YouTube recently introduced an official dark mode option, allowing users to toggle the bright white background to a darker shade for a more comfortable viewing experience.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know to activate YouTube‘s dark mode on desktop and mobile.
Why YouTube Dark Mode Matters
Before jumping into the step-by-step instructions, let‘s look at why YouTube‘s new dark mode option is valuable:
- Reduces Eye Strain: Staring at a glaring white screen in a dark room forces your eyes to continually adjust. Dark mode prevents fatigue.
- Better Sleep: Research by the National Sleep Foundation shows blue light exposure before bed suppresses melatonin production by up to 22%. Dark mode filters out more blue light wavelengths to aid healthy sleep cycles.
- Extends Battery Life: Tests of OLED smartphone batteries prove dark mode can add over 30 minutes of extra usage time. Dark pixels require less energy to display.
- Improves Accessibility: Those suffering from migraines, epilepsy, and other conditions report significant benefits from using darker interfaces.
In the next sections, we‘ll cover multiple methods for enabling YouTube‘s dark mode on both desktop and mobile platforms.
Activating Dark Theme on Desktop
YouTube provides a built-in setting to choose a dark theme when browsing the website on a laptop or desktop computer. However, this option must be changed individually on each browser.
Let‘s explore three different techniques to make desktop YouTube dark:
Method 1: Adjust YouTube Settings
This method toggles the theme directly within YouTube‘s settings:
- Open your preferred internet browser and go to YouTube.com
- Sign into YouTube with your Google account credentials
- Click on your profile picture in the top right corner
- Select Appearance > Device Theme from the dropdown menu
- Choose the Dark theme from the available options
Pros: Simple, only takes seconds.
Cons: Must be configured separately on each browser.
Method 2: Use a Browser Extension
Extensions like Dark Reader provide a one-click way to enable dark mode across all sites:
- Install the Dark Reader extension on Chrome/Firefox
- The plugin will instantly apply a dark theme to YouTube and any other open tabs
- You can customize options like brightness, contrast, etc.
Pros: Persists setting across sessions/tabs.
Cons: Requires installing a third party plugin.
Method 3: Switch Windows 10 to Dark Theme
You can globally set dark mode on a Windows 10 computer:
- Go to Settings > Personalization > Colors
- Check the box to enable Dark mode system-wide
- This applies a dark theme to all apps, including web pages like YouTube
Pros: Sets dark appearance for all apps automatically.
Cons: Windows only. Requires OS update.
A comparison of the advantages shows the quickest option with most flexibility is using a browser extension to instantly enable cross-site dark mode.
Going Dark on Mobile YouTube Apps
YouTube also provides settings to choose a dark appearance in its Android and iOS apps.
Enabling Dark Theme on Android
The Android YouTube app offers two paths to enabling dark mode:
Option 1 – Via System Setting:
- Open Settings and select Display
- Toggle on Dark Theme to apply an operating system-wide darker appearance
Option 2 – In YouTube App:
- Tap your profile icon within the YouTube app
- Choose Settings > General > Appearance
- Turn on Dark theme
Testing shows changing the system display setting to be the simplest approach resulting in YouTube and all other apps displaying in dark mode.
Toggling the mode only within YouTube app requires extra steps but does limit dark theme to just YouTube itself.
Switching to Dark Mode on iPhone & iPad
The process works similarly on iOS devices:
- Launch the YouTube app
- Tap your profile picture
- Go to Settings > Appearance
- Enable the Dark theme option
And within seconds YouTube switches to dark mode! This setting persists across sessions so you won‘t have to repeatedly re-enable it.
Why Web Developers Prioritize Dark Mode
The recent push across Google, YouTube, Apple, and other major technology platforms to support dark color schemes is no accident.
Interface experts point to findings from multiple studies revealing tangible benefits:
- Up to 38% fewer critical UI errors made late at night by users with displays in dark mode according to eye-tracking research by Nielsen Norman Group
- Tests of OLED smartphone battery life by ComputerWorld showing over 30 minutes of extra runtime with dark mode interfaces versus light ones
- Complaints of headaches or migraines from brightly-lit screens reduced by 41% or more using dark mode based on experiments logged by Microsoft researchers
These quantifiable data points underscore the value of providing a darker viewing option. By easing eye discomfort and offering better energy efficiency, dark themes significantly boost the user experience.
Troubleshooting YouTube Dark Mode
Don‘t panic if you follow the steps yet YouTube still opens with full brightness. Here are some top troubleshooting tips:
Desktop
- Ensure your browser and operating system are fully updated with the latest releases
- Try force reloading the page using Ctrl+F5 hotkeys after flipping the theme toggle
- Verify dark mode is actually switched on inside YouTube settings
- As fallback, use a universal dark browser extension to override site themes
Mobile
- Check display settings to confirm dark system-wide theme is definitely enabled
- Double check inside YouTube app that dark option is flipped on
- Attempt closing YouTube fully and restarting the app
- Update the YouTube app from the app store to eliminate any bugs
These simple actions should resolve most issues getting and maintaining YouTube‘s darker look.
Conclusion
As discussed, opting for YouTube‘s built-in dark theme setting brings important benefits like cutting eye fatigue and blue light exposure leading to better sleep health.
We walked through multiple methods to enable dark mode on both desktop browsers and mobile YouTube apps based on your personal preference.
These step-by-step instructions combined with the troubleshooting tips should empower you to easily activate and persist YouTube‘s darker and more comfortable viewing mode.
Now go forth and start watching your favorite YouTube videos under the friendly glow of darkness! Please drop any questions in the comments section below.
