Dark mode is no longer a fancy feature anymore, it’s mandatory on any web application. Most modern mobile applications have this feature, but websites ignore it for various reasons.
Even though a website doesn’t have the dark mode feature, you can apply dark mode from your browser. Smartphone users can force dark mode on every website they visit, but computer users can control the dark mode settings using an extension.
Chrome Dark Mode Using Flags
Chrome has many experimental features that aren’t activated by default or shown to the average user. These features can hamper privacy or cause data loss if they are misconfigured.
These experimental features are called Chrome Flags and are hidden from the settings or front end. You need to know the specific address to access it.
Type chrome://flags in the address bar, and type Enter. The page will show a list of available experiments with a warning on top.
In the search box, type dark and a flag called Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents will appear automatically. Click on Default, and select Enabled. Now, click Relaunch to apply changes.
Open any website that doesn’t have a built-in dark mode feature and enjoy the dark mode.
The feature you have just enabled changes the background to black and black fonts to white. Any other color remains the same.
Enable Dark Mode Using an Extension
Anyone can use the Chrome Flags to apply dark mode for all websites, but you don’t have the management control. Like you can’t turn off dark mode for a particular website, to do that you must disable the feature altogether.
Dark mode extensions give you the freedom of choice. They force dark mode for any website you visit, with an option to turn it off in a single click.
There are dozens of extensions to apply dark mode for the web. I am going to introduce you to the best and feature-enriched extension.
Go to the extension page from the link above and click Add to Chrome. A pop-up will ask for your confirmation, select Add Extension. In a few moments, Chrome will download and install the extension.
Click on the Extensions icon from the toolbar and pin Dark Reader. Now it will be visible on the toolbar all the time.
If you don’t want to apply dark mode on a specific website, click on the extension and click on the domain name. You can also customize the settings from the menu.
Unfortunately, smartphone users don’t get to choose whether they don’t want dark mode on a website or not after they apply the Chrome Flag. But on a computer, you have the freedom of choice.
