If you spend a lot of time at your PC or laptop at work, Windows 11’s Dark Mode is rec­om­mend­ed for a number of reasons. Windows 11 offers a good solution to ensure read­abil­i­ty even in dark work en­vi­ron­ments with its Windows 11 Dark Theme. Ad­di­tion­al­ly, the dark mode ensures a lower energy con­sump­tion of the display. Read the following sections to find out how to turn Windows 11 Dark Mode on and off.

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Turning Windows 11 Dark Mode On/Off: Quick guide

The easiest way to manage the dark mode is through the settings. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Open the Windows 11 settings via the Start menu or with the key com­bi­na­tion [Windows] + [i].
  2. Click on the “Per­son­al­iza­tion” item in the left-hand side menu.
  3. Call up the “Colors” entry.
  4. In the “Select mode” line, select the “Dark” option to activate Windows 11 Dark Mode or “Light” to de­ac­ti­vate the mode.

How to enable dark mode in Windows 11

As mentioned, the use of the Dark Theme has its ad­van­tages. This mode is easier on your eyes in dark rooms, gentler than the standard mode, which makes the screen very bright. At the same time, the use of the dark mode results in a lower energy con­sump­tion for the displays, which increases the lifespan of the devices. Some users also opt for Windows 11 Dark Mode for aesthetic reasons.

In the following in­struc­tions we’ll show you which different pos­si­bil­i­ties you have to activate or de­ac­ti­vate the Windows 11 Dark Theme.

Tip

Perhaps you have not yet switched to Windows 11? Read our other guide on how to manage Dark Mode in Windows 10.

Option 1: Manage Dark Mode in Windows 11 in Settings

In the “Settings” menu, you have access to all important con­fig­u­ra­tion options of Windows 11. Among other things, you can change the user name (Microsoft account), change privacy or ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty settings, change the system language, or change the Change Windows 11 keyboard. You can also select or deselect the Windows 11 Dark Theme here as follows:

Step 1: Access the Windows 11 settings by opening the Start menu and clicking on the “Settings” icon. Al­ter­na­tive­ly, use the key com­bi­na­tion [Windows] + [i] for the start.

Step 2: Switch to the “Per­son­al­iza­tion” category by clicking on the entry of the same name in the left side menu of the settings.

Image: Windows 11: “Personalization” entry in the settings
Windows 11: “Per­son­al­iza­tion” entry in the settings

Step 3: Select the “Colors” option.

Step 4: In the “Colors” submenu, you have access to various features for the color design of the Windows 11 interface. Here you can (de)activate trans­paren­cy effects for windows and surfaces, define accent colors for the system, and turn Windows 11’s Dark Mode on or off. To do this, select the ap­pro­pri­ate option in the “Select Mode” line: “Dark” to activate, “Light” to de­ac­ti­vate the Dark Theme.

Image: Activated Windows 11: Dark Mode
Activated Windows 11: Dark Mode
Note

If you click the custom mode, you can select the Windows 11 Dark Theme for the user interface or apps only.

Option 2: Manage Windows 11 Dark Theme via Registry

Another pos­si­bil­i­ty for managing the dark mode is via registry. By adjusting the cor­re­spond­ing entries in the Windows 11 registry, you can turn the mode on and off for apps or the entire system. The steps are as follows:

Step 1: In the first step, open Regedit the in-house editor for managing the system database. To do this, use the key com­bi­na­tion [Windows] + [R] to open the “Run” dialog and enter “regedit”. After a sub­se­quent click on “OK”, the editor starts.

Step 2: In Regedit, navigate the following path:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
Tip

Simply copy the path with the key com­bi­na­tion [Ctrl] + [C] and then paste it via [Ctrl] + [V] into the address line of the editor. Confirm the input af­ter­wards with the Enter key to go directly to the Windows 11 Dark Mode entry.

Step 3: Open the registry entry “Sys­te­mUs­es­Light­Theme” via double-click and enter “0” as the value to switch on the dark mode for the system.

Image: Regedit: Windows 11 Dark Mode entry
Regedit: Entry of the Windows 11 Dark Mode

Step 4: If you want to de­ac­ti­vate the Dark Theme again, assign the value “1” for the registry entry shown.

Tip

If you want to (de)activate the Dark Mode in Apps as well, edit the entry “App­sUse­Light­Theme” in the same way.

Option 3: Switch Dark Mode in Windows 11 on/off per Tool

If the settings and registry are too com­pli­cat­ed for you, you can also manage the Windows 11 Dark Theme with the help of a third-party tool. In this case, the mode can then be con­ve­nient­ly turned on and off with this program.

One of the most in­ter­est­ing solutions is Auto Dark Mode. The open-source ap­pli­ca­tion, com­pat­i­ble with Windows 10 and Windows 11, allows you to set a regular, automated switch between dark and light theme. For example, the default theme is played at bright times of the day and is replaced by the dark theme in the evening hours. You can download the latest version of Auto Dark Mode either from the official GitHub directory or from the Microsoft Store.

Image: Screenshot of Auto Dark Mode
Screen­shot of Auto Dark Mode
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