Microsoft on Tuesday announced a more extensive dark mode in Word. Previously, the dark mode of the program would only affect the ribbon and toolbars, but not the actual document. That all starts today.
“As we report long hours on our screens, it has become increasingly important to reduce eye strain and accommodate light sensitivity,” Microsoft said in a blog post (via The edge). “That is why we have expanded the Black Office theme to now also include your documentary. A lot of Officer Insiders have been asking for this for a long time and we are excited to make it happen. ”
The GIF below shows what the extended dark mode of Microsoft in Word looks like. To access the feature, click File> Account> Office Theme> Black. The nice thing about the new change is that you can switch between a black and white page background color. If you choose a dark theme, Microsoft has said that colors in your document will also be shifted to accommodate the new color contrast.
“Indeed, red, blue, yellow, and other colors will be shifted slightly to mute the overall effect of the color palette and look visually more pleasing with the new dark background,” Microsoft said.
Microsoft said that it is actually an advantage to see your document without applying the dark mode. This is because the white canvas depicts how others will see it by default, such as when you send it to a colleague. You can switch back and forth between white and dark cloth, or even eliminate the dark cloth completely by going to File> Options> General> Personalize.
The more extensive changes to Word’s dark mode are currently available for Insider Beta Channel users using version 2012 (Build 13518.10000). The feature is slowly rolling out at Insiders to ensure things work smoothly. If the test goes well, we will hopefully see the same features that are stably released.
If you are not an Office 365 subscriber, Google supports a dark mode available in Docs, Sheets and Slides.