How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Office Apps

Is the bright white format of Excel burning holes in your eyes, or are you just looking for a theme that matches the rest of your desktop aesthetic? Whatever your reason, Microsoft Office comes with many different ways to change up your theme, as well as enable dark mode.

In this article, we’ll be showing you how to shake up the aesthetic of your workspace.

How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Office

All modern versions of Microsoft Office, be it 365 or Office 2024, have built-in ways to change the overall theme and color palette of the interface. What’s more, you have quite a few options not only in the color, but in the time of day Dark mode kicks in. Below, we’ve included different ways to activate it.

Change via Your Account

The fastest way to change Office to Dark Mode is via your account settings. Making this change in one program will change the whole Office suite to Dark Mode. We’ll use Word as an example:

Step 1. Open Word and click “File” in the top menu.

Step 2. On the sidebar, click “Account.”

Step 3. Look for “Office Theme” in the main window and click the dropdown menu below it. Choose “Black” to enter Dark Mode.

Step 4. There’s no need to save your changes. All Office apps will now be in dark mode.

Enter Dark Mode via Options

Another way to do the same thing as above is to change the options on an Office app. Dark Mode will still apply to all other apps. Here’s what to do:

Step 1. Click the “File” tab in the top menu.

Step 2. In the sidebar, click “Options” at the bottom left of the screen.

Step 3. A new window will pop up. Stay in the “General” tab, and look under “Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office.”

Step 4. Click the dropdown menu next to “Office Theme” and choose “Black.”

Step 5. Hit “OK” to confirm changes.

A problem you might face with Dark Mode is that it changes the document, spreadsheet, etc., that you’re working on to match the theme. This might be problematic if you’re looking to print what you’re working on, for example. If you want to keep the document page free from the Dark Mode changes, be sure to check the “Never change the document page color” box next to the “Office Theme.”

Switch Out Modes Quickly

You might not mind the bright theme of Office during the day, but it may hurt your eyes at night. The good news is that if Dark Mode has been enabled, you can quickly disable it via the “View” tab in any Office app. Here’s how:

Step 1. Open your app (like Microsoft Word).

Step 2. Click the “View” tab in the top menu.

Step 3. If Dark Mode is enabled, you should see the “Switch Modes” button on the tab. Click it to quickly change between modes whenever you need.