Microsoft Edge Dark Mode: How to Turn It On

This guide shows you how to enable dark mode in Microsoft Edge (the Chromium version) on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Dark mode changes the browser’s interface—toolbars, menus, and settings—to a dark color scheme, which can reduce eye strain in low-light environments and save battery on OLED displays. You’ll need a current version of Edge (the steps are the same for both stable and beta channels).

What You’ll Need

• A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux with Microsoft Edge (Chromium) installed.
• Administrator access is not required—these are user-level settings.
• If you want websites themselves to appear dark, you’ll also need to enable the optional “Auto-darken” flag described below.

Step-by-Step

1. Open Microsoft Edge. Click the Edge icon on your taskbar, dock, or desktop.
2. Access Settings. Click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the top-right corner of the browser window, then select Settings from the dropdown menu.
3. Navigate to Appearance. In the left-hand sidebar of the Settings page, click Appearance. If you don’t see the sidebar, click the hamburger icon (three horizontal lines) at the top-left to expand it.
4. Find the Theme dropdown. Scroll down to the Overall appearance section. You’ll see a dropdown menu currently set to “System default.”
5. Select Dark. Click the dropdown and choose Dark. The browser interface will immediately change to a dark theme—no restart required.
6. (Optional) Enable dark mode for websites. If you want web pages to also render in dark colors, go to the address bar and type edge://flags, then press Enter. In the search box at the top, type auto-dark. Find the flag labeled Auto-Darken for Web Contents, click its dropdown, and select Enabled. Click the Relaunch button that appears at the bottom of the page to restart Edge with this feature active.
7. Verify the change. After relaunching, visit a website. The browser chrome (toolbar, menus) should be dark, and—if you enabled the flag—most sites will show a dark background with light text.

Common Mistakes

• Choosing “System default” and expecting dark mode. This option follows your operating system’s theme. If Windows or macOS is in light mode, Edge will stay light. To force dark mode regardless of the OS, select “Dark” explicitly.
• Forgetting to relaunch after enabling the flag. The Auto-Darken flag only takes effect after Edge restarts. If you don’t click “Relaunch,” websites will remain light.
• Expecting every website to support dark mode. The Auto-Darken feature works by inverting colors on pages that don’t provide their own dark styles. Some sites (especially those with complex images or videos) may look washed out or have poor contrast.
• Changing the theme but not the flag. If you only set the theme to Dark, the browser interface changes, but websites remain as they are. The flag is a separate step.

Tips

• Use a keyboard shortcut to toggle themes quickly. On Windows, press Alt + F to open the menu, then type “settings” and press Enter—though there’s no built-in shortcut for just the theme. Instead, consider creating a desktop shortcut that launches Edge with the --force-dark-mode flag for a quick toggle.
• Check the Windows app mode. If you set Edge to “System default” and your Windows theme is dark, Edge will follow. You can change Windows theme in Settings → Personalization → Colors.
• Use extensions for per-site control. If Auto-Darken makes some sites look bad, you can disable it and use a dark mode extension instead, which often gives you per-site toggles.
• Dark mode can reduce battery drain. On OLED and AMOLED screens, dark pixels use less power. If you’re on a laptop with such a display, dark mode can extend battery life.

Troubleshooting

• Dark mode isn’t applying to the browser chrome. Make sure you selected “Dark” in Settings → Appearance → Overall appearance, not “System default.” If it still doesn’t change, close Edge completely (including background processes) and reopen it. On Windows, check the system tray for a lingering Edge icon and right-click → Exit.
• Websites are still light after enabling the flag. First, confirm you clicked “Relaunch” after enabling the flag. If you did, try visiting a different site—some sites force light mode via their own code. Also, check that the flag says “Enabled” and not “Default” or “Disabled.”
• Dark mode looks broken on a specific site. The Auto-Darken feature is best-effort. For sites that look wrong, you can add them to an exclusion list by clicking the three-dot menu → More tools → Reload in light mode. This sets a per-site preference.
• Edge reverts to light mode after an update. Updates occasionally reset flags, though theme settings usually persist. Re-enable the Auto-Darken flag after a major update if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does dark mode in Edge affect all websites?

No. The theme setting only changes the browser’s interface. To darken websites, you must enable the Auto-Darken flag in edge://flags. Even then, sites with their own dark mode or complex styling may not change.

Can I set Edge to dark mode only at night?

There’s no built-in scheduling. You can either set it to “System default” and schedule your OS theme to switch, or manually toggle the theme in Edge settings.

Will dark mode make Edge run faster?

No. Dark mode is purely cosmetic and does not affect performance or memory usage. It may slightly reduce battery consumption on OLED screens.

Is dark mode available on Edge for Android or iOS?

Yes, mobile versions of Edge follow the system theme by default. You can force dark mode from the app’s settings, though the exact path varies by OS version.

Why do some images look inverted in dark mode?

The Auto-Darken feature inverts colors on pages that don’t support dark mode. This can affect images that have transparent backgrounds or that are designed for light backgrounds. You can disable the flag or use the “Reload in light mode” option per site.

Does dark mode work with extensions?

Most extensions adapt to the browser theme automatically. Extensions that inject their own UI may not, but that depends on the individual extension.

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