Many of us have jobs that require staring at a screen for upward of eight hours a day. (The other four hours, meanwhile, are spent ogling a smartphone, tablet, or TV.)
All that light and constant focusing/refocusing can put a real strain on your eyes. But since most folks can't just abandon all backlit technology, we turn to quick fixes like blue light screen filters or glasses. Another easy option: Swap bright white backgrounds for the grays and blacks of dark mode, and give your eyes a break (and save some battery life). Here's how to do that system-wide and on your favorite apps (sorry, Amazon doesn't currently have an official dark mode).
How to Turn on System-Wide Dark Mode
Dark mode on iPadOS (Credit: PCMag/Apple)While not all apps offer an official dark mode—much to Elon Musk's chagrin, probably—many platforms have jumped on the bandwagon to help you dim the lights across entire mobile OSes.
iOS/iPadOS – Settings:
Open Settings > Display & Brightness
Select Dark to turn on dark mode
iOS/iPadOS – Control Center:
Open Settings > Control Center
Tap Add next to Dark Mode to add to Control Center
iOS/iPadOS – Schedule:
Open Settings > Display & Brightness
Select Automatic
Tap Options to schedule Dark Mode
Android:
Open Settings
Tap Display
Turn Dark theme on or off
System-wide dark mode is also available on macOS, Windows 10, and Windows 11.
Turn on Dark Mode Within Your Favorite Apps
Whether you want to turn to the dark side, or just can't find the right app settings, check out our guide on how to enable dark mode in some of your favorite apps.
Discord
(Credit: PCMag / Discord)iOS/Android:
Tap your profile icon on the bottom right
Under App Settings, tap Appearance
Tap the white or black circle to select Dark or Light mode. (Note: Android users can tap Dark 10 times to activate AMOLED optimized mode for an even darker mode.)
Duolingo
iOS:
For dark mode on Duolingo for iPhone, turn on system-wide dark mode for iOS.
Android:
Tap Profile
Tap Settings > General > Dark mode
Tap On
iOS:
Tap Menu in bottom right
Tap Settings & Privacy > Dark mode
Select on
Android:
Tap Menu in top right
Tap Settings & Privacy > Dark mode
Select on
Facebook Messenger
(Credit: PCMag/Messenger)Note: Dark mode is not currently available on Messenger Lite for Android.
iOS and Android
Tap the hamburger menu on the top left
Tap the settings cog icon
Tap Dark Mode > On
Gmail
iOS:
For dark mode on the Gmail iOS app, turn on system-wide dark mode.
Android:
Open Gmail
Tap Menu on top left
Open Settings > General settings > Theme
Tap Dark
Google Calendar
(Credit: PCMag/Google)iOS:
For dark mode on the Google Calendar iOS app, turn on system-wide dark mode.
Android:
Tap the hamburger menu on the top left
Tap Settings > General > Theme
Tap Dark
Google Drive/Docs/Sheets/Slides
iOS:
For dark mode on Drive apps for iPhone, turn on system-wide dark mode.
Android:
Open Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, or Slides
Tap Menu in top left
Tap Settings
Tap Choose theme
Choose dark, light, system default
Google Maps
(Credit: PCMag / Google)iOS:
Tap your avatar on the top right
Tap Settings > Dark mode
Tap On, Off, or Same as device setting
Android:
Open Google Maps
Navigate to your profile
Tap Settings > Theme
Tap Always in light theme, Always in dark theme, Same as device theme
Tap Save
iOS:
For dark mode on the Instagram iOS app, turn on system-wide dark mode.
Android:
Navigate to your profile
Tap the hamburger menu in top right
Tap Settings and privacy > Accessibility > Dark mode
Toggle dark mode on or off by tapping circle next to On or Off
Kindle
(Credit: PCMag/Apple)iOS and Android:
Open the Kindle app and select a book
Tap the top of the screen and select the Aa button
Tap Layout
Under Page Color, tap the black circle
Tap Themes > Save
Enter name of theme ("Dark Mode," for example)
Outlook
(Credit: PCMag/Apple)iOS and Android:
Tap your avatar on the top left
Select the settings cog on the bottom left
Tap Appearance
On the Theme tab, select Dark (or System to match your system-wide preference)
Under App Icon, you can also dim the lights on the home-screen Outlook icon
iOS:
Tap your avatar in the top right and tap the crescent moon icon on the bottom right to quickly switch between dark and light mode
Or tap Settings > Dark Mode, where you can have Reddit follow system-wide settings.
Android:
On Android, dark mode is only available if you have battery-saver mode on or you opt to have it come on automatically at nighttime. Find that under Settings > Dark Mode.
Signal
(Credit: PCMag/Apple)iOS/Android:
Tap your avatar on the top left
Tap Settings > Appearance > Theme
Select Dark (or System to have the app mimic system-wide settings)
Slack
(Credit: Slack/Google)iOS:
For dark mode on the Slack iOS app, turn on system-wide dark mode.
Android:
Tap You on the bottom right
Tap Preferences > Dark Mode > On
On Android 9 or lower, select Battery Saver to automatically enable dark mode.
Snapchat
(Credit: PCMag/Snapchat)On Android, dark mode is limited to Snapchat+. Navigate to your profile and tap the Snapchat+ banner and tap Dark Mode.
iOS:
Tap your profile avatar and select the settings cog icon
Tap App Appearance > Always Dark
TikTok
(Credit: PCMag/TikTok)Dark mode for TikTok is not currently available on Android devices.
iOS:
Navigate to your profile
Tap Menu at the top
Tap Settings and privacy > Display
Select Dark, Light, or Display to automatically match your device settings
To turn device-matching for dark mode on or off:
Navigate to your profile
Tap Menu at the top
Tap Settings and privacy > Display
Turn Use device settings on or off
Twitch
iOS:
Navigate to your Twitch Profile
Tap Options
Toggle on dark mode
Android:
Navigate to User Profile Settings
Tap Theme options
Toggle on dark mode
iOS and Android:
Tap your profile photo on the top left
Tap the sun icon in bottom-left corner
Tap Dark mode in the pop-up menu (or device settings)
On the bottom, there are two options: Dim (dark mode) or Lights Out (true black dark mode)
Uber
(Credit: PCMag/Uber)iOS and Android:
Tap Account on the bottom right
Tap Settings > Appearance > Dark mode (or Use device settings) > Save
YouTube
(Credit: PCMag/YouTube)iOS:
Tap your profile photo on the top right
Tap Settings > General > Appearance
Select Dark theme (or Use device theme)
Android:
Tap your profile photo on the top right
Tap Settings > General > Dark theme
Toggle Dark theme on or off