Summary
- Check the compatibility of Windows
- Enable dark mode on Windows 10
The dark theme – also known as dark mode – has been very popular for some time in operating systems, software and app interfaces.
As the name suggests, this display mode favors black and dark tones with the primary goal of reducing eye strain. In fact, by displaying white text on a black background, reading comfort is significantly improved, both day and night. This is particularly noticeable in the display of windows, where the usual white background acts as a permanent flash. This is one of the reasons why developers prefer this display mode when working for hours on code.Another advantage, lesser but not negligible, the dark mode allows to reduce the power consumption of the screens, but only on Oled models – LCD screens still use backlighting, even to display black…
Note that once the dark mode is activated in Windows, all recent applications automatically adapt. This is particularly true of web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge, which immediately switch to dark, without any intervention.
How to know if the version of Windows 10 supports the dark mode?
Before trying to activate the dark theme, check that your PC uses a version of Windows 10 compatible with this feature, ie greater than or equal to the 1809. To know everything about the version used and to have other basic information about your computer, consult our practical sheet Identifying the version of Windows 10 used on a PC.
- If you do not know the version of Windows used on your PC, click onthe Start menu(the Windows icon), at the bottom left of the screen, then onSettings or type the keyboard shortcut Windows+I.
- In the Settings window, clickSystem.
- The contents of the window change. In the left-hand column, click System Information or About, at the very bottom (the title varies depending on the version of Windows). Then scroll down to the middle section to reach theWindows Specifications section. The version number of Windows 10 is displayed in plain text.
How to enable dark mode in Windows 10 settings?
Once you’ve verified that the version of Windows 10 installed on your PC does support dark mode, it only takes a few seconds to enable it.
- Right-click onthe Start menu(the Windows icon) at the bottom left of the screen, then click onSettings or type the keyboard shortcut Windows+I.
- In the window that appears, click on thePersonalization section.
- The contents of the window will change. In the left column, click onColors.
- On the right-hand side, click on the drop-down menu under the headingChoose your color, then selectDark from the list.
- The interface changes immediately and Windows 10 goes entirely into dark mode, with white text on a black background, for a more elegant and relaxing display.
- If you want to go a little further with customization, selectCustom from the drop-down menu. Additional options will appear and you can separately choose to apply the dark theme to Windows and/or other software, but also to enable or disable the transparency effect. While you are in this window, take the opportunity to select an accent color to match the dark theme by clicking in the menu under Choose your color.
- Be careful, you will probably need a little time to get used to the dark mode, especially when handling windows, as the close, enlarge and reduce boxes in the top right-hand corner are not always clearly visible. But, in general, to try it is to adopt it!
Since its version 1809, released in fall 2018, Windows 10 offers a dark mode, in addition to the normal mode. This theme dresses the entire interface of the operating system in black, with the exception of a few windows inherited from older versions, which still hang out here and there, in some settings. And this option is very easy to activate, provided you have a recent version of Windows 10 (1809, 1903, 1909, 2004, 20H2 or later).