How to Enable Dark Mode in Excel

    Asmi DhakalBy Excel 3 Mins Read

    You may recognize Excel by its vivid green color. While the colorful display is quite eye-catching, you might want to switch to dark mode for a darker ambiance.

    Excel offers dark mode in two colors: Black and Dark Gray. However, when you switch to one of these themes, Excel doesn’t change the color of the sheet. 

    Dark Mode Excel

    If you want to change the cell color from light to dark, set a darker background using the Page Layout utility.

    How to Enable Dark Mode in Excel?

    When you change the appearance of your Excel program to Black or Dark Gray, Excel will transform everything except the grid and warning pop-ups in the selected color.

    1. Go to File > Options.
      Excel options
    2. From the General tab, select the fly-out next to Office themes.
    3. Pick Dark Gray or Black.
      Change office theme to a darker color
    4. Click OK.

    Change the Grid Background

    If you want to change the grid view into a darker color as well, then you’ll have to change its background.

    We will first use the Paint utility, which comes built-in on all Microsoft devices, to create a background. We’ll then head to the Page Layout tab and set the background.

    Step 1: Create a Background Using Paint

    1. On the search bar, type Paint and open it.
      Paint app
    2. Select the Fill bucket in the Tools section.
      Fill bucket
    3. Pick a color from the Color section.
      Colors paint
    4. Click on the paint area to apply the color.
      Fill color paint
    5. Select Ctrl + S to save the image.
    6. Navigate to a folder and select Save.

    Step 2: Set Background in Excel

    1. Head to Page Layout.
    2. From the Page Setup section, select Background.
      Page layout background
    3. Click on Browse.
      browse for images
    4. Navigate to the location of your image.
    5. Click on it and select Insert.
      Insert background

    Step 3: Change the Font Color

    1. Select Ctrl + A.
    2. Go to the Home tab.
    3. From the Font section, click on Font color.
    4. Pick the white color. 
      Switch to white font
    Note: Change the font color back to automatic (black) when printing the sheet.

    Use Macro to Enable Dark Mode for Excel Grid

    If you frequently like to use dark mode, using the above-mentioned method would be quite time-consuming. Instead, you can create a macro that changes the color of your grid and adjusts the font color to white.

    Make sure you’ve enabled the Developer tab in Excel and follow these steps:

    1. Go to the Developer tab.
    2. Select Visual Basic.
      VBA Excel
    3. Click Insert > Module.
      Insert module
    4. Copy and paste the code from this website.
    5. Select F4 to run.
      run vba
    6. Run all four macros.
      Run macro

    Asmi is a content writer specializing in MS Office. She loves writing Excel-related content to assist other users to learn their way around the program. She started using Excel when she first entered the industry as a marketing intern. Soon, she realized that learning the often-overlooked spreadsheet program was no piece of cake. In her articles, she attempts to brief out complex topics to help beginner to intermediate-level Excel users. Asmi uses Excel for everything, including creating a grocery list to managing her personal finance. She’s a bit dramatic when it comes to the Flash Fill feature; so much so that could write a eulogy out of it. When she’s not working, you’ll find her learning a new recipe, or cleaning up her mess (out of the failed recipe).

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