Microsoft Word is testing an even darker dark mode



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In case you didn’t know, Microsoft Word has dark mode. The problem is, a lot of your screen – mainly the large page you’re writing on – stays blank even after you enable the feature. For reference, here is what “ dark ” mode currently looks like in Word:

You have a big chunk of white staring at you. But as Paul Thurrott spotted, Microsoft is currently testing a full-fledged dark mode that actually turns the white page to dark gray and makes the text black white (functionality is currently limited to Office Insiders). The colors will remain the same overall shade, but “will be shifted to accommodate the new color contrast” and “mute the overall effect of the color scheme and look more visually pleasing with the new dark background.”

It looks like this:

To enable dark mode, just go to File> Options> General> Personalize and select “Black” from the “Office Theme” menu.

No, that doesn’t mean your pages will be printed in the dark; functionality is intended only as an aesthetic tool when writing. To preview how the page will look when it is printed or shared, you can simply press the “Change Mode” button in the “View” menu. The interface will remain in dark mode, but you will now see the page as it would print.

If you like the dark UI but prefer to keep a blank page, go to File> Options> General> Personalize and tap on “ Disable Darkness ” next to “ Office Theme ”.

It is a welcome option. Having a large white rectangle shining light on you defeats the purpose of many dark mode users.

Some people use dark mode only for aesthetic reasons and may not mind that the page you are writing on stays white as long as the interface is white. Others use dark mode to reduce screen brightness due to light sensitivity or to minimize blue light before sleeping. Personally, I use it just because I find the dark mode easier on the eyes and less annoying at night.

Unfortunately, the feature is currently only available to beta testers registered on Microsoft’s Insider channel. While it’s likely the feature will end up in stable versions of Word – OneNote’s Dark Mode works pretty much the same – it’s unclear when exactly this might happen.

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