Dark. To keep the taskbar light, choose Custom and set only the app mode to Dark.
- macOS: open System Settings > Appearance and choose Dark. Choosing Auto switches with the time of day, and Chrome follows it.
- ChromeOS: open Settings > Personalization > Set wallpaper and style and turn on the dark theme. ChromeOS and the browser share the same shell, so they switch together.
Worth knowing: websites can respond to your colour preference through prefers-color-scheme. They can also use a separate account or site setting. A dark browser toolbar does not guarantee a dark Gmail, YouTube or other web page; check that site's appearance controls.
Chrome dark mode on Android and iPhone
Mobile Chrome uses different controls from desktop. Start with the supported app or system theme settings below; experimental website-darkening controls are separate and may not be available.
Android: dark theme for the Chrome app
- Open the Chrome menu. Tap the three dot menu in the top right corner. On some Android builds the menu sits at the bottom right instead.
- Open Settings, then Theme. This is the menu label in Google's Android instructions; wording can vary by version.
- Choose Dark. The three options are System default, Light and Dark. Picking Dark keeps Chrome dark even when the phone is in light mode.
- Go back to browsing. Tap the back arrow. The toolbar, tab switcher, menus and new tab page turn dark at once, with no restart.
If you would rather have the phone drive it, choose System default here, then turn on Settings > Display > Dark theme in Android itself. Android's own dark theme also supports a schedule, so you can have it switch on at sunset and off at sunrise. Chrome inherits that schedule.
Android: darkening websites is separate
Google's Android instructions cover the app's Theme selector, not a universal website-darkening switch under Accessibility. Use a website's own dark theme when it offers one.
Some Chrome versions expose experimental auto-darkening controls. Chromium includes a feature-gated Darken websites control in Theme settings. Its availability is not guaranteed. If it is absent, you have not missed a standard Accessibility option. The experimental force-dark flag described below may also be available in your version.
If you previously enabled an experimental control, return to that control to disable it when text, images or page colours become difficult to read. Setting the app's theme alone is not a reliable way to undo a separate experiment.
iPhone and iPad
Chrome on iOS has no in app theme picker at all. It follows the system appearance and nothing else. Open the iOS Settings app > Display & Brightness and choose Dark. Chrome switches with every other app that respects the system setting. The desktop and Android force-dark instructions below do not apply to iOS. See Google's iPhone and iPad instructions.
How to make all websites dark mode in Chrome
This is the request behind searches like "chrome dark mode for all websites" and "force dark mode chrome", and it is a completely different mechanism from the setting above. Start with a site's own theme. For sites without one, a desktop extension or an available experimental auto-darkening feature can help, but neither guarantees that every page will remain readable.
Option 1: the force dark flag
Some Chrome versions offer an experimental auto-darkening flag that transforms page colours. Availability and results vary; it can change images or make text and controls hard to read.
- Type
chrome://flagsin the address bar and press Enter. Read the warning banner at the top. These are unreleased features and they can misbehave. - Search the flags page for "dark". The one you want is called Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents, and its internal name is
#enable-force-dark. - If the flag is available, choose Enabled. Use only the options your version actually shows. Older instructions may name inversion variants that are no longer offered.
- Click Relaunch at the bottom of the page. Chrome restarts and reopens your tabs. Unlike the appearance setting, this one does require a relaunch.
Be honest with yourself about this flag. It is experimental, it is not a supported product feature, and Google removes flags between releases without warning. If #enable-force-dark is not on your flags page, skip this method. Do not assume every version or platform includes it. Recheck experimental settings if behaviour changes after an update. The current Chromium flag registry defines this as a feature toggle; it does not establish availability in your installed release.
Check the pages you rely on after enabling it. Native dark themes, maps, charts and images can produce unexpected results. If a page becomes difficult to use, return the flag to Default or Disabled and relaunch. Do not rely on this experiment for consistent per-site control.
Option 2: a dark mode extension
An extension is the more controllable answer, and the reason is per site rules. A dark mode extension lets you keep a site list, so anything with a decent native dark theme is left alone and only the stubbornly white sites get rewritten. That single feature solves the double inversion problem that makes the flag frustrating.
Dark Reader is the best known option here. It is open source under the MIT licence, it generates its own stylesheet rather than applying a blunt filter, and it exposes brightness, contrast, sepia and greyscale sliders plus a per site allow and block list. Like every extension of this type it needs permission to read and change data on all websites, because rewriting page colours is exactly what it does. That scope is inherent to the job, but it is a reason to install one such extension rather than four. Rewriting CSS on every page also costs load time, so if a heavy site drags, exclude it rather than living with the lag.
For a side by side comparison, see our roundup of the best dark mode extensions for Chrome. If you have already settled on Dark Reader and want to know what else covers the same ground, we keep a list of Dark Reader alternatives, and a direct Dark Mode vs Dark Reader comparison for the two most installed options. Chrome for Android does not support installing desktop Chrome extensions. On a phone, use the site's own theme first; any experimental auto-darkening option depends on your Chrome version.
Option 3: let the site do it
Before reaching for either of the above, check whether the site has its own switch. Many web apps offer an appearance setting designed for their own interface. Prefer that setting when available; support can differ between a service's website and its mobile app. In Gmail it is the settings gear, then Theme, then View all, then the dark theme, then Save, entirely independent of what Chrome's toolbar is doing.
Black themes for Chrome and the new tab page
Chrome's dark mode is a dark grey, not true black. If you searched for a Chrome black theme rather than dark mode, this is the section you wanted, because grey and black are set in different places.
Changing the theme
Go to chrome://settings/appearance. Below the Mode setting is Theme, with a button that opens the Chrome Web Store theme gallery. Themes control the colour of the frame and tab strip and the background image on the new tab page, and plenty of them are black rather than grey. That matters on an OLED screen, where fully black pixels are simply switched off.
You can also open a new tab and use the Customize Chrome button in the bottom right corner. That panel offers colour swatches and background images without leaving the page, and it is the quickest way to get a black tab strip.
The catch that trips everyone up: an installed theme overrides the Mode setting. If you have a Web Store theme applied, changing Mode to Dark may appear to do nothing at all. On the Appearance page, click Reset to default next to Theme, then set Mode again. Check the installed theme when Chrome does not respond as expected.
How to turn Chrome dark mode off and go back to light mode
Turning it off is not simply the reverse of turning it on, because dark can be arriving from three different sources at once. Work down this list in order and stop when the browser goes light.
- Set Chrome's own Mode to Light. Open
chrome://settings/appearanceand change Mode from Device default or Dark to Light. This is the direct answer to "how to change Chrome to light mode", and it wins over your operating system's setting. It also tells websites you prefer light, so sites that were auto switching to dark will go back to light too. - Turn off system dark mode if you want everything light. On Windows, Settings > Personalization > Colors, set mode to Light. On macOS, System Settings > Appearance, choose Light. On Android, Settings > Display > Dark theme, off. On iOS, Settings > Display & Brightness, choose Light.
- On Android, set the app theme back. Chrome menu, Settings, Theme, then Light. If you enabled a separate experimental website-darkening control, disable it where you enabled it.
- Disable the force dark flag if pages are still inverted. Go to
chrome://flags, search for dark, set Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents back to Default or Disabled, then click Relaunch. A site's own theme or an extension can also keep a page dark while the browser frame is light. - Disable any dark mode extension. Open
chrome://extensionsand toggle off anything that darkens pages. A dark mode extension keeps working even after every Chrome setting says light, which is why people conclude the light mode setting is broken. - Remove a dark theme. Back on
chrome://settings/appearance, click Reset to default beside Theme.
People often reach for a force light mode Chrome extension at this point. You almost never need one. Chrome's Mode set to Light already sends the light preference to sites, and steps 4 through 6 remove the three things that override it. An extension that forces light on a site designed only for dark will fight the site's CSS and usually looks worse than what it replaced.
Which method should you actually use
| What it does | Chrome Mode setting | Force dark flag | Dark mode extension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darkens the browser frame | Yes | No | No |
| Darkens website content | Only sites with their own dark theme | Yes, all sites | Yes, all sites |
| Per site control | No | No | Yes |
| Needs a relaunch | No | Yes | No |
| Works on Android | Yes | Version-dependent experiment | No, Chrome for Android has no extensions |
| Works on iOS | Through the system setting only | No | No |
| Survives Chrome updates | Yes | Not reliably, flags can be removed | Yes |
| Extra permissions required | None | None | Read and change data on all sites |
The setup that gives the least trouble is Chrome's Mode set to Dark for the browser frame, no flag, and one dark mode extension with a site exclusion list. On Android, use Theme set to Dark for the app and a site's own theme for its pages. Treat auto-darkening controls as optional experiments, and disable them if they cause readability problems.
Troubleshooting Chrome dark mode
Chrome stays light after you enable dark mode
Check three things in order. First, a Web Store theme on chrome://settings/appearance, which overrides everything: click Reset to default. Second, the Mode dropdown itself, which may be pinned to Light. Third, your Chrome profile, since appearance is stored per profile and a work account carries its own setting.
The browser is dark but every website is still white
That is Chrome working as designed. The Mode setting never repaints page content that has no dark styling of its own. See dark mode for all websites.
Sites look washed out or half inverted
Classic double inversion: the site already had a dark theme and the force dark pass darkened it again. Exclude that site in your extension's site list, or turn force dark off and let the site's own theme do the work.
Images, charts and CAPTCHAs look wrong
Disable experimental auto-darkening on affected pages, or use an extension with a site exclusion list. Do not assume an inversion option will preserve every image. Maps and data charts are the hardest case because their colours carry meaning, and excluding them is more practical than tuning the algorithm. Check PDF documents separately: dark browser controls do not guarantee dark document pages, and transformed diagram colours can change their meaning.
Incognito windows ignore your settings
Chrome's own dark UI applies in Incognito, and Incognito windows are dark by default anyway. Extensions are the exception: they are disabled there unless you allow them. Go to chrome://extensions, open the extension's Details, and turn on Allow in Incognito.
Web pages stopped being dark after a Chrome update
The Mode setting and your theme persist through updates. Flags do not always survive, and chrome://flags entries can be removed entirely between versions. Check the flag first.
FAQ
Does Chrome have a dark mode?
Yes. Chrome has a built in dark mode on Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android and iOS. On desktop and Android you set it inside Chrome itself, and on iOS Chrome follows the system appearance setting.
How do I turn on dark mode in Chrome?
On desktop, open a new tab, select Customize Chrome, then choose Dark under Appearance. Choose Device to follow your computer's theme. This changes Chrome's interface; individual websites may need their own dark-theme setting.
Where is the Chrome dark mode setting?
On desktop, use New Tab, then Customize Chrome, then Appearance. Some versions also expose Mode at chrome://settings/appearance. On Android, use the three dot menu, then Settings, then Theme.
How do I change Chrome to dark mode on Android?
Open Chrome, tap the three dot menu, tap Settings, tap Theme, then choose Dark. This changes the app's appearance. Websites may need their own theme; experimental auto-darkening controls are separate and version-dependent.
How do I make all websites dark mode in Chrome?
Use a website's own dark theme first. On desktop, a dark mode extension can provide per-site controls. Some Chrome versions also offer the experimental #enable-force-dark flag at chrome://flags, which requires a relaunch and can affect readability. No method guarantees that every website will look correct. Android experimental controls vary by version.
How do I change Chrome back to light mode?
On desktop, open New Tab, then Customize Chrome, and choose Light under Appearance. On Android, use Settings, then Theme, then Light. If pages remain dark, check the site's theme, any dark mode extension, and any experimental auto-darkening control you previously enabled. Disable a flag at chrome://flags and relaunch if needed.
Is there a force light mode Chrome extension?
You rarely need one. Setting Chrome's Mode to Light tells websites you prefer a light colour scheme, so sites that auto switch will render light. The remaining causes of unwanted dark pages are the force dark flag, a dark mode extension, or an installed dark theme, and each of those is switched off directly rather than fought with another extension.
Why is Chrome dark mode not working?
An installed Chrome Web Store theme can affect the browser's appearance. Go to chrome://settings/appearance, click Reset to default next to Theme, then set Mode to Dark again. If that is not it, check that Mode is not pinned to Light, and remember the setting is stored per Chrome profile.
Can I get a black theme for Chrome instead of dark grey?
Yes. Chrome's built in dark mode is dark grey. For true black, install a black theme from the Chrome Web Store through chrome://settings/appearance, or use the Customize Chrome panel on a new tab page. Be aware that any installed theme overrides the Mode setting.
Does Chrome dark mode work in Incognito?
Yes, Chrome's dark interface applies in Incognito windows, which use a dark scheme by default in any case. Extensions are the exception, since they are switched off in Incognito unless you open the extension's Details page at chrome://extensions and turn on Allow in Incognito.
Can I schedule dark mode to turn on at night?
Not inside Chrome, but through your operating system. Set Chrome's Mode to Device default, then use macOS Appearance set to Auto, or Android's Dark theme schedule under Settings and Display. Chrome follows whatever the system decides.
About the author. Michael Lip builds and maintains Chrome extensions at Zovo. The September 12 review corrected platform instructions against the linked Google help pages and Chromium source. It is not a hands-on test of every Chrome release. Menu labels and experimental features can differ by version; use the supported platform instructions first.