Microsoft’s Windows ships with a large number of customization feature alongside two modes to switch between for themes, but similar to Google not publishing an option to automatically switch between the modes, even Windows doesn’t ship with an option to do so. Automatically switching between Dark and Light themes could help in saving battery life and reducing stress to the eyes. In this post, I will guide you on how to switch between the dark and light theme in Windows automatically.
How to automatically switch between Dark and Light Theme in Windows
While Windows doesn’t have an in-built option to switch between modes quickly and easily, multiple methods could be followed to accomplish the task.
- Switch using Auto Dark Mode Software
- Switch using Task Scheduler
1] Switch using Auto Dark Mode v3.0
For this, we will be making use of a simple free application developed by Armin Osaj named Auto Dark Mode, which could be downloaded from Github. Download the setup ZIP file, extract and install it as a regular application on your PC and then follow the steps mentioned below:
- Launch Auto Dark Mode application, and at the top, click on the checkbox stating Enable Automatic Theme Switching to enable it. Just below that, you’ll find two options on how you’d like to switch between modes; the options comprise of Set Custom Hours and from Sunset to Sunrise.
- If you would like the theme to switch automatically after a specific time, select the prior option, and then enter the time in 24-hour format. Once you are done, click on apply and you’re good to go.
- If you would like the theme to switch based on the timings of sunrise and sunset, select the later option and allow location permissions to the application to gather data.
Furthermore, you can set whether you would like to switch themes in other applications such as Microsoft Office, Edge, and more by moving into the Apps section of Auto Dark Mode. Additionally, one can also set desktop backgrounds for both dark and light mode from the app via the Wallpaper/Theme menu.
2] Switch using Task Scheduler
While Auto Dark Mode from Armin Osaj is quite easy to use and works with a few simple clicks, in case you are wondering how one could switch between dark and light themes automatically, here’s how to do it using a Task Scheduler:
- Pull up the Start Search box, search for Task Scheduler, and select the main listed result.
- Select and click on Create Basic Task option available in the right pane.
- Now, its time to name the task, I have named it as Switch to Dark, as it will shift theme from light to dark mode and then click on Next. Additionally, you’ll later need to create a separate task for changing from Dark to light mode.
- Here select the frequency to be Daily from a list of options including daily, weekly, monthly, and more, then click on Next.
- Now, here set the time you want Windows to automatically shift from light to dark mode in a 24-hour format and click Next.
- In the next window, select Start a program and move ahead.
- Lastly, paste in the below mentioned commands for switching from light to dark mode automatically. Please do note that this is just for switching from Light to Dark, and some additional steps need to be taken for switching from Dark to Light back.
- Program/Script:
%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
Add arguments (optional):
New-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name SystemUsesLightTheme -Value 0 -Type Dword -Force; New-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name AppsUseLightTheme -Value 0 -Type Dword -Force- Similarly, to shift to light mode from dark copy and paste the below-mentioned code in the Window.
Program/Script:
%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
Add arguments (optional):
New-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name SystemUsesLightTheme -Value 1 -Type Dword -Force; New-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name AppsUseLightTheme -Value 1 -Type Dword -Force- With this, in the final window, click on Finish, and you are all set. Windows will now automatically shift between light and dark themes based on the timings.
I hope the post was useful, and you were able to Switch between Dark and Light Themes automatically in Windows. With that said, How many of you adjusting it based on a specific period? Do let us know in the comments section below.
