Microsoft’s Windows Dark Mode: A Decade of Unfinished Business

Back in the summer of 2016, Microsoft rolled out a significant feature update for Windows 10, introducing a dark theme toggle that allowed users to switch their apps between light and dark themes across the system. It was a welcome feature, although initially, many apps and interfaces didn’t support it right away.

Fast forward to today, and numerous apps on Windows have embraced the ability to toggle between these themes, thanks to the built-in Windows setting. However, the same can’t be said for the Windows UI itself, which hasn’t seen much improvement since the dark mode feature was first introduced.

When Windows 10 made its debut in 2015, it featured a mix of both light and dark UI elements. For instance, the Taskbar, Start Menu, and Action Center had dark themes, but the File Explorer and context menus remained in a lighter shade. By 2016, Microsoft incorporated a dark mode toggle, which brought dark themes to those previously light areas.

However, this was merely a surface-level change. Even with the addition of dark mode to File Explorer and context menus, there were still numerous areas of the UI that didn’t support it. Areas like copy dialogs, file properties, Run commands, the Registry Editor, and Control Panel applets remained light.

Nearly a decade later, these parts of the Windows OS still aren’t compatible with dark mode. If you’re using Windows 11 today, you’ll probably experience a jarring switch to bright screens when performing certain actions, like copying large files or accessing the properties dialog. This wouldn’t be so bothersome if these scenarios were rare, but they’re actually common occurrences for many users.

To aggravate matters, dark mode isn’t just incomplete—it’s broken in some places. Just take a look at this:

What’s particularly frustrating is knowing that Microsoft did start addressing these issues during the early development of Windows 11 around 2020/2021. There were internal builds of the OS showing progress towards integrating dark mode into older UI components like file properties and copy dialogs. Unfortunately, this work never reached completion.

Meanwhile, if you look at platforms like macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Android, they offer a cohesive and well-executed system-wide dark mode. When these systems have dark mode enabled, it’s rare to find an improperly themed area. On Windows 11, encountering such inconsistencies is practically a daily event, and Microsoft seems indifferent to this problem.

Adding to the irritation, back in 2018, Microsoft decided to introduce a dedicated light theme for Windows 10 and set it as the default to make the shell appear more complete. It’s baffling why Microsoft doesn’t invest more resources into finalizing dark mode. It’s not just a matter of aesthetics—an inconsistent interface can disrupt your workflow, especially when working late at night. A sudden bright screen can be blinding.

It’s important to note this problem squarely rests with Microsoft. The third-party apps I typically use, like Telegram, Slack, WhatsApp, and Office, all support dark mode without issue. It’s just Windows itself that falls short in fully supporting its own feature, and honestly, it’s genuinely frustrating.

I had hoped that with a change in leadership within the Windows division, there might be a shift towards refining the UI and completing features like dark mode. Sadly, it doesn’t appear we’ll see these changes anytime soon.