How to Turn Off Dark Mode on Google Docs (App, Chrome and Extension)

Why is my Google Docs in dark mode?

Before you turn off dark mode on Google Docs, it helps to know which switch turned it on, because there are several and they don't affect each other:

• The Docs app theme. The Android and iOS apps have a real Dark theme. If it's set to System default, Docs goes dark whenever your phone does.
• A browser extension. On a computer, Google doesn't offer a dark theme for the Docs website, so a dark document in Chrome almost always means an extension such as Dark Mode is running.
• A Chrome flag. The experimental Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents option in chrome://flags forces every website dark, Docs included.
• Your browser or OS theme. Chrome's Dark appearance and the dark mode in Windows or macOS darken the toolbar, tabs and menus. Chrome Help describes this as a theme for the browser, so the white document page usually stays white.

How do I turn off dark mode in the Google Docs app?

Google's help article Use Dark theme in Google Docs, Sheets & Slides gives these steps:

• Android: open the Google Docs app, tap Menu at the top left, then Settings → Choose theme → Light.
• iPhone and iPad: open the app, tap Menu, then Settings → Theme → Light.

If you pick System default instead, Docs follows your phone's appearance, so it will turn dark again whenever the phone switches to dark. Want the app dark but need to check one file? Open the document, tap More (three dots) and choose View in light theme. Google notes that dark theme adjusts how your documents look and that collaborators can't see the theme you choose, so your setting never changes the file for anyone else.

How to turn off dark mode on Google Docs in Chrome

On a laptop or desktop, work through these checks in order. Most people are done after the first one.

1. 1

   Switch off the Dark Mode extension

   Click the Dark Mode icon in Chrome's toolbar and flip the big On/Off switch to Off, or press Alt+Shift+D (⌥⇧D on a Mac). Docs returns to its white page right away.

2. 2

   Or keep only Google Docs light

   If you like other sites dark, open a document and press Alt+Shift+A to add docs.google.com to your site list. With the list set to "Not invert listed", Docs stays light while everything else stays dark.

3. 3

   Check for other dark extensions

   Open chrome://extensions and look for any other dark theme or night mode extension. Turn it off there, since two extensions can darken the same page.

4. 4

   Reset the Chrome flag

   Type chrome://flags in the address bar, search for "Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents", set it to Default or Disabled and click Relaunch.

5. 5

   Reload the document

   Refresh the Docs tab. If the page is now white but the toolbar and menus around it are dark, that's just Chrome's own theme, which you can change under Customize Chrome → Appearance.

How do I turn dark mode on in Google Docs instead?

Looking for the opposite? On a phone, go to Menu → Settings → Choose theme (Android) or Theme (iPhone and iPad) and pick Dark. On a computer, the Docs website has no dark setting, so these are your options:

• The Dark Mode extension. Install Dark Mode from the Chrome Web Store, open a document and press Alt+Shift+D. Making Google Docs and Slides dark is something real users mention in their reviews, and it also darkens Sheets.
• Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents. The Chrome flag works, but it's all-or-nothing: every site goes dark, with no per-site exceptions or sliders.
• Chrome's Dark appearance. It darkens the browser frame only, not the document.

Google Docs still dark? Quick fixes

• It turns dark again every evening. Your extension may be on a schedule. In Dark Mode, check active hours, "Activate after sunset at location" and "Use system color scheme", which follows your computer's dark mode.
• Docs is still dark after the extension is off. Look for a second dark extension at chrome://extensions and reset the Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents flag.
• Pressing Alt+Shift+A made Docs darker, not lighter. Your list is set to "Invert listed only", so adding a site turns it on. Press the shortcut again to remove it, or switch the list mode.
• The phone app is dark but the computer isn't. The app theme and the browser are separate. Change Choose theme or Theme in the app.
• Only one document looks dark to a colleague. Themes are personal and collaborators can't see yours, so the document itself probably has a dark page color. Check File → Page setup → Page color.

Do the same steps work for Gmail?

Partly. The extension steps are identical, but Gmail also has its own Dark theme on the web and in the apps. See our guide on how to turn off dark mode on Gmail.

Why turn off dark mode on Google Docs?

Dark Mode settings that switch Docs to light for you

Frequently asked questions