We all love to use dark mode on Windows operating systems and applications if it is available. The dark mode is essential for those who are working continuously in a low-light environment. Let it be office or home PC; dark mode is just like a boon for us. Enabling the dark mode reduces eyestrain, thus keeping our eyes healthy.
Unfortunately, dark mode or theme is not enabled by default on Windows 11. When you purchase a computer pre-installed with Windows 11 or install a fresh Windows 11 on your old PC, by default, the light mode or light theme is enabled irrespective of Windows editions. Let it be Windows 11 Home or Pro edition; by default, you will get the light theme activated on your computer or laptop.
Fortunately, there are easy ways through which you can quickly switch to dark mode. There are at least four ways that enable the dark mode or theme on Windows 11. We will review all of them one by one. The dark mode theme makes it easier to quickly shift nearly all visual elements on the screen to dark grey and black.
After activating the dark mode on Windows 11, almost everything on the screen wears black color. All the default items, including Taskbar, Start menu, context menus, Quick Settings, File Explorer, Settings app, and notifications center, will wear a dark theme. Apart from that, default apps like Mail, Calculator, Photos, etc., will also be dark.
While after enabling the dark theme, almost every Windows component will get a black color, but a few visual elements will continue to ignore the dark mode because they are not available in dark mode. For instance, the classic Control Panel will still use a white background because Microsoft has not developed a dark theme. The same goes with Notepad and WordPad apps as well. However, if you need it, you can install a Black Notepad for your PC.
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How to Turn On Dark Theme in Windows 11?
To quickly enable dark mode or theme in Windows 11, perform the following steps:-
Step 1. Perform a right-click on free space on the desktop and select the
Step 2. Now, the Settings > Personalization page will open. Click on the
How to Enable Dark Theme in Windows 11 using Settings app?
First Method
Step 1. Open Settings app.
To do that, click on the
Step 2. In the Settings app that opens, click on the
Step 3. Click
Step 4. Select
Once you apply Dark mode, the dark theme is activated on your Windows 11 PC. Apps like the Microsoft Store, Mail, Calendar, etc., will use the power-saving black background.
Second Method
Step 1. Open Settings app.
To do that, click on the
Step 2. In the Settings app that opens, click on the
Step 3. Click on the
That’s it. The changes are immediate, which means there is no need to restart your computer.
How to Enable Dark Theme on Windows 11 via File Explorer?
It is also possible to activate dark theme or mode in Windows 11 using File Explorer. You need to perform the following steps:-
Step 1. Open the File Explorer by pressing
Step 2. In the address bar, type the following path and hit the
C:\Windows\Resources\Themes
Step 3. Double click on
After double-clicking on any theme, that will be applied immediately, and open the Settings app. You can safely close the Settings window.
How to Turn On or Turn Off Windows 11 Dark Mode via Registry Editor?
Step 1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing
Step 2. In the Run dialog box, type the following and hit
regedit
Step 3. Navigate to the following key In the registry editor window from the left side pane:-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes
Step 4. Now, right-click on the
Step 5. Now, select the Personalize in the left side pane, and on the right side of it, right-click on free space. Select
Step 6. Now, double click on
Step 7. Click
Now, you repeat the above steps in the following location also:-
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
In addition to that, change the
That’s it. Dark them are applied throughout Windows 11. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your machine.