How to Easily Switch between Light and Dark Mode on Windows 11 [6 Ways]

As the average person spends more and more time looking at screens, light and dark modes have become crucial. Windows 11 recently became the first Windows operating system to come with dark mode, and users around the world have been using it ever since.

While not perfect, Windows 11’s Dark Mode helps reduce eye strain, especially in dark environments. However, there may be times when you want to improve legibility and view Windows in light mode instead.

You can do this from the Settings app, but it ends up being a long and tedious process. If you've been looking for an easy way to switch between dark mode and light mode, here's everything you need to know.

How to easily switch between dark mode and light mode in 6 ways

You can use the following methods to switch between dark mode and light mode on Windows 11. We recommend that you first try using Windows 11's native scheduler to switch between dark mode and light mode before trying one of the third-party alternatives.

You also have the option to create a desktop shortcut to switch between dark and light modes. Use any of the following methods based on your preferences and current settings.

Method 1: Automate your appearance

You can schedule your dark mode on Windows 11 using Task Scheduler. This way you don't have to switch between modes manually. Your PC will automatically handle this task in the background according to the schedule you set. Please follow the steps below to help you through this process.

Step One: Create a task that turns on light mode

Open the Start menu, search Task Scheduler and launch it from the search results.

Now click on the right to create a task.

#Enter an appropriate name for your task to help you identify it quickly.

Click and select Run regardless of whether the user is logged in.

Select the Do not store password checkbox.

Now click and switch to the Triggers tab.

Click New.

Click the drop-down menu for Start Task and select On Schedule.

Now set the schedule based on when you want the light mode to turn on. We will set a time of 6am each morning to turn on the light mode.

Click OK to confirm your choice.

Now click and switch to the " Actions" tab.

Click New.

Click the drop-down menu for Action and select Start Program.

#Now enter the following path for Program/script.

%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe

##Copy and paste the following content into

Add arguments (optional) in the text field.

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

##Click

OK to save the newly added action .

Click and switch to the

Settings tab.

Now select the checkboxes for the following options.

Allow tasks to run on demand
• Run tasks as soon as possible after missing scheduled start
• If tasks fail, restart each:

After selecting, click the drop-down menu of If the task failed, restart every:, and then select 1 minute.

Similarly set

3 to the value of Attempt to restart up to.

Click

OK to save your changes.

That's it! Your new task will now be created. It will now automatically trigger and set the light mode on your PC at the selected time. You can now set up and schedule Dark Mode on your PC using the following steps.

Step 2: Create a task to turn on dark mode

We will now create a task to automatically turn on dark mode on your system. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Open the Start menu, search for

Task Scheduler and launch it from the search results.

Now click

Create Task.

Name your tasks according to your preference. We recommend that you choose a name that will help you identify it easily and quickly.

Click and select

Run regardless of whether the user is logged in.

Select the

Do not store password checkbox.

Click and switch to the

Triggers tab.

Now click

New.

Click the drop-down menu for Start Task and select On Schedule.

Now set the appropriate time to turn on dark mode based on your light mode schedule. We will set a time of 6pm to turn on dark mode.

Click

OK when finished.

Now click and switch to the "

Actions " tab.

Click

New.

Click the drop-down menu for Action and select Start a program.

Now enter or copy and paste the path below under Program/script.

%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe

In Add arguments (optional ), type the following next to .

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

##Click

OK when finished.

Now click and switch to the "

Settings" tab.

Check the boxes for the following options.

Allow tasks to run on demand
• Run tasks as soon as possible after missing scheduled start
• If tasks fail, restart each:

Use the drop-down menu to set the task to restart every

1 minute.

Now next to Attempt to restart up enter 3 to restart the task up to 3 times if it fails Execute on your system.

Click

OK.

Your new quest will now be created and added to your quest library. Your system will now automatically turn on dark mode based on the schedule you set.

Method 2: Use Easy Dark Mode (Keyboard Shortcut)

Easy Dark Mode is a third-party app that helps you easily toggle dark mode on your system. Follow the steps below to help you use Easy Dark mode on your system.

• Easy Dark Mode | Download Link

Use the link above to download and run Easy Dark Mode on your device. You will now get the same icon in the taskbar. Right-click the icon to access available options.

Hover over

Theme and select Light or Dark depending on your preference.

#This is how you can switch between light and dark modes on your system using an icon in the taskbar. You can even set up dedicated hotkeys to help you easily switch between the two. Start by right-clicking on the icon in the taskbar and selecting

Hotkey.

Check the boxes for all modifier keys you wish to use for keyboard shortcuts. You have the following options to choose from:

Alt
• Control
• Transfer
• Win

Now click on the drop-down menu at the top and select a key that will be used in conjunction with the modifier key to toggle

dark mode and light mode on your system.

Click

OK after completion.

That's it! You can now easily switch between dark mode and light mode using hotkeys set for your system.

Note: Some Windows 11 versions (including builds) may not reflect changes on your system immediately. In this case, you will need to restart Windows Explorer to apply the necessary changes.

Method 3: Use Auto Dark Mode (Keyboard Shortcut)

Auto Dark Mode is another third-party app that helps you switch between dark mode and light mode easily. Use the following steps to help you set up automatic dark mode on your system.

• Auto Dark Mode | Download Link

Use the link above to download the latest version of Auto Dark Mode. Double-click and launch it using the .exe file.

Now follow the on-screen instructions to install it on your PC according to your preference.

#Auto Dark Mode should now launch automatically on your PC. If you want, you can now click Time and schedule Dark Mode on your PC.

#We can now set hotkeys to switch between dark mode and light mode. Click on the left to switch modes.

Now click on the text box under Force Light Mode Hotkey. Press the key you wish to use to enable light mode.

Similarly, set the keyboard shortcut to Force Dark Mode Hotkey.

When finished, click and enable Enable the toggle for system-wide hotkeys.

That's it! You can now switch between light and dark modes on your system using the dedicated hotkeys we set up above.

NOTE: You may need to restart some applications for changes to be reflected on your screen.

Method 4: Manually create a desktop shortcut

You can also create a desktop shortcut to trigger a task to switch light and dark modes on the system. Use the following steps to help you through the process.

Step 1: Create a Task to Turn on Light and Dark Mode

You first need to create a dedicated task in Task Scheduler to enable Light or Dark mode on your system. The process is similar to the one we used in the first method, but this time we won't schedule our tasks. Use the following steps to help you through the process.

Create a task to turn on light mode

Open the Start menu, search for Task Scheduler and launch it from the search results.

Click on the right to create a task.

#Enter a name for your task so you can easily identify it later. Make sure it doesn't contain any spaces and that you can remember it for a while.

Now click and select Run regardless of user logged in.

#Similarly, check the Do not store password checkbox.

Now click and switch to the Actions tab and click New.

Click the Actions drop-down menu at the top and select Start a program.

#Now enter the following path under Program/script.

%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe

##In Add arguments (optional)## Type the following next to #.

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

Click

OK

to save your changes.

Now click and switch to the "

Settings"

tab.

Check the boxes for the following options.

Allow tasks to run on demand

• If tasks fail, restart each:
• If tasks run longer than:
• If running If the running task does not end when requested, force it to stop

Click the drop-down menu of Stop the task if it runs longer than

and enter 1 minute.

Now click on the dropdown menu at the bottom and select

Stop the existing instance

. This will allow you to stop and restart the task again from the desktop shortcut itself.

Click

OK

.

You will now create your light mode task. You can now use the next section to set up your dark mode tasks.

Create a task to turn on dark mode

Open the Start menu, search for

Task Scheduler

and launch it from the search results.

Now click

on the right to create a task.

#Enter an appropriate name for your task at the top to help you identify it later. Do not use spaces when naming tasks.

Click and select

Run regardless of whether the user is logged in

.

Select the

Do not store password

checkbox.

Click and switch to the "Actions" tab at the top.
Now click New.

Make sure to select

Launch Program at the top.

Now copy and paste the path below Program/script.

%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe

Now in Add arguments ( optional)Add the following next to

.

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

Click

OK

to save your changes.

Now click and switch to the " Settings" tab.

Check the boxes for the following options. When completed, click the drop-down menu for "Restart if task fails" and select 1 minute.

• Allow tasks to run on demand
• If tasks fail, restart each:
• If tasks run longer than:
• If running If a running task does not end when requested, force it to stop

Similarly, click the drop-down menu for Stop the task if it runs longer than and enter 1 minute .

Now click on the dropdown menu at the bottom and select Stop the existing instance. This will allow you to stop and restart the task again from the desktop shortcut itself.

Click OK.

You will now create a task to turn on dark mode. Use the next step to set up a dedicated desktop shortcut on your PC.

Step 2: Create a desktop shortcut to trigger the task

Right-click an empty area on the desktop and hover the mouse over New.

Select Shortcut.

Now enter the following under Type the location of the item. Replace NAMEOFTASK with the name you set for the light mode task.

C:\Windows\System32\schtasks.exe /run /tn "<strong>NAMEOFTASK</strong>"

Note: Please Do not replace or remove quotation marks ("").

Click Next.

Select and enter the desired name for your light mode shortcut.

Click Finish.

#Now repeat the above steps to create a desktop shortcut for your dark mode task. This time replace NAMEOFTASK with the name of the dark mode task.

That's it! You will now create a desktop shortcut to turn on light mode or dark mode on your system. Just double click to enable dark mode or light mode on your system.

Step 3: Create a desktop shortcut to restart Windows Explorer (optional)

In some cases, you may notice that changes to the theme do not happen immediately . This can be resolved by restarting open applications and restarting Windows Explorer. You can choose to restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager as usual. However, if you plan to switch regularly, having desktop icons is a better option. Use the following steps to help you through the process.

Right-click on an empty area of ​​the desktop and hover over New.

Now click and select Shortcut.

Type the following under Type the location of the item.

cmd.exe /c taskkill.exe /f /im explorer.exe && start explorer.exe

Click Next step.

Now enter an appropriate name for your shortcut as required.

Click Finish after completing.

That's it! You will now create a shortcut to restart Windows Explorer. Now you can double-click it and automatically restart Explorer after changing themes.

Method 5: Use PowerShell

You can also choose to use PowerShell to turn on Dark Mode or Light Mode. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Press Windows R to start running.

Type the following and press Ctrl Shift Enter on your keyboard.

powershell

Now use the following command to turn on light mode for your app.

Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name AppsUseLightTheme -Value 1 -Type Dword -Force

Then, use the following command to enable lightweight mode for system applications and services.

Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name SystemUsesLightTheme -Value 1 -Type Dword -Force

You will now switch to light mode on your PC. Likewise, if you want to switch to dark mode, use the following commands mentioned below.

• Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name AppsUseLightTheme -Value 0 -Type Dword -Force
• Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name SystemUsesLightTheme -Value 0 -Type Dword -Force

Now use the following command Kill Windows Explorer.

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe

## Use the following command to launch it again.

start explorer.exe

Once completed, close PowerShell using the following command.

exit

#This is how you can switch between light and dark modes using PowerShell on Windows 11.

Method 6: Use the Registry Editor

Finally, you can also use the Registry Editor to switch between dark mode and light mode to edit the appropriate values. These are the same values ​​we modified in the task scheduler method above to automate this process. You can use Registry Editor to modify them manually and change your theme in Windows 11. Please follow the steps below to help you through the process.

Press

Windows RStartRun.

Now enter the following and press Enter.

regedit

The Registry Editor will now open on your PC. Copy and paste the path below into the address bar at the top, or use the left sidebar to navigate to the path.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize

##Select

Personalization# on the left After ##, double-click

AppsUseLightTheme on the right side.

Set its value data to one of the following values, depending on whether you wish to use light mode or dark mode for your application.

• 1：Light mode
• 2：Dark mode

Click OK when finished.

Similarly, double-click SystemUsesLightTheme.

Set one of the following values ​​based on the theme you want to use.

• 1：Light mode
• 2：Dark mode

##Click

OK.

#Close the Registry Editor, you will now use the Registry Editor to switch between Dark Mode and Light Mode on your PC.

NOTE: You may need to restart open applications and restart explorer.exe for the changes to fully take effect on your PC.

The above is the detailed content of How to Easily Switch between Light and Dark Mode on Windows 11 [6 Ways]. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!