dark modes are special display modes which make it easier to read in some settings; saves battery in mobile or portable devices and protects the user’s eyes in low-light environments and with certain panel technologies such as OLED. In short, they provide a different experience compared to standard display modes, generally with light tones.

Dark modes are all the rage and have been added as a customization tool to major operating systems and apps. It must be said that not all of them are equally successful or have native modes that can be obtained from the system configuration where they are installed. Although they are not to everyone’s liking or suitable for all types of environments, they have a legion of followers. If you fall into this group or want to try something different for your desktop, we’ve selected some of the themes we like, focusing on Windows 11. If you’re using other systems, we’ll cover how to activate them at the end.

Dark mode in Windows 11

Windows 11 has one of the best native implementations for this display mode, and it’s obviously the first one you should try to see if you like it. Its activation is very simple:

• Press the hotkeys “Windows + I” to access the general System Configuration tool.
• Select Personalization > Colors from the menu on the left
• Open the drop-down list and select Dark Mode.
• Select Custom if you want this mode to apply only to system items or to applications as well.
• You can also check transparency effects to make windows and surfaces appear translucent, and general highlight colors or those that appear in the Start menu, taskbar, headers, and screen borders.

The truth is that it is very well achieved and quite customizable compared to other sections of the Windows interface. If you want to further strengthen the dark mode, you can manage the section Accessibility, which is specifically designed for people with visual impairments or sensitivity to light, but at the same time allows changing the color of a larger number of interface elements. You can manage it in Settings > Accessibility > Contrast Themes and edit the theme even further with the Edit button.

Dark Themes for Windows 11

Microsoft includes several themes in the default system installation and some of them directly enable dark mode. Managing themes, whether they are installed or the third-party themes we select below, is managed in the same way:

• Press the keyboard shortcuts “Windows + I” to open the Settings tool.
• Select Personalization > Themes.
• Choose the one you like the most.
• On the same page, you have links to additional configuration of desktop icons and contrast themes, which we saw earlier in the accessibility section.

If you choose a theme ready for dark mode, like the one we chose for the example, you will be able to enjoy it, although in all cases you will have access to the Colors section for further customization. Remember that these are different things and themes combine specially designed wallpapers, sounds and colors.

Third Party Themes

There are quite a few sites where you can get third party themes and the main one is the same Microsoft Store where you have a lot of them available, most of them for free and others for very low price. You can find some in the GitHub repositories, and specialized web portals like Windows Themes have all the ones you want.

They are all managed just like the official ones included in the system. You download and select them from Configuration Tool > Themes. It should be noted that the ones you download from the Microsoft Store will automatically be added to System Themes. For the rest, double-click the downloaded file with the .theme extension. We leave you the choice usealthough there are thousands to choose from.

dark space

If you love all things Cosmos, you’ll love this theme. It contains 18 wallpapers with 4K ultra HD resolution and presents scenes such as the glitter of stars in the vast darkness or the beauty of planets surrounded by clouds of dust and gas that will illuminate your desktop from deep space.

Windows themed free download

GreyEveTheme

A simple and minimalistic theme that turns your desktop into a dark black space. Gives Windows applications a dark gray tone with white borders. The effects apply to settings, the Start menu, the calendar panel, the notification panel, file explorer, and other system application windows. It will use the high contrast feature of Windows, so it saves managing nothing in Accessibility.

Free to download on GitHub

Dark Abstract

Abstract creations are another of the designs that abound when we talk about dark modes. The one in question is one of the most successful in combining dark colors and innovative shapes. It contains 17 wallpapers with a creative combination of different shapes, colors and textures.

Windows themed free download

Aurora

The aurora borealis has fascinated scientists and sky watchers for millennia. These natural displays of light, which occur when the Earth’s magnetic field redirects energized particles from the Sun towards the North Pole, are a grandiose spectacle of light and color, and this theme captures them in all their glory. Contains 15 high resolution themes with photos taken from Norway or Iceland.

Free download at Microsoft Store

Earth From Above Premium

We’re going back to the sky, but we’re looking down. If you’ve ever wondered what the Earth looks like from above, this theme offers fascinating images of our planet, its continents, weather and global silhouettes. Contains 14 backgrounds in 4K resolution.

Free download at Microsoft Store

Dark fantasy landscape

Mysterious landscapes, strange creatures and deep shadows for your desktop in this dark fantasy theme that we’ve seen in games and videos. Scary and gloomy, many of us love these imaginary worlds that shine here with 16 different landscapes in colors and shapes.

Windows themed free download

Special edition Forest Camo

As the name suggests, this theme displays a camo pattern in deep, dark and green tones that shows the beauty of plants, trees, lakes and mountains. Contains 9 different backgrounds for those who like the natural world. If you don’t like the green color on your desktop, there’s a blue version from the same designer with the same approach.

Free download at Microsoft Store

Dark cars

If you love – as we do – the world of motors and speed, here is a theme dedicated to this theme with 17 wallpapers that include cars from Lamborghini, Audi, Aston Martin, Maserati and more. Of course, in elegant dark colors and great customization like the other themes.

Windows themed free download

Dark Amoled

Horror, mystery, fantasy… This theme is out of this world, depicting scenes from zombie-inspired movies, horror stories, and dark fantasy. It has 16 premium HD wallpapers of evil beings, scary creatures, haunted cities and dark forests.

Windows themed free download

Dark sky

Of course, we end this selection with our eyes up. A mysterious gothic world abounding in black and blue, based on high definition images captured by photographer Tracy Hymas.

Free download at Microsoft Store

Dark themes in other systems and applications

As we said above, this special display mode is present in major operating systems, applications and services. Its activation is similar to Windows 11.

Windows 10

Near the implementation of Windows 11, it looks great in dark environments and also in others with more light, although it does not reach the entire interface evenly or is equally successful in all components. It is activated on the Settings > Personalization > Colors page and the default mode of Windows and applications can be customized. In contrast to the dark mode, and for users who prefer the opposite, Microsoft has also implemented a “light mode” that is enabled within the tool itself. To say that practically all the above selected themes for Windows 11 also work in Windows 10.

Mac Operating System

Like Windows, macOS has a system-wide dark mode setting. You can find it by going to Apple > System Preferences > General and choosing Dark, Light, or Automatic under Appearance. If you choose the second option, the overall theme will change according to the time of day in your time zone. Apps that support dark and light modes, including all Apple ones, also automatically switch based on the time.

Android

How to enable dark mode in Google will vary slightly depending on the terminal manufacturer and the custom interface you have enabled. For example, in Android 13 Galaxy S, you can manage it in general in Settings> Display> Dark mode or activate it directly from the quick menu. Any application that supports this mode, whether internal such as Calendar or Photo Gallery or external such as Gmail, will automatically enable this mode. It has a lot of customization and looks great on a mobile like this with an OLED screen.

iOS and iPadOS

It was one of the novelties of iOS 13 and is a mode fully adapted to the system and applications, which allows you to use the OLED screens of the latest iPhones and improve autonomy, since these panels turn off the pixels representing the color black. It’s enabled in Settings > Display & Brightness and, like macOS, offers three modes, light, dark, and auto. It can also be enabled in the dedicated iPadOS tablet operating system.

linux

The vast majority of GNU/Linux distributions and major desktop environments like KDE and Gnome have options to achieve this type of display mode, and third-party software allows extensive customization. We’ll see an example of a native solution in Ubuntu with a selector located in System Configuration > Appearance that – although it’s not called that – allows you to choose dark, light or standard mode.