Slack for desktop and web gets a dark modehere’s how to enable it
Ava Arnold
Updated on March 29, 2026
Slack, the popular team collaboration tool, has finally added a dark mode to its desktop and web apps. The dark theme is available now for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Slack this week announced it is rolling out a dark mode for its desktop app and web version. The new dark mode is available on all platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This comes months after rolling it out for mobile platforms, but it’s good to see it come to the desktop as dark modes are becoming more popular all over the place. Here’s a look at how to turn it on and adjust the sidebar theme.
Note that here I am showing how to enable it on Windows 10 and the web. The Linux and macOS versions will look different, but the steps are virtually the same. Also, if you don’t see the option yet, make sure that you are running the latest version of the Slack app by manually updating it.
Turn on Dark Mode for Slack on Desktop
To turn on the dark mode feature, open the Slack app on your desktop. Then click your team or workplace name in the upper-right corner of the sidebar. You can also get there by clicking the hamburger menu on the title bar and choosing File > Preferences.
Once you open the Preferences section click on Themes and then click the Dark option.
Once you have the dark mode enabled, you might want to change the look of the Sidebar theme, too. Just click on the different themes to get the one that you prefer most.
If you’re using the web version the process is the same. But do note that if you change the theme on the web version it won’t change it on the desktop app. Nor will it change it on your phone or tablet as it’s device-specific. This allows you to use the light theme on your phone and dark on your desktop or vice versa. Slack also notes that soon it will add the ability to set the Slack app to change with whatever theme you have set for your OS.
Dark modes are becoming a lot more popular across all platforms. For example, you see it added as an option to many Google apps and Android, Microsoft added a dark theme to Windows 10 a few years ago, and Apple is adding a proper dark mode for iOS 13.
Update 11.03.2019
Some good news have been noticed in the depths of the Internet. Slack is rolling out dark mode on its mobile apps (iOS and Android). Currently it is available only for those, that participate in their beta program.
If you are using iPhone, sign up for Slack Beta Program here –
If you are using Android phone, sign up for Slack Beta Program here –
Keep in mind that you have to be accepted in the Beta Program, before having access to the update with the so long waited feature.
Dark mode is slowly but surely taking over the digital world. What was once color scheme preferred by hackers and geeks, nowadays even teenage girls rave about Twitter’s dark mode.
Slack, once labeled the Email killer, for some reason is slow to catch up with the latest trend. Users prefer dark UI, not only because it is “trendy” or “cool”, but rather because there are health benefits related to it.
Although the company has stated (twitter post here) it is in their roadmap back in 2014, sadly no progress on implementing dark mode has been made. Web, Mobile or Desktop – the bright white background is here to stay.
How to enable Slack Dark mode
Dark mode for Slack Desktop
Dark mode for Slack iOS
The only solution so far is to enable global dark mode (Smart Invert Colours) In order to enable a global dark mode that will affect the Slack app follow those steps:
1. Settings
2. General
3. Accessibility
4. Accessibility Shortcut – It is located at the very bottom of the Accessibility screen.
5. Select Smart Invert Colours.
Now you can enabled and disable the iOS dark mode by clicking the home button three times. If you are using iPhone X, Xs, Xs Max or XR – click the new Slide button three times. Not the best solution, but it is the only one available so far.
Honestly, the end result is quite awful. The phone inverts all images which completely ruins the whole experience. However, it can be quite handy if you need to bash out couple of messages and don’t care about the images someone posted.
Story by
Ivan Mehta
Story by
Ivan Mehta
Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.” Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.”
Welcome to TNW Basics , a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff.
In March, Slack rolled out dark mode for its iOS and Android apps. Now, it’s rolling the feature out for its desktop apps: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
To get the dark mode option, y ou’ll need to be on version 4.0.3 for Mac, or 4.0.2 for Windows and Linux. So update your app before you think of switching to the dark side.
TNW Conference 2021
Attend the tech festival of the year and get your super early bird ticket now!
ou can check which version you have by clicking on the menu button with three lines, and navigating to Help > About Slack. The Help menu also has an option to Check for updates, which will prompt you to get the latest version if you’re behind.
Once you’re sorted, here’s how to enable dark mode:
- Open the Slack app on your desktop.
- Click on your name on the sidebar.
- Go to Preferences > Themes.
- Select the Dark appearance option.
Dark mode selection on Slack for desktop
The company says it has modified its existing themes to suit the dark mode.
Theme comparison between dark and light mode on Slack for desktop
If you want to enable the dark mode on your Slack for mobile, follow our handy guide for it.
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more.
Slack offers a built-in dark mode on iPhone, iPad, and Android. Here’s how to enable it with a few quick taps and use a darker interface. This can even save power if you have a phone with an OLED display.
To enable dark mode in Slack, tap the menu icon at the top right corner of the Slack app—it looks like three vertical dots. It’s in the same place on Slack for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Tap “Settings” in the menu panel.
Tap the “Dark Mode” option here. On iPhone or iPad, tap the switch to the right of Dark Mode to quickly toggle it on or off.
On Android, scroll down to the General section and tap the “Dark Mode” option. Slack will prompt you to restart your Slack app to apply the change, for some reason.
To disable Dark Mode, return here and tap the same option.
Note that Slack synchronizes your normal Slack theme between your devices. That’s why your sidebar may not be dark—even in dark mode. Customize your Slack sidebar color and select a dark theme to get it darker.
Slack doesn’t yet offer a dark mode for its desktop applications—Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web application—but the company promises it’s working on one.
Like all dark modes, this isn’t for everyone—but we still love dark mode.
Update 11.03.2019
Some good news have been noticed in the depths of the Internet. Slack is rolling out dark mode on its mobile apps (iOS and Android). Currently it is available only for those, that participate in their beta program.
If you are using iPhone, sign up for Slack Beta Program here –
If you are using Android phone, sign up for Slack Beta Program here –
Keep in mind that you have to be accepted in the Beta Program, before having access to the update with the so long waited feature.
Dark mode is slowly but surely taking over the digital world. What was once color scheme preferred by hackers and geeks, nowadays even teenage girls rave about Twitter’s dark mode.
Slack, once labeled the Email killer, for some reason is slow to catch up with the latest trend. Users prefer dark UI, not only because it is “trendy” or “cool”, but rather because there are health benefits related to it.
Although the company has stated (twitter post here) it is in their roadmap back in 2014, sadly no progress on implementing dark mode has been made. Web, Mobile or Desktop – the bright white background is here to stay.
How to enable Slack Dark mode
Dark mode for Slack Desktop
Dark mode for Slack iOS
The only solution so far is to enable global dark mode (Smart Invert Colours) In order to enable a global dark mode that will affect the Slack app follow those steps:
1. Settings
2. General
3. Accessibility
4. Accessibility Shortcut – It is located at the very bottom of the Accessibility screen.
5. Select Smart Invert Colours.
Now you can enabled and disable the iOS dark mode by clicking the home button three times. If you are using iPhone X, Xs, Xs Max or XR – click the new Slide button three times. Not the best solution, but it is the only one available so far.
Honestly, the end result is quite awful. The phone inverts all images which completely ruins the whole experience. However, it can be quite handy if you need to bash out couple of messages and don’t care about the images someone posted.
· 12 September 2019
– It’s easy!
(Pocket-lint) – Many trends have popped up this year, as they tend to do every year, but if we had to pick a defining one for 2019 it may be the “dark mode”.
Dark modes reportedly lessen the strain on your eyes and your device battery. Both Google and Apple are rolling out system-wide dark modes across their operating systems and devices, and even apps and services like Twitter have begun to adopt dark modes themselves. The latest one to hop on the bandwagon is Slack, which has rolled out a dark mode for all versions of its app.
How Slack’s dark mode works
Slack has always offered a traditional light theme, comprised of white and brown backgrounds with colourful accents.
Now, with dark mode, you get 10 new Slack themes, which are predominately grey and black, though some have darker hues of yellow, green, etc. “Dark Mode is an important feature for lots of people,” explained Slack. “It’s helpful for working at night or in low-light, and we know many need it for accessibility reasons like visual impairments, migraines or other visual disorders.”
Here are the new dark mode themes on Slack:
- Aubergine
- Aubergine Classic
- Dagobah
- Monument
- Choco Mint
- Ochin
- Work Hard
- Nocturne
- Accessible theme: Tritanopia
- Accessible theme: Protanopia and Deuteranopia
If you’re not seeing the new dark mode, make sure you’re running the latest version of the Slack app.
How to turn on dark mode on Slack
Dark mode is device-specific. In other words, changing to dark mode on the desktop app won’t sync with Slack on the browser or mobile app.
Desktop
- From your desktop, click your workspace name in the top left.
- Select Preferences from the menu.
- Select Themes, and click Dark.
- Swipe left to open the right sidebar.
- Tap Settings.
- Toggle on Dark Mode.
Android
- Tap the Overflow Menu.
- Tap Settings.
- Under General, tap Dark Mode.
When will Slack’s dark mode be available?
Dark mode for the desktop Slack app is available now for Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. It arrives months after the same feature appeared on the iOS and Android versions of Slack earlier this year.
You may need to update or relaunch your Slack desktop app to find the new dark mode options in the themes part of settings.
- COVID-19
- General News
- Business
- Sports
- Health and Fitness
- Science & Technology
- Entertainment
How to enable dark mode on all of your essential apps – The Next Web
Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff.
Ah, dark mode — the charcoal gray color palette associated with night time and eyeball-saving. It’s not without its detractors, not even among my own colleagues. But there are plenty of people, including me, who can’t get enough of the dusty-colored theme. Luckily dark mode is available on just about every device and app — so we’ll walk you through how to make your digital life just a little bit darker.
Note that we’re going to show you how to enable dark mode on several of the most essential apps and services — there isn’t enough time or space on our servers to show you how to enable dark mode everywhere, as it’s a very omnipresent theme. But these will make a good starting point.
Social media
Most social media apps have added dark mode to make late-night browsing easier. Facebook, of all sites, is one of the latecomers. It only added dark mode with the latest redesign, which you can read about here. The dark mode toggle is in the main drop-down menu of the site. While Instagram doesn’t have an in-app dark mode option, it syncs to your phone’s dark mode — you can read about how that works here.
Twitter has a similar setting to Instagram, in that you can sync its color palette with the system settings — meaning, if your phone is already in dark mode, it’ll go dark automatically. You can also manually set it to dark mode by going to the settings, and looking for the dark mode toggle under “Display and Sound. You can read more about the options here.
Messenger originally only had dark mode via an emoji-based Easter egg, but it has since joined the bandwagon for real. In order to switch on dark mode, you just have to tap your profile picture and the toggle is right there at the top of the options. You can read more about it here.
Workplace apps
It’s not just social media that wants to spare your eyes. Several of your favorite workplace apps have also added dark mode settings, so even your work computer can look as sooty as a fireplace. For starters, Slack now has a dark mode available on its iOS and Android apps (which you can read about here) as well as its desktop client (which you can read about here).
Dark mode selection on Slack for desktop
WhatsApp has also added dark mode to its web and mobile version, albeit at different times. You can read about how to enable dark mode on the web client here, and on Android here. As with other apps mentioned here, WhatsApp will automatically go into dark mode on iOS when iOS itself is set to dark mode.
Google has also added dark mode to its Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android, which you can read abut here. Also, it’s not a workplace app per se, but Google Play also has dark mode — in order to switch it on, you just need to go to the app settings and look for the Theme menu. You can read about it here.
Operating systems
Just like all of the above, the different operating systems for phones offer dark modes for you to turn on at night to make browsing or working easier on your eyes. Apple added dark mode to iOS 13, and as mentioned, turning it on will kick most apps into dark mode if it’s available. You can read about how to turn it on here. Similarly, Android introduced a Dark theme in the Android 10 update, which you can find in the Display settings.
Enable dark mode on iOS 13 from settings
If you want some variety, Windows 10 also has a light mode in addition to dark — you can find both in the personalization settings. You can read more about it here.
And that’s it! While this won’t necessarily make your whole life an obsidian paradise, it’ll at least put dark mode on all of your favorite apps. Good luck!
The ‘Dark Mode’ trend has been grabbing a lot of attention and it looks like this feature is here to stay. Today more and more companies are introducing dark color schemes for their applications, and the Slack app is no exception. Earlier Dark mode on Slack was available only for Android, iPhone, and iPad apps but now, Slack has brought dark mode to its desktop and web apps on Windows too.
Although Windows comes with its own dark mode, which will apply to every app that runs on it—if those apps are built to support it. Similarly, the Slack app for Windows 10 can automatically change to the dark mode when the user changes the system color mode. But, sometimes, the user may wish to enable the dark mode on Slack manually. If you prefer to activate the Dark Mode on Slack, this blog will guide you through.
How to enable Dark Mode on Slack
Enabling Dark Mode on Slack i.e. one of the most favorite and free collaboration tools is extremely simple; follow the below steps:
- Open Slack and sign-in
- Click on your workspaces’ name
- Select Preferences > Themes
- Clear the Sync with the OS setting option
- Select the ‘Dark’.
Let us see the procedure with the help of screenshots.
1] Activating Dark Mode on Slack brings less jarring dark background to your chats which are easy on your eyes. To get started, open the Slack desktop app, or visit your workspace on the web.
2] If you are not logged in, click on ‘Sign In’ and log into your workspace by entering your workspace’s ‘Slack URL’.
3] Now hit ‘Continue’
4] Next, click on your workspace’s name found at the top of the left sidebar.
5] Click on ‘Preferences’
5] In the ‘Preferences’ window, click on ‘Themes’
6] Clear the ‘Sync with OS setting’ option.
7] Select the ‘Dark’ option to enable the dark color scheme.
Done! Once you follow the above steps Slack will switch to the dark color scheme option.
Slack’s Dark mode is device-specific, which means that if this color scheme is activated on your desktop app then it will not automatically activate on your smartphone or tablet, or vice versa.
Dark Mode may look like a simple thing, but the number of benefits to activating it is often unheard of. Did you know? Dark mode options help in saving battery for your laptops and are less distracting others in case you are working in an area that has dimmed lights (like a conference room). And above all, dark color schemes are easier on the eyes when compared to brighter white backgrounds.
With so many benefits stringed with Dark Mode, trying it on Slack is all worth it. Try it and share with us your experience with Dark Mode on Slack!
Dark mode can make software easier on the eye , give you a refreshing change from the norm, and even save on battery life if you’re using an OLED display—here are all the apps and platforms offering the option of a dark mode right now, and how to enable it in each case.
Windows
You can enable dark mode on Windows 10 by clicking the cog icon on the Start menu, then choosing Personalization, Colors, and then Dark from the drop-down menu at the top. Pick Custom from the list instead, and you can control dark mode independently at both the OS and app level (if you want Windows itself but not your apps to use it, for instance).
Windows apps
Some programs on Windows have their own dark modes which you can control on their own. In Mail, for instance, click the cog icon down in the lower left-hand corner, then choose Personalization and tick the Dark mode box. You’ll see there’s another option, Use my Windows mode, which follows whatever the current Windows OS setting is.
Open up Microsoft Edge and you’ll find there’s a dark mode here too: Open the app menu (three dots, top right) then choose Settings and pick Dark under Choose a theme. In Microsoft Office, meanwhile, you can open any file in the suite then select File, Options, General and choose either Dark Gray or Black under the Office Theme heading.
