How to Turn Off Word Dark Mode (Mac, PC, Office 365, Browser)
April 24, 2026 · 7 min read
Microsoft Word added a true dark mode in 2021 that includes the document page itself, not just the toolbars. For users with vision issues that make dark text on light page easier than light text on dark page, this can be a problem. Word's defaults follow the operating system, so flipping the system theme can have unintended consequences. This guide covers turning off Word dark mode without changing your whole computer to light.
The Short Answer
In Word for Mac and Windows, open the Office Account menu, change the Office Theme to a light option (White, Colorful, or Light Gray). On Office 365 web and the Word browser version, the path is similar through the gear icon in the top right. If you want to keep dark mode for the toolbars but a white page (the most-requested setup), Word for Mac and Windows both have a Switch Modes button on the View tab that flips just the page background.
Turn Off Word Dark Mode on Mac
1. Open Word.
2. Click the Word menu in the top left.
3. Click Preferences.
4. Click General.
5. Under Personalize, find Office Theme.
6. Pick a light option: Colorful, White, or Use system setting (only if your Mac is set to light).
7. Close Preferences. The change applies immediately.
If your Mac is set to dark and you want to keep that but force Word to light, do not pick Use system setting. Pick Colorful or White explicitly.
Turn On Word Light Mode on Mac
The phrase how to turn on word light mode on mac is the same task. Same steps as above. Pick Colorful or White as your Office Theme.
Turn Off Word Dark Mode on Windows
1. Open Word.
2. Click File in the ribbon.
3. Click Account in the left sidebar.
4. Find Office Theme on the right.
5. Pick White, Colorful, or Light Gray.
The theme applies immediately to all open Office apps that use the same account: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.
Turn Off Word Dark Mode in Office 365 (Browser)
The online version of Word in Office 365 has its own theme setting independent of the desktop app.
1. Sign in to office.com or open Word in the browser.
2. Click the gear icon in the top right.
3. Click Theme or Appearance.
4. Pick a light theme: Default (white) or any other light option.
The browser version follows your Microsoft 365 account theme. Changing it here also changes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook on the web.
Turn Off Dark Mode for Word in the Browser Specifically
If you have set Office 365 themes to dark and only want Word in the browser to be light, you cannot do this through Microsoft. The theme is account-wide. The workaround is your browser's own dark mode handling: if you have a dark mode extension that overrides the page, set it to disable on word.live.com and office.com.
Keep Dark Mode but Light Page in Word
This is the request more users have than the full off-switch. They want dark toolbars and dark menu chrome (for eye comfort), but a white page (because dark page makes text harder to read for many).
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Open in Chrome Web StoreIn Word for Mac (recent versions):
1. With dark mode enabled, click the View tab in the ribbon.
2. Click Switch Modes.
3. The page turns white while toolbars stay dark.
In Word for Windows:
1. Same path: View tab, Switch Modes.
2. The button toggles only the document page color.
This is the cleanest option for users who like dark UI but need light pages for reading.
Change Page Color Without Changing Theme
If you want a specific page color that is neither pure white nor dark gray:
1. Click the Design tab in the ribbon.
2. Click Page Color.
3. Pick a light color.
This changes the page background for that specific document. It does not affect the theme.
Why Word Defaults to Dark Mode
Word follows your operating system theme by default starting in Office 2019 and Office 365. If your Mac or Windows system is set to dark, Word starts dark. The Office Theme setting overrides the system per Office account.
If you want Word always light regardless of system theme, pick White or Colorful in Office Theme. If you want Word to follow the system, pick System.
Turn Dark Mode Off Word
The shorthand for the task. Same steps. Office Theme setting in Word's account or preferences panel. Pick a light theme.
How to Change Dark Mode in Word
If you specifically want to switch between dark and light without picking from the full theme list:
1. View tab, Switch Modes.
This toggles between dark page and light page within the dark theme. It does not switch the entire theme; it only flips the page background.
For full theme switching, use the Office Theme setting as described above.
Turn Off Dark Mode in Word on Office 365 Specifically
The Office 365 desktop app version uses the same Office Theme setting as standalone Word. File, Account, Office Theme. Pick a light option.
For the web version, use the gear icon in the top right of the Word browser interface.
Key Takeaways
Word dark mode is controlled by the Office Theme setting, accessible through File, Account on Windows or Word, Preferences, General on Mac. To keep dark UI with a light page, use the Switch Modes button on the View tab. Office 365 browser uses a separate theme picker from the gear icon. None of these affect your operating system theme. For broader Windows 11 dark mode setup, see our Windows 11 dark mode guide.
