NYT Dark Mode: How to Read the New York Times in Dark Mode on the Website and App
The New York Times app can switch to a dark theme, but the articles on nytimes.com still open on a bright white page. Here's how to get NYT dark mode in Chrome with the Dark Mode extension, and where the setting lives in the app.
By Ivan Charad Updated First published 6 min read
Quick answer
The New York Times app has its own dark mode in Settings, but at the time of writing nytimes.com has no site-wide dark theme for articles. To get NYT dark mode on a computer, install the free Dark Mode extension in Chrome, open nytimes.com and press Alt+Shift+D (or click the extension icon), then adjust Brightness and Contrast.
Does the New York Times have a dark mode?
Partly. NYT dark mode exists in The New York Times News app for iPhone and Android, but at the time of writing there's no matching theme switch for articles on nytimes.com. The homepage, section fronts and long reads all open on a white background, whatever your computer's appearance setting is.
There's one notable exception on the website: some NYT Games have their own setting. Wordle, for example, has a Dark Theme toggle in the game's settings (the cog icon at the top of the game). That only changes the game, though, not the news pages around it.
So if you read the New York Times on a laptop or desktop and want it dark everywhere, you need a browser-level night mode. The Dark Mode extension redraws nytimes.com with a dark background and light text, and lets you tune brightness, contrast and sepia for long reading sessions.
How to turn on dark mode in the NYT app
The New York Times News app supports a light-on-dark color scheme. By default it follows your phone's display setting, so if your device is already in dark mode, the app usually is too. You can also override it inside the app:
- iPhone and iPad: open the You tab, go to Settings → Display Settings and choose Automatic, Dark or Light.
- Android: tap the Account icon in the top-right corner, open Settings and pick a theme in the Theme section.
According to the NYT Help Center, dark mode covers most of the app but isn't applied in some sections yet. The Dark Mode extension is a desktop browser extension, so it can't change the app. It's for nytimes.com in Chrome and other Chromium browsers on your computer.
How to enable New York Times dark mode in Chrome
These steps make nytimes.com dark in Chrome, or in any Chromium browser that installs extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
- 1
Install the Dark Mode extension
Open the Dark Mode page in the Chrome Web Store and click Add to Chrome. It's free. Pin the icon from the puzzle-piece menu so it's always one click away.
- 2
Open nytimes.com
Go to the New York Times homepage or any article. Sign in as usual if you have a subscription; the extension only changes colors and doesn't affect what you can read.
- 3
Turn dark mode on
Click the extension icon and flip the big On/Off switch, or press Alt+Shift+D. Headlines, article text and menus switch to a dark background with light text.
- 4
Tune it for reading
Use the Brightness, Contrast and Sepia sliders in the popup. A touch of Sepia gives long articles a warmer, paper-like tone, and slightly higher Contrast keeps small captions readable.
- 5
Choose where and when it applies
Use the site list to darken only the sites you pick, or everything except them; Alt+Shift+A adds or removes nytimes.com. Set active hours or sunset activation if you only read the news dark in the evening.
Turn on New York Times dark mode now
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Other ways to read the New York Times in dark mode
- Chrome's dark theme. Picking dark under Settings → Appearance only darkens the browser frame: tabs, toolbar and menus. nytimes.com articles don't follow it, so the page stays white.
- Chrome's "Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents" flag. This experimental option at
chrome://flagsforces dark colors on every website. It's all or nothing, with no per-site list and no sliders, and it can change between Chrome versions. - The NYT app. On a phone or tablet, the app's own theme setting (see above) is the simplest NYT dark mode. Your system dark mode also works, because the app follows it by default.
- Game settings. For Wordle and other NYT Games that offer it, the in-game Dark Theme toggle is enough for that page.
NYT dark mode not working? Quick fixes
- Photos or charts look odd. Open the extension settings and switch the generation mode to Dynamic (the default) or Filter+, which preserves color saturation, so news photos and graphics keep natural colors.
- nytimes.com stays white. The site may be excluded by your site list. Press Alt+Shift+A to toggle the current site and reload the tab, and check that "Only for" isn't applying your settings to a different website.
- Colors look strange in a game. If a page already has its own dark theme, such as Wordle with Dark Theme switched on, use one or the other rather than both.
- A page can't be darkened. Pages protected by the browser, such as
chrome://pages and the Chrome Web Store, are off-limits to every extension.
How to turn off dark mode on the New York Times
Press Alt+Shift+D or flip the On/Off switch in the popup to turn the extension off everywhere. To restore nytimes.com's normal look but keep other sites dark, click the per-site button ("Change mode on current site") while you're on the New York Times, or press Alt+Shift+A. In the NYT app, go back to Display Settings (iPhone) or Theme (Android) and choose Light, or Automatic to follow your phone again.
Why read the New York Times in dark mode?
Long reads and features
Investigations and magazine pieces run long. A dark theme with a little Sepia is easier on the eyes for many readers over a long session.
Late-night news
Catching up on headlines before bed is more comfortable when the page doesn't light up the room.
Games and puzzles
If you play in the browser, a dark news page matches games that already offer a dark theme.
A consistent dark desktop
If your other tabs are dark, nytimes.com no longer flashes white every time you switch to it.
Best Dark Mode settings for the New York Times
A little Sepia
A low Sepia value warms the dark background and suits long-form reading.
Contrast for small text
Bylines, captions and timestamps are small; raising Contrast slightly keeps them legible.
Dynamic or Filter+ mode
Both keep photos, maps and charts in natural colors while the page goes dark.
Font and Text stroke
"Select a font" swaps the page font, and "Text stroke" can make thin text easier to read on a dark background.
Evening schedule
Use active hours or "Activate after sunset at location" so the New York Times turns dark automatically at night.
Frequently asked questions
Does nytimes.com have a dark mode?
At the time of writing, not for news articles. Some NYT Games, such as Wordle, have their own Dark Theme toggle, but the rest of the site stays white. The free Dark Mode extension makes all of nytimes.com dark in Chrome and other Chromium browsers.
How do I get dark mode in the NYT app?
On iPhone, open the You tab, then Settings → Display Settings and choose Dark. On Android, tap Account in the top-right corner, then Settings, and pick Dark in the Theme section. By default the app follows your phone's display setting.
Will the extension get around the NYT paywall?
No. The Dark Mode extension only changes how pages look in your browser. It doesn't change what content your account can access.
Is the Dark Mode extension free?
Yes. The free plan includes all the core features used in this guide. An optional Pro plan is available; see pricing.
Can I use it on other sites too?
Yes, it works on any regular web page. For more news, see our guide to Yahoo dark mode; if you collect recipes and ideas, there's also Pinterest dark mode.
What's the keyboard shortcut for New York Times night mode?
Alt+Shift+D toggles the extension and Alt+Shift+A adds or removes the current site (on Mac, ⌥+⇧+D and ⌥+⇧+A). Change them at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
The bottom line
The NYT app already has a dark theme, but nytimes.com articles don't. The free Dark Mode extension fills that gap and gives you NYT dark mode in Chrome in a few clicks, with sliders for brightness, contrast and sepia and full control over which sites go dark.