Dark mode is a setting or theme that changes the background color of the operating system desktop or home screen, and some applications, to dark gray or black. For example, in the Google Chrome browser, dark mode changes the background color of browser tabs, address bar, tool bar, and drop-down menu to be dark gray.
The design reduces the light emitted by device screens while maintaining the minimum color contrast ratios required for readability.
Dark mode has several benefits, including the following.
- Helps reduce eye strain, especially in low light conditions, by reducing the brightness of application windows and objects on the screen.
- Reduces the amount of blue light being displayed on the screen.
- Helps conserve battery power on laptops and mobile devices.
Most utility and system applications support dark mode, as well as some Internet browsers, PDF readers, and photo viewing applications. Applications only display dark mode features if the developer programmed the compatibility for dark mode. Applications like Microsoft Word and Excel, Skype, iTunes, and Notepad currently do not support dark mode.
Dark mode is available in the following operating systems and versions.
- Microsoft Windows 10
- MacOS 10.14 Mojave and later
- Android 9.0 Pie
- iOS 13
Dark Mode in MacOS 10.14
Pros:
- It saves energy, mainly if the device uses an OLED or AMOLED screen.
- While the dark text on a white background is the best in terms of readability, Dark Mode (which has light text on a dark background) is better for reducing eye strain in low light conditions.
- With the majority of the screen dark, the screen glare is reduced, thereby minimizing flickering and blue light.
Cons:
- Dark themes are not always better for eye strain. In bright light conditions, the text appears washed out, increasing eye fatigue.
- Long pieces of content or text are more challenging to read in Dark Mode.