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And there are many choices available — and you can pick one of your taste. In this article, we will talk about five different Dark Themes for Windows 10. The list includes official and unofficial themes, along with a manual method. Shall we start?
1. The Official Windows 10 Dark Theme
Did we say that Windows 10 does not have an official Dark Theme? Well, we were partially wrong. In fact, there is a dark theme included in Windows 10, but it isn’t visible from the common Settings area. However, if you have got the Windows 10 Anniversary update, you will have the option to enable a dark theme in the device. To do that, you can go to Settings > Personalization > Colours. There, you can shift between Dark and Light themes. One problem is that the theme may not be effective on third-party apps and some areas.
But, wait, what’s the scene for those who haven’t updated to Windows 10 Anniversary version? Don’t worry, you have an unofficial method to enable Dark Theme on your PC. If you are running just Windows 10, you can follow these steps.
- Start > Run.
- Type RegEdit in the Run command box.
- In the coming window, go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize.
- Here, you have to add a new DWORD. Name it AppsUseLightTheme and give the value as ‘0’.
- Now, go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
- You have to add the same DWORD – AppsUseLightTheme and value ‘0’.
- Once you are done, you need to reboot your PC.
Now, your Windows Apps should be running on the Dark Theme. We would like to mention that this tweak is not complete either. So, if you can have the Windows 10 Anniversary update, that’s the best method to bring Dark Theme.
2. Nocturnal W10 Dark Theme
Are you a nocturnal, looking for a Dark Theme? If so, Nocturnal W10 is an amazing Windows 10 Dark Theme you can get. It needs to be noted that the theme cannot be installed in Windows 8 or 7. It brings a clean, dark design overhaul into the Windows 10 interface. And, we must say that Nocturnal W10 is rather awesome. From Control Panel to File Explorer, each part of your Windows 10 interface will be upgraded to a Dark Theme. Nevertheless, it isn’t that easy to install this theme on your PC.
For the installation, you need to download four different third-party apps — plus the theme contents. The tools you have to download are:
After downloading these tools, you can use the official guide to install the theme. In the theme download package, you’ll find a font named Sans Semibold. You have to install this font to have the complete theme experience of Nocturnal W10. Don’t say we didn’t warn – it isn’t easy to install this theme. But, if you take effort, it’s one of the best themes around.
3. Ades Dark Theme
Ades Theme is an awesome Windows 10 Dark Theme that can easily be installed. Instead of other apps in this list, Ades is taking a mixture of grey and some soft colours. So, even without the real darkness, you can get rid of eye-strains and other issues around. The theme uses some sort of soft blue, green and grey combinations in different parts of Windows UI. For instance, you can see how the Windows Explorer interface looks like.
Talking about compatibility, Ades Theme should work fine with Windows 10 Build 10586 and Anniversary Update. If you’re running it on something older, installation may cause some issues. When compared to Nocturnal W10, installation of Ades is a truly easy task. You still have to use UXThemePatcher – a third-party tool –, but it’s not a big thing. In addition, you should get the icon-pack from the developer too. Using these icons, your Windows 10 Dark Theme will revamp the whole UI.
4. Penumbra 10 Dark Theme
If you are looking for a complete Windows 10 Dark Theme, you can go with Penumbra 10. Instead of blending colours into the interface, Penumbra 10 prefers neutral dark colours. It would work fine with Build 10586 and Build 14393. Despite its simplicity in terms of colour selection, you can’t install this theme easily.
To install Penumbra 10, you need a few third-party tools. Before that, it is advised to take a System Restore point — just in case. Also, you need to install the Open Sans font in the PC. Once you have done these both, you can follow these steps to install this dark theme.
- First, you have to download and install UXStyle Patch. You can get it from uxstyle.com.
- Using This Tool, you can disable Ribbon UI.
- From the downloaded theme package, you have to copy ‘Visual Style’ folder into C:\Windows\Resources\Themes.
- Now, go to the Themes menu via Desktop Right Click > Personalize > Themes > Theme Setting.
- From the available themes, you can select Penumbra W10.
Now, you should have installed Penumbra 10 in your Windows 10 PC. If you are ready to follow these steps, it will be fun to have this cool dark theme.
5. Dark/Grey Windows 10 Dark Theme
Do you want to have a Dark Windows 10 theme without much ado? If so, Dark/Grey Windows 10 Theme is a cool option you can go for.If you haven’t received the official Windows 10 theme, you can count on this free-to-use theme. From the Start Menu to Task Manager and from File Explorer to Context Menus, everything becomes dark with Dark/Grey Windows 10 Theme.
Installing the theme is quite easier. You can download the file from DevianArt or Pastebin. Then, you need to copy those files into “%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes”. The next time you open Themes window, you can find this in the list. Just click and see your Windows 10 Interface moving into a Dark Environment.
The Manual Method
So, we have seen the five best Windows 10 Dark Themes around. Sometimes, it may not be possible to follow the tough installation methods. In such cases, you have a manual method to follow. To bring somewhat a dark interface in Windows 10 experience, you can follow the steps:
- Dark Mode for Windows 10 Apps and Settings
To do this, you have to go to Settings à Personalization à Colours. There, you will find an option named ‘Choose your app mode’. From the menu, you can pick Dark. By this step, all your Windows Apps and Settings will have a dark interface. The change isn’t applicable for Windows Explorer or Desktop, to be noted.
- Enable Dark in Microsoft Edge
If you are using Microsoft Edge as the browser, you can put a Dark Theme too. To do that, you have to go to Settings à Choose a Theme. From the available options, you can click ‘Dark’. This can bring an overall black interface into Microsoft Edge Browser.
- In Chrome, Mozilla and Other Browsers
To give the Dark feel to your web browsers, you can pick a specific dark theme. As you know, dark themes are available for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. We are not sure about the other browsers, though. For Chrome, you can get the Morpheon Dark Theme from Chrome Web Store. If you are on Mozilla, you can head to the official gallery of themes. So, make sure that you pick an eye-friendly, stress-free theme for your browsing experience.
In addition to these things, you can try changing the theme of Microsoft Office. If you are someone who deals with Docs a lot, you should definitely try the dark theme. To do that, you can go to File à Options à General Settings tab. In the Personalization section, you will find an option to enable the Black Office Theme.
Well, this is indeed a partially-effective way to bring Dark Themes into your Windows 10 experience. As you can see, it’s going to change a few areas like Office, Settings and Browsers. But, when you have another Dark Theme running, this is a cool way to follow.
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