If you spend a lot of time browsing the web at night, staring at a bright white screen can quickly lead to eye strain. Thankfully, Microsoft Edge includes a built-in Dark Mode that swaps the glaring white menus and toolbars for soothing shades of gray and black.
How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Edge
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Click the Settings and more button in the top-right corner. This icon looks like three horizontal dots (…).
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand sidebar of the Settings page, click on Appearance.
- Look for the Overall appearance section at the top.
- You will see three options: Light, Dark, and System default. Click on Dark.
Your browser’s interface—including the tabs, address bar, and menus—will instantly switch to dark mode. If you choose “System default,” Edge will automatically switch between Light and Dark mode depending on your overall Windows 11 system settings.
Will This Make Websites Dark Too?
Changing the setting above only changes the “frame” of the browser. Many websites (like Google and Wikipedia) will still load with a blinding white background.
To force the actual websites to be dark, you need a browser extension. Open the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store and search for an extension like Dark Reader or Night Eye. These tools act like sunglasses for your browser, actively inverting the bright colors on every single website you visit so they match your dark menus.