How to Enable Dark Mode Everywhere in Safari on Mac

Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer specializing in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Google web apps. Besides Guiding Tech, you can read his work at iPhone Hacks, Online Tech Tips, Help Desk Geek, MakeUseOf, and Switching to Mac.

Paurush dabbles around iOS and Mac while his close encounters are with Android and Windows. Before becoming a writer, he produced videos for brands like Mr. Phone and Digit. On weekends, he is a full-time cinephile trying to reduce his never-ending watchlist, often making it longer.

Enable Dark Theme for Safari on Mac

On macOS Catalina, you have abuilt-in dark color schemethat renders the entire operating system along with native apps, including Safari and supported third-party programs in dark mode. I bet some of you already know how to enable it. If so, skip ahead to the next section. Otherwise, here’s how to turn it on.

OpenSettings > Appearance > Choose Dark Mode.

Launch Safari, and you shouldsee the browser theme rendered in darkas well. You should also find websites that sport native a dark theme rendered automatically in the dark mode. However, only a tiny minority of sites do sport a native dark theme, which means that you still have to deal with a ton of white pixels on the screen.

That leads us to the next obvious question. How do you get dark mode in Safari everywhere?

How to Enable Dark Mode for All Websites in Safari

Thankfully, there are a couple of ways that you can easily use to get websites — the ones that don’t sport a native dark theme — to render in dark mode. The first method involves using Reader View. The second method requires you to use an extension.

Method 1: Use Reader View

Reader View is a built-in Safari functionality that strips ads and other unwanted elements from webpages and presents them in an easily readable format. It also lets you change the default white background color to black. Couple that with Safari’s dark theme, and you’ve got full-fledged dark mode functionality in your hands.

But there’s a catch —Reader View can’t be enabled everywhere. Usually, it’s limited to blog posts and articles, such as the one that you are reading right now. Regardless, let’s check it out in action.

Step 1:Click theReader View iconto the left-corner of the Safari address bar. Keep in mind that this icon willonly show up onReader View-supported web pages.

Step 2:Click theaA iconto the right corner of the Safari address bar, and then switch to thedarkest background color. You only have to do that once since Safari remembers your preferences automatically.

By default, you mustenable Reader View manuallyeach time you visit a webpage. If that gets tedious, you canset it to kick in automaticallyon supported webpages. Here’s how to do that.

OpenSafari > Settings > Websites > Reader > Turn on When visiting other websites > Add the website to always enable Dark Mode.

Method 2: Use Safari Extension

Dark mode with Reader View works well, but it doesn’t function on all websites and webpages. It is apt if you read a lot at night, but not ideal for web browsing in general.

But eventually, we did come across an extension that didn’t ask me to pay upfront —Night Eye. Here’s how to install and enable it.

OpenSafari > Settings > Extensions > Check the box next to Night Eye.

The extension works quite well, and even sports the ability to work alongside the system color scheme, controls to adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation, etc. To access these options, click the Night Eye icon to the left of the address bar.

However,Night Eye isn’t totally free. You need to pay to keep using some of the advanced features in the extension after three months. The supposedLite versionthat it switches to afterward limits you to using dark mode for up to five websites. Its price is quite steep at$8.99 for a one-yearsubscription or$39.99 for a one-off license.

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Last updated on 21 August, 2024

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