Dark Mode In Outlook The How and The Why

Microsoft Outlook is a staple of business communications for many teams. There are millions of professionals using it every day. Despite this, most people will do almost nothing to configure Outlook to work better for them. As a result, a lot of people are missing out many features including dark mode Outlook. This feature can offer some significant benefits for certain people.

What Is Dark Mode Outlook?

As the name suggests, dark mode Outlook is a darker-colored version of Outlook. More specifically, in the default Outlook theme, the background is light, and the text is dark. Dark mode is the inverse of this.

Many applications have dark mode or night mode options. It can be called a variety of names. For example, on Android, it is sometimes called “Dark Theme.” However, no matter the name, the result is nearly always the same: dark background and light text.

Dark modes are popular with technologists and other power users. The chances are that you have seen dark mode in use at some point. However, this may leave you wondering what is so great about it.

The Benefits of Using Dark Themes

The reason that people use dark mode on various apps is linked to how screens produce colors. Screens have pixels that emit light at different wavelengths to produce colors. For white and other light colors, the brightness and intensity of the light are quite high. Therefore, a white background means a lot of light reaching your eyes. A lot of people prefer a less intense screen, especially later at night. These are some of the purported advantages:

• Dark mode can reduce eye strain, especially in low-light settings.
• Dark mode uses less power to produce the image.
• Dark mode produces less “blue light,” which may be linked to difficulty falling asleep.
• Dark mode may reduce the risk of dry eyes.

However, it is important to note that these advantages vary from person to person and depend on the surrounding light. Your mileage may vary. Some research suggests that it is worse for eye strain in brighter environments. Other studies suggest there is minimal impact.

Nonetheless, you can always give dark mode Outlook and try to see if you like it. After all, it is just a few clicks or taps away.

How To Enable Dark Mode Outlook

The good news is that turning on dark mode in Outlook is very easy. You can easily switch between modes to fit your needs at any given moment. The process is slightly different depending on which platform you are on.

Desktop

To activate dark mode Outlook on your PC or Mac, open the application and click “File” in the top-left corner. Select the “Office Account” settings tab then click the “Office Theme” dropdown menu. In the dropdown, select the “Black” theme to switch to dark mode. You can return to the default “Colorful” or any other theme by using the same dropdown. Note that changing your Office theme will change the theme for all Office apps. If you select the “Use System Setting” option, you can tie the theme to your Windows theme settings.

Mobile

Turning on dark mode in the mobile version of Outlook is also very simple. From the app, tap your profile icon in the top-left corner. From the bottom-left of the menu that appears, tap the settings icon (a small cog). In the settings menu, scroll to the “Preferences” section and tap “Appearance.” In the “Theme” tab, you can select between “Light,” “Dark” and “System.” The latter of these options will set the app to be either light or dark, depending on your device’s operating system settings. With this option, you can schedule to make your device light mode during the day and dark mode at night.

Web

Office 365 users can also access their email through the web version of Outlook. Like the other platforms, this has a dark mode option. From the top-right of the page, select the settings menu (a small cog icon). From the menu that appears, toggle the “Dark Mode” option to the on position. Unlike other versions of Outlook, the web’s dark mode is separate from the general theme. To turn it off, simply untoggle the option in the same place.

Get Dark Mode Outlook and More With Office 365

Dark mode Outlook can help you to have a more enjoyable experience using Microsoft Outlook. If you want to get the most from your Microsoft apps, consider using the Office 365 cloud.

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