How to Get Dark Mode on Chrome, Including Websites That Stay White

What are the three kinds of dark mode in Chrome?

Chrome has three separate things people call dark mode: a dark browser interface, a dark rendering of web pages, and dark styling that a website provides itself. They are controlled in different places, which is why turning on one often leaves the others white.

The interface is the frame around the page: tabs, address bar, menus and settings. The page is everything inside the frame. A site only turns dark on its own if its developers wrote a dark style and your system asks for it.

If you want the short route: turn on system dark mode first, then add an extension for the sites that ignore it. The rest of this guide gives exact steps for each method.

How do I turn on Chrome's dark theme on a computer?

On Windows, Mac and Chromebook, Chrome copies the dark or light setting of your operating system. Change the system setting and Chrome follows within a moment.

Windows 10 and 11

1. Open Settings and go to Personalization, then Colors.
2. Next to Choose your mode, pick Dark.
3. Restart Chrome if the toolbar stays light.

macOS

1. Open System Settings and choose Appearance.
2. Select Dark, or Auto to switch with the time of day.
3. Chrome's window frame and menus update straight away.

ChromeOS

Right-click the desktop, choose Set wallpaper and style, and turn on the dark mode toggle. The exact wording changes between ChromeOS versions, so look for the Dark or Light option in the same panel.

Incognito windows use a dark interface by default on desktop, which is a quick way to see what Chrome's dark look is like before you change anything.

Why do websites stay white when Chrome is in dark mode?

Because a website chooses its own colours. Chrome passes your system preference to the site through a standard called prefers-color-scheme, and the site must have a dark stylesheet to respond.

Big services like YouTube, Google Search and many news sites do respond, so they may go dark when your system does. Smaller sites, older forums, documentation portals and internal tools frequently do not. For those, the browser interface is dark and the page is a bright white rectangle.

Some sites also have their own toggle that overrides the system. YouTube, for example, has an appearance option in its account menu, and it can disagree with your operating system. If one site looks wrong, check that site's own menu before blaming Chrome.

Site supports dark mode

It follows your system setting, or its own toggle. Nothing else is needed.

Site has no dark style

It stays light. You need the flag or an extension to force it.

Site has a toggle that disagrees with the system

The site setting usually wins. Change it in the site's account or appearance menu.

If you build websites, the MDN reference on prefers-color-scheme explains how that signal works.

Does a Chrome Web Store dark theme make websites dark?

No. A theme only recolours the browser frame and the new tab page. Pages you visit look exactly as they did before.

To add one, open a new tab, click Customize Chrome at the bottom right, choose Change theme, and pick from Chrome's colour and theme collections, or browse the Chrome Web Store themes category. Click Add to Chrome and the change applies immediately.

Themes are useful when you want a specific look, such as a near-black frame, without changing your whole computer to dark. They are a poor answer if your real complaint is a glaring white website at night.

How do I force dark mode on every website with a Chrome flag?

Use the experimental flag called Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents. It makes Chrome render pages with a dark colour treatment even when the site has no dark style.

1. Type chrome://flags/#enable-force-dark into the address bar and press Enter.
2. Find Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents and set it to Enabled.
3. Click Relaunch at the bottom right so Chrome restarts with the flag on.
4. Open a bright website to check. Reverse the steps and set the flag to Default to turn it off.

The flag is a blunt instrument. Chrome offers several variants in the same dropdown, with different ways of handling images and text, and it is worth trying more than one if the first looks harsh.

Common side effects include photos that look inverted, logos that lose contrast, and embedded video or maps that flash white. Pages that already have a dark style can also end up looking washed out.

How do I use Dark Reader to darken every website?

Install Dark Reader and click its icon to toggle dark mode on the current site. It is a free extension that generates a dark theme for any page and lets you tune it per site. The project's own page is at darkreader.org.

1. Open the Dark Reader profile, then follow the link to the Chrome Web Store and click Add to Chrome.
2. Click the puzzle-piece Extensions icon in the toolbar and pin Dark Reader so its icon stays visible.
3. Open any bright website and click the Dark Reader icon. Switch the main toggle to On.
4. Use the Brightness, Contrast and Sepia sliders until the page is comfortable.
5. Open the Site list tab to turn Dark Reader off for pages that already look right, or for sites where it causes trouble.

If one site looks wrong, open Dark Reader on that page and adjust its brightness and contrast, or turn it off for that site. Banking and payment pages are good candidates to exclude, so you see them exactly as the bank designed.

Browse more options on the dark mode use-case page.

Are there better options for one site, high contrast or long articles?

Yes. If you only need one site dark, a site-specific extension is lighter than a global one. If you need stronger contrast, or mostly read articles, a contrast tool or reading mode may suit you better.

Contrast tools and reading modes are not full dark themes, so check each one's own settings for colour options before relying on it for night reading. If you only want a dark look everywhere, Dark Reader is the closer fit.

How do I get dark mode in Chrome on Android and iPhone?

On Android, use Chrome's own theme setting. On iPhone and iPad, Chrome follows the system appearance.

Android

1. Tap the three-dot menu, then Settings.
2. Tap Theme and choose Dark, or System default to follow the phone. Google's help calls this the dark theme on Android.

Menu labels vary a little between Chrome versions, so look for a Theme entry if Settings looks different on your phone.

iPhone and iPad

Open the iOS Settings app, go to Display & Brightness, and choose Dark. Chrome's interface follows. Websites with a dark style respond to the same signal.

Chrome for iOS and Android do not run desktop extensions, so Dark Reader is a computer tool. On phones you rely on the built-in options above.

Which dark mode method should I choose, and what if it does not work?

Start with system dark mode, add Dark Reader for stubborn sites, and treat the flag as a fallback. That order gives you the fewest surprises.

• Toolbar is still light: change the operating system mode, then restart Chrome. Check that no theme is overriding it in Settings > Appearance.
• Site ignores dark mode: the site has no dark style. Use Dark Reader or the flag.
• Flag does nothing: confirm you clicked Relaunch, and that another extension is not already recolouring pages.
• Two dark modes fighting: running the flag and Dark Reader together can double-darken pages. Use one at a time.
• Images look inverted: try a different flag variant, or exclude that site in Dark Reader.
• Work or school computer: an administrator may lock themes or block extensions. Ask your IT team.

Want more picks? Browse the Find Extensions blog and our methodology to see how we choose what to recommend.