Dark Mode That Automatically Follows Your OS Theme in Chrome

Chrome can follow your computer's light or dark theme, and so can many websites. Sites that don't support dark mode need a different approach. Here's what follows your system automatically, and what to do about the rest.

Step 1: set your system theme

• Windows 11: Settings → Personalization → Colors → Choose your mode.
• Mac: System Settings → Appearance → Auto switches between light and dark through the day.

Step 2: let Chrome follow it

In Chrome, open Settings → Appearance → Mode and choose Device. Chrome's own toolbar, menus and new tab page now switch with your system. If you picked Light or Dark there before, Chrome ignores your system setting.

Which websites follow automatically

Websites can detect your theme through a setting called prefers-color-scheme. Sites that support it switch on their own, with no extension needed. Many developer, news and app sites do, and so do Chrome's own pages.

Others have a theme setting of their own, which may or may not offer an "automatic" option. Check the site's settings. For example, YouTube's Appearance setting includes "Use device theme". Some web apps only offer a manual dark theme.

Sites with no dark mode at all

• A dark mode extension darkens every site. Modern Dark Mode keeps images and video in their real colors and has brightness and contrast sliders. It doesn't follow your system theme. Instead, it has a schedule (18:00 to 08:00 by default) that you can match to when your system switches, plus a shortcut (Alt + Shift + D) to toggle it.
• Chrome's experimental flag. At chrome://flags, search for "Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents". It forces dark mode on all sites, but as an experiment it can make some pages and images look wrong, and it may change or disappear in future versions.

Avoid doubling up

If a site already has a good dark mode, and you also run an extension, the two can clash and turn the page light again or wash it out. Add sites with their own dark theme to the extension's excluded sites.

Gentler on the eyes at night

Dark mode reduces glare, but screen brightness matters as much. Turn brightness down in a dark room, and consider a warmer color temperature in the evening. See Night Shift vs a blue light filter.