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Save your eyes by enabling dark mode in Google Docs
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If you use Google Docs often, you may want to switch to Dark Mode, especially if you work in a dark room. Unfortunately, Google Docs only has built-in dark mode on the Apple or Android app. If you're using Google Docs in your web browser, there are still some workarounds you can do to put Google Docs in dark mode. Keep reading to learn how you can enable dark mode on Google Docs.
Google Docs Dark Mode: The Best Ways
- The easiest way to enable dark mode is to use a browser plugin like Dark Reader or Google Docs Dark Mode.
- If you use Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Opera, you can turn on dark mode for your browser, which forces Google Docs to also be in dark mode.
- On the mobile app, go to your Google Docs settings and enable dark mode from the themes menu.
Steps
Section 2 of 5:
Desktop Browser Settings
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Most browsers now have experimental dark mode tools. These tools may not be available to all users, and they may not work for every single website. However, if your browser has a dark mode setting, you can always try it out if you don't prefer to use plugins or extensions. Keep reading to learn how to enable built-in dark mode in Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Opera.
- Note that some of these browsers have a basic dark mode setting that won’t affect the appearance of Google Docs or most other websites. You’ll need to use experimental or advanced settings to override the website’s defaults.
Google Chrome
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Type chrome://flags into the address bar. Hitting enter will bring you to the experimental features section of your Chrome settings.
- This method also works on Chromebooks. Just put chrome://flags in the Omnibox.
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Search for "dark mode" in the search bar near the top of the page. The "auto dark mode for web contents" feature will appear.
- Not all users have access to this experimental feature, so if you don't have it, you will need to use an extension instead.
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Click the dropdown and select Enabled . The option is the second one on the list. You can ignore the other options at this time.
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Relaunch the browser. Chrome will prompt you to relaunch your browser to apply the changes. If you have any unsaved work open, save it before you relaunch.
- Don’t skip this step—if you don’t relaunch the browser, Google Docs will still look the same!
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Navigate to Google Docs. The website will now be in dark mode with a black page color and white text.
- This version of dark mode will not change the color of your actual documents. However, it will switch the toolbars, menus, and website background (outside of the document itself) to a dark theme.
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Firefox
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Click the ☰ menu and select Settings . You can override the default text and background colors for most websites in Firefox’s Settings menu. This option will override the default background and text colors in your documents as well as in the page menus, toolbars, and so on.
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Select Manage Colors… . In the main Settings menu, scroll down to the Language and Appearance header, then click Manage Colors… .
- You’ll see a dark mode option on the main Settings page, but it won’t affect the appearance of most websites. You need to override the default color settings in the Manage Colors menu to see Google Chrome in dark mode.
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Change the text and background colors. In the Colors pop-up menu, click the color tiles next to Text and Background . Change Text to white (or your preferred color) and Background to black (or your preferred color).
- You can also change the colors of visited and unvisited links.
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Select Always in the dropdown menu. You’re not quite finished yet. Before you confirm your color selection, click the dropdown menu under Override the colors specified by the page with your selections above . Select Always .
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Click OK to apply your changes. Your browser will now force Google Docs (and all other websites) to display in dark mode. You don’t need to relaunch Firefox for the changes to take effect, although you might need to refresh your Google Docs page.
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Microsoft Edge
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Type edge://flags into the address bar. Hitting enter will bring you to the experimental features section of your Edge settings.
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Search for "dark mode" in the search bar near the top of the page. The "auto dark mode for web contents" feature will appear.
- Not all users have access to this experimental feature, so if you don't have it, you will need to use an extension instead.
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Click the dropdown and select Enabled . The option is the second one on the list. You can ignore the other options at this time.
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Relaunch the browser. Edge will prompt you to relaunch your browser to apply the changes. If you have any unsaved work open, save it before you relaunch.
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Navigate to Google Docs. The website will now be in dark mode with a black page color and white text.
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Opera
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Type opera://flags into the address bar. Hitting enter will bring you to the experimental features section of your Opera settings.
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Search for "dark" in the search bar near the top of the page. The "enable force dark theme on pages from settings and easy setup" feature will appear.
- Not all users have access to this experimental feature, so if you don't have it, you will need to use an extension instead.
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Click the dropdown and select Enabled . The option is the second one on the list. You can ignore the other options at this time.
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Relaunch the browser. Opera will prompt you to relaunch your browser to apply the changes. If you have any unsaved work open, save it before you relaunch.
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Navigate to Google Docs. The website will now be in dark mode with a black page color and white text.
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Section 3 of 5:
Page Setup in Google Docs
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Open the File menu in Google Docs. This method won’t change the overall look of the Google Docs website, but it will display individual documents with a dark background. Open the document you want to view in dark mode, then click the File menu at the top left side of the page.
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Click Page Setup . It’s at the very bottom of the File menu.
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Select black in the Page color menu. Click the color swatch under the Page color header to open a pop-out menu of colors. Select black or another dark color for your document’s page color. Click OK to confirm.
- If you want this change to apply across all your Google Docs, click the Set as default button.
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Change the text color. If your document uses black text, you won’t be able to see the text against the black background. To change it, select your text and click the Text color button in the middle of the toolbar at the top of the screen (it looks like an A with a black bar under it). Choose a light color that will show up against your dark background.
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Section 4 of 5:
Accessibility Settings on Your Computer
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In Windows. One quick and easy way to view Google Docs (and everything else!) in dark mode is to invert the colors on your PC. You can do this in your computer’s accessibility settings. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
- Windows 11: Open the Start menu and go to Settings > Accessibility . Select Color Filters and toggle on the Color Filters switch. Select Inverted .
- Windows 10: Open Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Color Filters . Toggle on the Color Filters switch, then select Inverted .
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On a Mac. You can also easily invert your display’s colors in macOS. To do it:
- Click Apple menu > System Settings .
- Scroll down in the left-side menu and select Accessibility , then click Display in the right-side menu.
- Toggle on Invert colors .
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Section 5 of 5:
Mobile App Dark Mode
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Open the Google Docs app. This method works on Android, iPhone, and iPad and is the same whether you're using the Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides app. [2] X Research source
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Tap the three-line menu in the upper-left corner. This will display several menu options for the app.
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Tap Settings . The settings option has a cogwheel icon.
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Tap Theme on Apple and Choose Theme on Android. These options will bring you to the same setting; the wording just differs based on your device type.
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Choose dark mode. You can select between dark mode, light mode, and system default, which will mirror the theme selection you have made for your device.
- If you have your device set to dark mode, you can select system default as well. However, if you change your device's default theme to light mode, Google Docs will also change.
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