To turn dark mode on or off in Windows 11, open Settings > Personalization > Colors and change Choose your mode to Light, Dark or Custom. The change applies instantly, with no restart. This guide also covers mixing light and dark, scheduling the switch, and fixing Office and Edge when they don't follow along.
| What you want | Where to change it |
|---|---|
| Turn dark mode off (everything light) | Settings > Personalization > Colors > Choose your mode > Light |
| Turn dark mode on (everything dark) | Settings > Personalization > Colors > Choose your mode > Dark |
| Dark taskbar, light apps (or the reverse) | Choose your mode > Custom, then set Windows mode and app mode separately |
| Switch automatically at sunset | Microsoft PowerToys > Light Switch |
| Office apps only | File > Options > General > Office Theme |
| Undo a black-and-yellow "high contrast" look | Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes > None |
How do I turn off dark mode in Windows 11?
Open Settings with Windows key + I, go to Personalization, then Colors, and set Choose your mode to Light. Windows immediately switches the taskbar, Start menu, Settings, File Explorer and apps that follow the system theme back to light colours. Nothing needs restarting, and you can switch back at any time.
- Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Select Personalization in the left-hand menu.
- Select Colors.
- Next to Choose your mode, open the drop-down and pick Light.
To turn dark mode back on, repeat the same steps and choose Dark. A quicker route is to right-click an empty part of the desktop, select Personalize, and then open Colors.
What we commonly see: people expect the wallpaper to change too. It won't. The colour mode controls Windows surfaces and apps, while the background is set separately under Personalization > Background. You can also pick one of the built-in themes under Personalization > Themes, which changes the wallpaper and colour mode together.
What is the difference between Windows mode and app mode?
Windows mode controls the system surfaces: the taskbar, Start menu, notification area and quick settings. App mode controls the windows of apps that follow the system setting, such as Settings, File Explorer, Notepad and many Microsoft Store apps. With Custom selected, you can set each one to light or dark independently.
Choose Custom in Choose your mode and two extra options appear:
- Choose your default Windows mode (Light or Dark), for the taskbar and Start.
- Choose your default app mode (Light or Dark), for app windows.
A popular combination is a dark taskbar with light apps. The dark taskbar stays out of the way, and documents and web pages stay easy to read in a bright office.
Cause and effect: the Show accent colour on Start and taskbar option, also under Colors, works only when the Windows mode is dark. That's why the toggle greys out when you choose Light. Switch to Dark or Custom with a dark Windows mode and the toggle becomes available again. Microsoft's guide to changing colours in Windows describes the same behaviour.
Why can't I change dark mode in Windows 11?
The most common reason is that Windows isn't activated. On an unactivated copy, most of the Personalization pages, Colors included, are locked and show a message asking you to activate Windows first. Other causes are a work or school policy that controls the theme, or a contrast theme that overrides normal colours.
To check activation, open Settings > System > Activation. If it says Windows isn't activated, enter a genuine product key for the edition you have installed. A Windows 11 Home licence key fits most personal laptops. If you've been meaning to move up to Pro, a Home to Pro upgrade key unlocks personalisation along with the Pro features. Our Windows 11 Home activation guide takes you through the key entry step by step.
If you see an Activate Windows watermark and an error code, the invalid product key error guide explains the most frequent one. Never use activation scripts or "pre-activated" tools to unlock these settings. They tamper with system files and are a common source of malware.
Is high contrast the same as dark mode?
No. Dark mode is a design preference that keeps Windows' normal look with darker surfaces. Contrast themes are an accessibility feature that replaces most colours with a small, strongly contrasting palette to make text easier to read. If your screen suddenly looks black with yellow or bright green text, a contrast theme is probably on, not dark mode.
To turn a contrast theme off:
- Open Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes.
- Set the Contrast themes drop-down to None.
- Select Apply and wait a few seconds for the colours to reset.
What we commonly see: contrast mode gets switched on by accident with the keyboard shortcut left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen. Pressing the same combination again turns it off, as explained in Microsoft's contrast themes article. Once contrast is set to None, your normal light or dark mode choice returns.
Can Windows 11 switch between light and dark mode automatically?
Not on its own. Windows 11 has no built-in schedule for light and dark mode. Microsoft's free PowerToys app adds one through its Light Switch utility, which can switch at sunrise and sunset or at fixed times. If you prefer to avoid extra software, Task Scheduler can do the same job with two short commands.
Option 1: PowerToys Light Switch (easiest)
- Install Microsoft PowerToys version 0.95 or later from the Microsoft Store or the official Light Switch documentation page.
- Open PowerToys, select Light Switch and turn on Enable Light Switch.
- Choose a schedule. Sunset to Sunrise uses your location, Fixed hours uses times you set, and Follow Night Light matches your Night Light schedule.
- Under Apply dark mode to, choose System, Apps or both.
Light Switch also adds a toggle shortcut, Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + D by default. It's handy when you just want to flip the mode by hand.
Option 2: Task Scheduler (no extra apps)
The light/dark choice is stored in two registry values under your user profile: AppsUseLightTheme and SystemUsesLightTheme. A value of 0 means dark and 1 means light. Create one scheduled task for the evening that runs:
reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize /v AppsUseLightTheme /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Add a second action with the same command but SystemUsesLightTheme. Then create a morning task that sets both values back to 1.
Advanced nuance: some apps only read the theme when they start, so an app that is already open may stay in the old mode until you reopen it. If the taskbar doesn't update straight away, signing out and back in applies the change everywhere.
How do I make Office and Edge follow dark mode?
Office and Microsoft Edge each have their own theme setting, and both are usually set to follow Windows. In Office, go to File > Options > General and set Office Theme to Use system setting, or choose Black, Dark Gray, White or Colorful. In Edge, open Settings, then Appearance, and choose System default, Light or Dark.
In Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook the Office Theme setting is shared across apps, so changing it once updates them all. According to Microsoft's Office theme guidance, the Black theme can also darken the document page itself.
If you want a dark ribbon but a white page, go to File > Options > General. In Word, tick Never change the document page color. In Outlook, tick Never change the message background color. These options are available in current versions such as Office 2024 Professional Plus. If you're choosing between versions, our Office 2024 vs 2021 comparison covers the differences.
Cause and effect: if Office is set to a fixed theme such as White, it ignores your Windows dark mode completely. If one app stays bright after you switch Windows to dark, check its own theme setting before anything else.
Does dark mode save battery or help your eyes?
On laptops with OLED screens, dark mode can reduce power use because black pixels draw little or no power. On standard LCD screens the backlight stays on whatever the colours, so the saving is minimal. For eye comfort, matching screen brightness to your room usually matters more than the colour mode.
For evening use, combine dark mode with Night light (Settings > System > Display > Night light), which warms the screen's colour temperature. During the day in a bright room, light mode is often easier to read because text contrast against a white page is high.
Use whichever mode keeps you comfortable. You can even change it by time of day using the scheduling options above.
Frequently asked questions
Is dark mode available in Windows 11 Home?
Yes. Light, Dark and Custom modes are available in every edition of Windows 11, including Home, Pro, Education and Enterprise. The only requirement is that Windows is activated, because the Personalization pages are locked on unactivated copies. No edition upgrade is needed just to use dark mode.
Why is File Explorer still white when dark mode is on?
File Explorer follows the app mode rather than the Windows mode. If you chose Custom and left the default app mode on Light, Explorer stays white even though the taskbar is dark. Set Choose your default app mode to Dark, then close and reopen any open File Explorer windows.
Does dark mode change websites as well?
Partly. Websites that support the system colour preference switch automatically when your browser follows the Windows theme. Sites without dark styling stay light. Edge and Chrome also offer experimental settings that force dark pages, but these can make some sites look broken, so use them cautiously.
How do I reset Windows 11 colours to default?
The quickest reset is to apply the default Windows theme under Settings > Personalization > Themes, which restores the standard wallpaper, light mode and default accent colour. Then check that Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes is set to None so no accessibility palette is overriding the normal colours.
Is there a keyboard shortcut for dark mode in Windows 11?
Windows 11 has no built-in shortcut for switching between light and dark mode. Installing PowerToys and enabling Light Switch adds one, which is Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + D by default. Don't confuse it with left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen, which toggles a contrast theme instead.
Related guides
- How to check your Windows 11 version and update to 26H2
- Windows 11 Pro vs Home: which edition do you need?
- How to open and use the on-screen keyboard in Windows 11
- 15 common Windows 11 problems and how to fix them
Links in this guide
| Link | Type | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 Home licence key | Internal | Activates Windows so Personalization settings unlock |
| Home to Pro upgrade key | Internal | Moves an activated Home PC to Pro without reinstalling |
| Windows 11 Home activation guide | Internal | Step-by-step product key entry |
| Activation error 0xC004F050 | Internal | Fixes the most common invalid key error |
| Office 2024 Professional Plus | Internal | Office suite with the Black theme and page colour options |
| Office 2024 vs 2021 | Internal | Helps you choose an Office version |
| Change colours in Windows | External | Microsoft's reference for colour modes and accent colours |
| Contrast themes in Windows | External | Official steps to turn contrast themes on or off |
| PowerToys Light Switch | External | Documentation for scheduled light/dark switching |
| Office themes | External | Microsoft's guide to Office Theme options |