Microsoft has just released Insider Preview Build 14316, and it includes an important accessibility features: an official dark mode that makes it easier to use most apps at night, or in low-light environments or if you just like night mode. Find out how to toggle between dark and light mode in Windows 10 after the jump.
Over time, we have covered several ways you can get a dark mode in Windows 10. We’ve shown you how to get a near-native night mode experience with a theme. We’ve shown you how to get a better experience with a more difficult to implement dark mode hack, and even discussed another alternative low-light theme for Windows 10. As you can tell from our coverage, this is a pretty heavily-requested feature.
So, Microsoft has gone ahead and implemented it in the latest Anniversary Update Insider Preview Build. Numbered at 14316, which is a relatively big jump over 14295, the update includes a slew of new features which we are covering one by one. In this post, we’ll discuss the official Dark mode for Windows 10, and talk you through how to enable and disable it as per your needs.
As of typing on April 7th, 2016, you need to have the latest Insider Preview Build. However, Microsoft will definitely include this as part of the Anniversary Update later this year, expected in June. When this rolls out for everyone, you’ll be able to use Dark Mode even if you’re not a Windows Insider.
Update August 2016: Night Mode is included in Windows 10 Anniversary Update. We have updated the post to include screenshots on how to enable it.
So how do you switch to Dark Mode in Windows 10? It’s easy! Just go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and you will see a “Choose your mode” option. Select ‘Dark’ under it to enable Dark Mode.
To turn off Dark Mode, you simply need to select ‘Light’ under “Choose your mode” from the same menu.
When you do so, most UWP apps will understand this, and appropriately change their primary color to a much more darker, grey-er one so it’s easier on the eyes. Some developers’ apps have their own custom themes, though, so they might not respond when you turn on Dark Mode.
We thank Microsoft for listening to user’s feedback, and for adding Dark Mode to Windows 10. We hope they’ll improve it further in the future, so when it is switched on, all apps respect it instead of just Microsoft’s own apps, and a handful of others.