How to Use Dark Mode on Chromebook Without Inverting Images

ChromeOS has a system-wide dark theme that also switches Chrome and many websites to dark. For sites without a dark theme, you need an extension, ideally one that leaves images alone.

Turn on dark mode in ChromeOS

1. Right-click the desktop and choose Set wallpaper & style, or go to Settings → Personalization.
2. Choose Dark, or Auto to switch between light and dark through the day.

You can also find a Dark theme button in Quick Settings (click the clock).

What follows the dark theme

• ChromeOS menus, the Files app and settings.
• Chrome's toolbar, tabs and new tab page.
• Websites that support automatic dark mode.
• Many Android apps from the Play Store.

Sites without a dark theme

Many sites, including several Google web apps, stay bright. A dark mode extension fixes that. Modern Dark Mode darkens pages while flipping images, videos, maps and embedded content back to their real colors, so photos don't look like negatives. Brightness and contrast sliders adjust the result, and Alt + Shift + D toggles it.

Why some methods invert images

Chrome has an experimental "Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents" setting at chrome://flags. It darkens every site, but its handling of images varies, and as an experiment it can change or disappear. Simple invert-color tools and accessibility color inversion flip everything, including photos. An extension built for dark mode is the more reliable option.

Google Docs in dark mode on a Chromebook

• The Google Docs web app in Chrome doesn't have its own dark theme, so use a dark mode extension there.
• Or install the Google Docs Android app from the Play Store, which has a dark theme, and use it for reading and light editing.
• Keep your document's real colors in mind: an extension changes how it looks to you, not how it prints or looks to others.

Incognito and Guest mode

Extensions don't run in Incognito unless you allow them. If you want dark mode there, go to chrome://extensions, open the extension's Details and turn on Allow in Incognito. Open an Incognito window with Ctrl + Shift + N. Guest mode doesn't run your extensions at all.

School and work Chromebooks

If your Chromebook is managed, your school or employer may block extensions. The ChromeOS dark theme usually still works. For course sites, see dark mode for Canvas.