Coursera Dark Mode: How to Study on a Dark Background
Late-night lectures and long readings are easier to take in when the page isn't glowing white. Here's how Coursera's built-in dark mode works, and how to get a darker, adjustable night mode in Chrome with the free Dark Mode extension.
By Ivan Charad Updated First published 6 min read
Quick answer
Yes, Coursera dark mode is built in: sign in, click your profile, open Settings and choose Dark in the Appearance drop-down. For more control in Chrome, such as brightness, contrast, sepia, a schedule and the same dark theme on every site your course links to, install the free Dark Mode extension and press Alt+Shift+D.
Does Coursera have a dark mode?
Yes. According to Coursera's Learner Help Center, the site supports both dark mode and light mode, and every account starts in light mode by default. To switch Coursera dark mode on in a browser:
- Log in to Coursera.org and click your profile in the top-right corner.
- Choose Settings from the drop-down menu.
- Find the Appearance section and pick Dark from the drop-down.
Because it's an account setting, it only applies while you're signed in. When we loaded Coursera's public pages with the computer set to dark mode, they still came up white.
On phones and tablets, Coursera added dark mode to its iOS app back in 2019. The app follows the system appearance of your iPhone or iPad, so switching iOS to Dark in Settings or Control Center gives the app a dark theme too. At the time of writing we couldn't find official documentation of a separate dark theme switch in the Android app, so on Android start with your phone's Dark theme setting.
Why use a dark mode extension if Coursera already has one?
Coursera's own setting is the first thing to try, and for many learners it's enough. A browser extension still helps in a few situations:
- You want to fine-tune it. A built-in dark theme is one fixed look. With the Dark Mode extension you can lower brightness, raise contrast or add a warm sepia tint for long reading sessions.
- Your course sends you elsewhere. Courses often link to articles, documentation and tools on other websites. Coursera's Appearance setting can't change those pages, but the extension darkens them too, so a white page doesn't flash at you halfway through a lesson.
- You want it on a schedule. The extension can switch on during set hours, after sunset at your location, or whenever your operating system is in dark mode.
- You browse before signing in. The extension works on any page you open, so the course catalog and public pages get a black background as well.
How to enable dark mode on Coursera in Chrome
These steps turn on Coursera dark mode with the free Dark Mode extension and take about a minute. They work in Chrome and other Chromium browsers on a computer.
- 1
Install the Dark Mode extension
Open Dark Mode in the Chrome Web Store and click Add to Chrome. Pin the icon from Chrome's puzzle-piece menu so it's always one click away.
- 2
Open Coursera
Go to coursera.org and open a course, a video lecture or a reading. We suggest leaving Coursera's own Appearance on Light while you use the extension, so you're only adjusting one dark theme.
- 3
Turn on dark mode
Click the Dark Mode icon and flip the big On/Off switch, or press Alt+Shift+D (⌥⇧D on a Mac). Coursera's white background turns dark right away.
- 4
Adjust it for reading
Move the Brightness, Contrast and Sepia sliders until text feels comfortable. Tick Only for to keep these values for Coursera alone and leave other sites as they are.
- 5
Automate it (optional)
Set active hours or choose Activate after sunset at location so Coursera night mode starts on its own in the evening. Use system color scheme makes it follow your computer's dark mode instead.
Turn on Coursera dark mode now
Free Chrome extension · works on every website · no account needed.
Other ways to make Coursera dark
If you'd rather not install anything, these are your options. Each one has a catch:
- Coursera's Appearance setting. Covered above. It's the simplest native option while you're signed in, but it has no brightness or contrast control and doesn't reach other websites.
- Chrome's dark theme. Picking Dark under Customize Chrome → Appearance on the New Tab page darkens the toolbar, tabs, menus and Chrome's own pages. Google's Chrome Help describes it as a theme for the browser. It doesn't recolor websites like Coursera.
- Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents. This experimental flag at
chrome://flagsforces a dark rendering onto every site. It's all-or-nothing: no per-site exceptions and no sliders, and as an experiment it can change or disappear in any Chrome update. - Your phone's settings. On iPhone and iPad, set the system appearance to Dark and the Coursera app follows.
Coursera dark mode not working? Quick fixes
- Images, slides or diagrams look inverted. Open the extension and switch the theme generation mode to Dynamic or Filter+. Filter+ preserves color saturation, which helps with charts and lecture slides.
- Coursera stays white. Check that the main switch is on, then press Alt+Shift+A to add or remove coursera.org from your site list. Depending on whether the list is set to "Invert listed only" or "Not invert listed", the site may simply be excluded.
- Some pages never go dark. Pages protected by the browser, such as
chrome://pages and the Chrome Web Store, can't be changed by any extension. That's a Chrome rule, not a Coursera issue. - Text feels too harsh or too dim. Lower Contrast a little and raise Brightness, or add a touch of Sepia to soften long readings.
How to turn off dark mode on Coursera
To turn off the extension's dark theme, click its icon and flip the switch off, or press Alt+Shift+D again. To keep dark mode everywhere except Coursera, use the per-site button ("Change mode on current site") or press Alt+Shift+A while Coursera is open.
To turn off Coursera dark mode in the site's own settings, go back to Settings → Appearance and choose Light. In the iOS app, switch your iPhone or iPad back to the Light appearance.
Why use dark mode on Coursera?
Late-night study sessions
A dark background is gentler in a dim room when you catch up on lectures after work or review before an exam.
Long readings and transcripts
Lower brightness and a little sepia make long readings and video transcripts more comfortable to get through.
Labs and documentation
Programming courses send you between lessons, docs and tools. The extension keeps all of them on the same dark theme.
Less glare between tabs
No more jumping from a dark lecture tab to a blinding white page when you open a forum thread or an outside resource.
Best Dark Mode settings for Coursera
Brightness and contrast
Start with the defaults. Lower Brightness slightly for night study, and raise Contrast a bit if small quiz text looks faint.
A little Sepia for reading
Add some Sepia for long readings. It warms the dark page and makes text feel softer.
Dynamic engine first
Dynamic is the default and suits most Coursera pages. Switch to Filter+ if slides, charts or images look wrong.
Only for Coursera
Tick "Only for" to keep a Coursera-specific look while every other site uses your global settings.
Schedule your study block
Set active hours or "Activate after sunset" so the dark theme starts when your evening study time begins.
Learn two hotkeys
Alt+Shift+D toggles dark mode and Alt+Shift+A adds or removes the current site. Change them at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
Frequently asked questions
Does Coursera have a dark mode?
Yes. On Coursera.org, open your profile menu, choose Settings and select Dark in the Appearance section. The iOS app follows your iPhone or iPad's system appearance. For adjustable brightness, contrast and scheduling in Chrome, you can add the free Dark Mode extension.
How do I make Coursera dark without signing in?
Coursera's Appearance option is part of your account settings, so you need to be signed in to use it. The Dark Mode extension works on any page in Chrome, so Coursera's catalog and course pages turn dark whether you're logged in or not.
Does the Coursera app have dark mode?
Coursera dark mode arrived in the iOS app in 2019, and it follows the Dark appearance of your iPhone or iPad. The Dark Mode extension is desktop-only, so it doesn't change the mobile apps. It's for Coursera in your computer's browser.
Will dark mode mess up Coursera videos and images?
If a video player, image or diagram looks inverted or washed out, switch the theme generation mode to Dynamic or Filter+. You can also exclude a single site with Alt+Shift+A and keep dark mode everywhere else.
Is the Dark Mode extension free?
Yes. The Free plan includes all the core features used in this guide: the main switch, sliders, site list, schedule and hotkeys. An optional Pro plan costs $3/month or $20 lifetime and is unlocked inside the extension. See pricing.
Does it work in browsers other than Chrome?
Yes, in Chromium browsers that install Chrome Web Store extensions: Microsoft Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera (via "Install Chrome Extensions") and Yandex Browser. For Brave, see our Brave dark mode guide. Shopping late too? Here's how to make Amazon dark.
The bottom line
Coursera dark mode is one setting away on the website (Settings → Appearance → Dark), and the iOS app follows your device's theme. If you want more control, such as softer brightness, sepia for long readings, a schedule and the same dark theme on every resource your course links to, add the free Dark Mode extension to Chrome and press Alt+Shift+D.