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How To Enable and Activate Dark Mode View on Safari Browser

Dark mode has become an increasingly popular feature on websites and applications over the past few years. When enabled, it switches the color scheme from light to dark, changing background colors to black or dark gray and text/foreground colors to white or light gray.

Using dark mode, especially at night or in low-light conditions, can provide several benefits:

Benefits of Dark Mode

Reduces eye strain

Staring at bright screens in dark rooms can strain your eyes. Dark mode creates less contrast between the screen and surroundings, making it more comfortable to look at.

Lessens glare

Bright screens can also cause distracting glare. Dark mode significantly reduces glare for easier and less distracting viewing.

May improve focus

Some users report better concentration and focus when using dark mode by cutting down on distractions. However, study results on this benefit are still inconclusive.

Saves battery life

For devices with OLED displays, dark mode extends battery life by turning off pixels when displaying blacks and dark colors instead of lighting them up like lighter colors do. The darker the display, the more power is conserved.

Matches system theme

Dark mode creates a consistent experience across applications if you have system-wide dark mode enabled. The uniform look may be preferred by some users.

How to Enable Safari Dark Mode

Safari makes activating dark mode easy across Apple devices. Here are the steps:

On iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Tap “Display and Brightness”
  3. Under “Appearance,” choose “Dark”

This enables dark mode system-wide, including in Safari.

On Mac

  1. Click the Apple menu and select “System Preferences”
  2. Click “General”
  3. Under “Appearance,” choose “Dark”

Again, this enables dark mode across the system for consistent appearance.

With Extensions (iOS 15+)

Safari also supports dark mode extensions on iOS 15+ for applying dark mode on a per-website basis:

  1. In Safari, tap the “aA” button
  2. Scroll down and select the dark mode extension you want to use
  3. Toggle the extension on when visiting sites you want to view in dark mode

Popular extensions like NightEye, Dark Reader, and Midnight Lizard provide extensive dark mode customization options.

Customizing Dark Mode

While system-wide dark mode applies a dark theme to all compatible applications, you can customize the appearance in Safari specifically with a few additional steps:

  • On the Mac, open Safari preferences -> Tabs -> uncheck “Use system appearance” -> Select dark mode option
  • On iOS, install a Safari dark mode extension for per-site control rather than system-wide dark appearance

These additional customizations let you fine tune when and where dark mode appears in Safari without affecting other applications you use.

Conclusion

Dark mode offers several benefits, especially for nighttime or low-light usage, that make it a welcome addition to Safari and other applications. It’s simple to enable across Apple devices, either system-wide or with Safari specifically, to start enjoying those benefits while browsing. Custom extensions provide even more fine-grained control for deciding when and where you want the dark color scheme applied. Give dark mode in Safari a try today!

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