Chromebook has been getting a lot of attention recently for new feature additions such as the dark mode, Chrome OS recycle bin, read later, clipboard history, Phone Hub, and more. Of all the features, I know many are eagerly waiting for a system-wide dark mode to arrive on Chrome OS. Well, the wait is over. You can now enable dark mode on a Chromebook by enabling a simple Chrome flag. So without any delay, let’s go ahead and learn how to experience the new dark theme on Chromebooks in 2022.
To enable system-wide dark mode on a Chromebook, you need to enable a few Chrome flags. You no longer have to be on the Beta or Dev channel of Chrome OS as the dark mode feature has made it to the Stable channel, but it’s not enabled by default.
- You can also click on the arrow icon right below to customize the color mode. Themed mode allows Chrome OS to extract color from the wallpaper and accordingly apply the theme. I have kept it “Neutral” because I want consistent dark palette across the UI. You are free to choose your own.
My Experience While Using Dark Mode on a Chromebook
First of all, Chrome OS already had a sort of dark mode touch to its UI. The app drawer and quick settings menu were dark in design so turning on dark mode does not do anything to these elements. However, turning on light mode brings a new vibrant UI which I like pretty much. It’s very similar to Windows 10’s light theme. That said, the current dark mode implementation on Chrome OS is still incomplete and messes up a lot of things in the Settings page and the Files app.
Overall, even after six months, it still feels like a half-hearted attempt at bringing dark mode on Chromebooks. I am pretty disappointed by Chrome OS’ dark mode as the feature made its appearance in the Canary channel two months back in October 2020. Still, the implementation has not gone through a significant improvement. Sometimes, a restart fixes things, but it’s all-around a poor experience right now.
