How to change Outlook to dark mode

IONOS editorial team11/10/20234 mins

The dark mode in Outlook can provide your eyes with some relief when you need to use your screen for a longer period of time. Dark mode can be easily activated in your PC settings or in the app.

Tip

You can activate Outlook’s dark mode by following these steps:

Head to File in Outlook
Select the Office account option
In Office design, select the color options Dark Gray or Black

How to activate dark mode in Outlook step by step

If you set Outlook as your default mail client, it’s worth taking a look at Microsoft’s settings and customizing the email service. In addition to changing the default font in Outlook or the language, you can also modify the background. According to Microsoft, Outlook’s dark mode feature is one of the best when compared with dark mode features from Outlook alternatives like Thunderbird or Google Workspace.

Dark mode first became available in the 2019 version of Outlook. It can be activated in newer versions of Outlook as well as in Microsoft 365. Here’s how to enable it:

Desktop

In Windows, you can activate the Outlook dark theme by doing the following:

Step 1: Log in to the Outlook desktop app using your credentials and go to the File menu in the top left corner. Then select Office account from the menu on the left side.

Step 2: Navigate to Office design. Under the design variants, select Dark gray or Black.

In the Office Theme section of your Outlook account, you’ll find several options for dark mode in Outlook.

Step 3: Outlook will now be displayed in the eye-friendly dark mode. If you want to deactivate it, select System settings or an alternative Office design from the Office Theme options.

Mac users will need to change the display mode for their operating system in order to change the dark mode in Outlook.

Switch between day and dark mode

If you only want dark mode activated for emails, the Outlook version in the Microsoft 365 subscription provides an option to let you switch to dark mode in the messaging window. To do this, find the sun icon in the toolbar next to Reply or Forward. Click it and select the moon icon to activate dark mode in the message you have open. The same goes for a dark window background and light font when composing a message.

Deactivate dark mode for emails

If you want to use dark mode for menus and settings, but keep a light background for messages, there’s an option for that too. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: In your desktop account for Outlook, click File and then Options.

Step 2: In General, under Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office, select the Office theme Black or Dark Gray. Place a check mark next to Never change the background color of the message. Messages will now be displayed in white, even with dark mode activated.

Tip

Leverage the full Microsoft suite of Office apps and stay up to date for connected work with Microsoft 365 from IONOS.

How to activate dark mode in the mobile version

Step 1: Log in to the Outlook app and tap your profile icon in the top left corner. In the left side menu at the very bottom, navigate to the gear icon.

Step 2: Select Display from the settings menu.

Step 3: In the Appearance menu, under the Design tab, you’ll find the dark mode. Tap Dark to activate Outlook’s dark mode.

In the Appearance menu, you’ll find Outlook’s dark mode under the Design tab.

How to activate dark mode in the web app

Step 1: Head to outlook.com and sign in using your login data.

Step 2: Click the gear icon in the upper right corner. Flip the slider next to Dark mode. Outlook will now be displayed in dark mode in the web app.

In the Outlook web app, switch to dark mode in the settings.

Is dark mode always better?

While dark mode has become a common feature in many new apps and applications, it doesn’t always guarantee an improved experience. The usefulness of dark mode largely depends on the lighting of the environment where you are using the device and the amount of time spent looking at the screen. Particularly in low-light conditions, dark mode is gentler on your eyes. This is why it’s best to activate the mode in darker environments. Additionally, if you are in a dimly lit public space or using public transportation, using dark mode will cause less of a disturbance to others.

Fact

Dark mode only conserves battery life in OLED displays. When using dark mode, unlit pixels are deactivated and, as a result, don’t consume energy. While dark mode is still gentler on the eyes when using LCD screens, it doesn’t offer battery-saving benefits.

Was this article helpful?

How to set up out of office message in Outlook

Automatic out-of-office replies are a great way to let your contacts know when you’re not available. You can easily send automatic out-of-office replies from Outlook. Moreover, with Outlook you can set up numerous special rules, for example for cases when important e-mails need…

Outlook

Archiving Emails with Outlook – Here's How it Works

Old emails, past appointments, and completed tasks are automatically archived by Outlook after a preconfigured period. AutoArchive can be configured individually, if required. Outlook also provides the ability to manually archive selected folders. We’ll show you how to do it.

Encyclopedia

How to use Outlook’s working offline mode

You probably already know that you can use your Outlook desktop app without an internet connection. However, you may not yet be familiar with Outlook’s offline mode. In this article, we introduce you to the mode that lets you work offline in Outlook and show you how to turn it on…

Outlook
Tutorials

Perspective JetaShutterstock

How to change Outlook views

With Outlook, you don’t need to settle for the default mailbox views. Instead, you can customize and change your Outlook view settings. You can change the layout for different parts of Outlook, including the email, calendar and contacts sections. Keep reading to find out which…

Tutorials