How to turn on dark mode in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

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(Pocket-lint) – Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides mobile apps offer native dark mode for Android and iPhone users.

Although Android offers a system-wide dark mode, Google has slowly rolled out a native dark mode for all of its apps – including Gmail, Calendar, Fit, and the Google app – since 2019. Here’s how to enable dark mode, which Google calls the dark theme, in Docs, Sheets and Slides.

How to turn on the dark theme for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

• Only available for Docs, Sheets and Slides mobile apps
• You can manually enable dark mode in settings

Via phone system settings

Install or update the latest version of the Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides app on your device.

Once the new update arrives, these apps will use the default theme for your operating system. So if your phone is set to system wide dark theme, apps will appear dark. To use Google’s dark theme on your Android phone, just go to system settings (Settings> Display> Theme) and turn on the dark theme. To use Apple’s dark mode on your iPhone, go to Settings> Display & light> and select Dark to turn on dark mode.

Through the applications themselves

Older phone users who are running older versions of the operating system will likely have to go the manual route, as they cannot enable system-wide dark mode in the latest version of Android and iOS. Fortunately, Google allows you to manually switch between the new dark mode and the old light mode in the settings of the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps. Just open the app, navigate to the menu in the corner, then select Settings, navigate to Choose a theme, and tap Dark.

Likewise, you can use this method to turn off Dark Mode when triggered by system-wide Dark Mode, so if you want your Google Docs to be light instead, you can make that happen.

When will the dark theme be available for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides?

Dark theme for Docs, Sheets, and Slides is now available. It was initially released for Android users, but arrived on iOS in September 2020.

Written by Maggie Tillman. Edited by Chris Hall. Originally published on July 6, 2020.