Microsoft Word on the web’s dark mode reaches broad availability

Kevin Okemwa

As we had previously reported, Microsoft had plans underway to get dark mode in Word for the web. An important feature for everyone who uses the application as it reduces eye strain and accommodates light sensitivity, ultimately enhancing the user’s productivity.

And yesterday, Microsoft Word’s team announced that dark mode in Word for the web has finally hit general availability. The feature enhances Word’s user experience and allows people to work more on their documents as they no longer have to strain when the lights are on which would also lead to fatigue.

How to turn on Dark Mode

To access this feature, you can enable it by selecting View and then hit the Dark Mode button as illustrated above. The Switch Background button will also allow users to work on a white canvas and a dark ribbon, as you can navigate between the dark and light modes for the canvas. What’s more, Word on the web will recall the state of your switch background toggle for future sessions.

“Colors within your document will also be shifted to accommodate the new color contrast. Indeed, reds, blues, yellows, and other colors will be shifted slightly to mute the overall effect of the color palette and look more visually pleasing with the new dark background,” says Microsoft.

However, the feature comes with three known issues. First up, the dark mode setting does sync across all platforms, you will therefore need to enable it each time. Next up is that you may need to enable cookies on your browser for Word to recall your Dark Mode preferences. And finally, when copy-pasting something from another application that is also in Dark Mode, the text may appear as black text with a white background. This can, however, be fixed by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+V, or pasting CTRL+V and then selecting Paste Text Only in the Paste Options shortcut menu.