Gmail Dark Mode \u2013 A Complete Guide
Table of contents
Does the brightness of your screen ever feel too bright and blinding, especially late at night?
With Gmail’s dark mode, your inbox with light text transforms to a darker background. This simple change reduces eye strain and minimizes the impact of harsh blue light.
It’s not just about comfort—it makes evening email sessions more bearable and gentle on your eyes. Let’s explore dark mode and how you can effortlessly activate it on your device.
Table of Contents
- Dark Mode’s Rise Across Apps and Why It Matters for Gmail
- What is Dark Mode, and Why Does Gmail Offer It?
- How to Enable Dark Mode on Gmail
- Are There Downsides to Dark Mode?
- How to Turn Chrome Dark Using An Extension
- Gmail Dark Mode Tips and Best Practices
- Give Dark Mode a Try Now!
Dark Mode’s Rise Across Apps and Why It Matters for Gmail
Bright screens have become a part of everyday life, but their impact on your eyes and sleep is hard to ignore. The blue light emitted from screens can strain your vision and interfere with sleep, especially if used too close to bedtime. As a result, many users are turning to dark mode as a solution, offering a more comfortable viewing experience that feels easier on the eyes.
Beyond comfort, dark mode conserves energy on devices like smartphones, extending battery life and improving overall performance. It’s especially practical in low-light settings, where it reduces eye strain and fatigue during nighttime use.
With this increasing demand for a better user experience, developers are focusing on improving color themes across their platforms. As a result, dark mode is becoming more widely available, giving users greater flexibility to customize their devices to match their preferences.
From email marketing apps to social networking sites, darker themes are becoming a standard choice to meet user needs. Gmail is no exception, with the feature attracting nearly 82% of Android users.
Here’s why this matters for Gmail:
- Aligns with user preference: Google’s implementation of dark mode caters to user preferences for customizable and comfortable viewing experiences
- Promotes energy efficiency: Encouraging dark mode usage helps conserve energy, especially for mobile and desktop users, contributing to sustainability goals—something many users appreciate, especially when it extends battery life. In fact, a study indicated that the dark mode can save up to 63% of battery life with AMOLED screens
- Improves SEO and Accessibility: By integrating dark mode, Google makes its platforms more inclusive, providing an accessibility option for users sensitive to bright screens. It’s a small but meaningful way to ensure everyone has a better experience
- Meets modern design standards: Dark mode is quickly becoming a design standard, and by incorporating it, Google ensures that its platforms stay in line with the latest trends
As one Reddit user, divercinety, posted right after the feature launch, “Just updated Gmail and it now has a DARK theme!“—a reflection of how this trend became a standard across apps and services.
What is Dark Mode, and Why Does Gmail Offer It?
Dark mode in Gmail is a feature that lets you switch the background of your inbox to a darker theme. This feature is designed to make reading emails easier on your eyes, especially in dim lighting. It also helps conserve battery life on mobile devices and adds a sleek, modern look. Whether you prioritize comfort, efficiency, or aesthetics, dark mode has something for everyone.
The tech world began buzzing about dark mode after Apple introduced it to its desktop email client in 2018. A year later, iOS Mail adopted it, followed by Gmail and other major players, making it widely accessible. It’s not just a trend—it’s become an essential feature for many users.
Keep in mind that dark mode is different from the dark theme, which adjusts the screen’s color to a warmer tone. While both aim to reduce eye strain, dark mode focuses on changing the interface, not the emitted light.
Now that you know what dark mode is, let’s dive into how you can enable it on Gmail across your devices!
How to Enable Dark Mode on Gmail
There are different ways to enable dark mode, depending on the device or the operating system you’re on. Let’s start with the desktop version first.
How to enable Dark Mode on Gmail Web (Desktop)
If you’re looking to switch Gmail to dark mode on the web, it’s pretty simple! Just follow these steps:
- Start by opening your preferred browser.
- Navigate to Gmail, either by visiting gmail.google.com directly or selecting Gmail from the top right corner on Google’s homepage.
- If you’re not logged in already, make sure to enter your credentials first.
- Once you’re in, look for the gear-shaped Settings icon at the top-right corner of your inbox. Clicking it will reveal a dropdown menu where you’ll find the Themes option.
- Select Themes, then click on View all to browse the available options.
- Scroll through until you see a black rectangle that says “Dark” when you hover over it.
- After selecting it, click Save to apply the changes.
And that’s it!
Your Gmail will now have a dark theme. The background will be black, and your inbox will show up in a lighter grey. However, note that the actual emails won’t have a dark background. The Compose window for writing new emails will also stay with a white background.
So, the dark mode is mainly visible when you’re looking at your inbox.
Here’s a fun fact: If you’re into retro vibes, check out Gmail’s “Terminal” theme. It features a black screen with a single green angle quotation mark, like an old-school computer terminal. It’s pretty cool if you want that unique look!
How to enable Dark Mode on Gmail Mobile (Android and iOS)
On iOS
If you’re using Gmail on your iPhone, you can now switch to dark mode! It took a while, but Google has finally added this feature. Apple introduced dark mode to developers back in 2019, but Gmail took its time.
To enable dark mode on Gmail for iOS, here’s what you need to do:
- Open the Gmail app on your iPhone.
- Tap the menu icon in the top-left corner.
- Scroll down and select Settings.
- Tap Theme.
- Choose Dark.
That’s it! Once you’ve done that, your Gmail dashboard should switch to a black background, with your inbox in light gray.
However, keep in mind that when you open an email, the background will switch back to the usual white.
Just a heads-up: Since Gmail is a web-based email client, this won’t work on macOS. You’ll need to manually switch to the dark theme on Gmail or use a third-party Gmail client on your Mac.
On Android
If you’re using Gmail on an Android device, you’re in luck! Dark mode is built into most Google apps for Android, making it easy to switch.
Just remember, your device needs to be running Android Q or a later version to use dark mode.
Here’s how to enable dark mode on Gmail for Android:
- First, open the Gmail app on your phone.
- Tap the menu icon in the top-left corner (the three horizontal lines).
- Scroll down and tap Settings.
- Choose your Gmail account, then tap Theme under General settings.
- Select Dark and head back to your inbox.
That’s it! Your Gmail app should now be in dark mode.
Are There Downsides to Dark Mode?
Dark mode in Gmail definitely has its benefits, but it’s not perfect. While many users enjoy the sleek, low-light look, there are a few common issues to be aware of.
Here are the main downsides:
1. High contrast between text and background
While the dark theme gives Gmail a cool black background with white text, the messages themselves remain white. This creates a stark contrast that can be hard on the eyes.
It kind of defeats the purpose of dark mode if you’re still dealing with a bright white screen when reading emails.
2. It only affects gmail
If you spend a lot of time on your phone, tablet, or computer, dark mode is a nice relief.
But here’s the catch:Gmail’s dark mode only changes the look of your email app.
If you’re using other apps, they’ll remain in their default theme, which can make everything feel inconsistent. You may end up needing to install other apps or tweak settings to get everything to match.
3. Settings can be confusing
Anyone who’s tried to change settings in Gmail knows it can be a bit of a maze. Sometimes, the settings you need aren’t where you expect them to be.
And on top of that, Gmail likes to update its settings menus frequently.
This means if you want to change your theme later, you might find yourself hunting down a fresh tutorial to figure it out.
How to Turn Chrome Dark Using An Extension
We’ve already covered how Gmail has its own dark mode option, but it’s not perfect. Sometimes it’s confusing, inconsistent across devices, or doesn’t give you the smooth experience you were hoping for.
This is why many users turn to third-party extensions to get a better dark mode experience.
To start, head to the Chrome Web Store and search for “dark mode.” Once you find an extension you like, such as Dark Mode, you can enjoy a few key benefits:
- Automatic updates: With an extension, you can be sure that your dark mode will keep working. As your device updates, developers continue to update the extension to stay in sync with any new system changes
- Universal dark mode: Instead of just changing Gmail, you can get dark mode across your entire device. Whether you’re using your phone, tablet, or computer, you can enjoy dark mode everywhere. Plus, if you play games or do long hours of work, this makes a big difference
- Easy toggle: Switching dark mode on and off in Gmail can take a few steps. Extensions, however, often come with a simple toggle switch. This gives you a quick, one-click way to toggle dark mode, saving you time and effort each time you want to switch it up
Gmail Dark Mode Tips and Best Practices
If you’re creating emails that will be viewed in dark mode, it’s important to keep a few best practices in mind to ensure readability and consistency.
Here are some tips to help you make the most of Gmail’s dark mode:
1. Understanding dark mode in AMP email
If you’re using AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) in your emails, it’s important to account for dark mode. AMP allows you to create interactive, dynamic content, but dark mode can affect how it displays.
You’ll need to ensure that your content is visible and easy to read in both light and dark themes. By using AMP’s built-in capabilities, you can create a flexible email design that adjusts automatically to dark mode settings.
2. Keep text black on a white background
When designing emails for dark mode, it’s best to use black text on a white background.
While dark mode changes the background to black, keeping text dark (black or dark gray) on light backgrounds ensures better contrast and readability.
If your text is light, it could become too faint against the dark background, making it hard for readers to read.
3. Set base styles for dark mode
It’s important to set base styles for your email layout that can adapt to dark mode. Here are a few steps you can follow to set base styles:
- Start by updating key colors based on your design
- Use CSS media queries to check if the recipient’s email client is in dark mode
- Adjust colors accordingly to ensure that images, text, and backgrounds maintain a consistent look without losing visibility.
4. Auto-inverse resources for email clients
Certain email clients automatically invert your email’s colors in dark mode, which can cause issues. To avoid this, you can use resources and techniques that help you control color inversion.
For example, include CSS to prevent the inversion of specific elements like logos or buttons. This ensures that your email content appears as intended, regardless of the recipient’s display settings.
5. Creating emails that react to Gmail’s Dark Mode button
Gmail allows users to toggle between light and dark modes. Hence, it’s important to design emails that adapt smoothly when this button is pressed.
In this case, you can use media queries to detect Gmail’s dark mode and adjust your email design accordingly. By setting up different styles for both modes, you ensure that the email looks good no matter which mode the recipient has chosen.
6. Fixing Gmail’s dark mode problems
Gmail’s dark mode can sometimes cause unexpected issues, like strange color changes or missing images. If you notice your images look off or text is hard to read, you can fix it by adding background colors to key elements.
For example, set background colors on buttons, headers, and footers to ensure they don’t blend into the dark background.
Also, make sure your images are optimized to display correctly in both light and dark themes.
Give Dark Mode a Try Now!
Congrats, you’ve successfully enabled dark mode on your devices! 🎉
It’s easy to enable this feature on any device and works with most types of emails. That said, pay attention to how your eyes feel, as dark mode isn’t always the best option for everyone. The experience can feel inconsistent, with some features not adapting well across apps.
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