Turning a page dark means changing colours that the page’s author chose for a light background. Most of the time the result is good, but sometimes one element looks wrong. Here are the usual causes.
Part of the page is still bright
Some elements, such as embedded players, charts and images with a white background, carry their own colours and cannot be recoloured without breaking them. A white box on a dark page is usually one of these. If an image is the problem, saving it and adjusting it in the Image Color tool can soften the highlights before you use it somewhere else.
The page already has a dark mode
Where a site has its own night theme, you can control it from the extension. If you see odd colours, the site theme and the extension may both be changing the same elements. Try turning the site’s own dark mode off and letting the extension do the work, or the other way round.
Text is hard to read
Dim grey text on a dark background is the most common complaint. It usually comes from the original design, not from the extension. You can measure a pair of colours in the Contrast Checker. Normal text should reach at least 4.5:1, and for long reading about 10:1 or more is comfortable. Our article on contrast in dark themes explains the numbers.
The page feels too bright or glaring
Pure white text on a pure black page can look harsh, and some people see the letters glow or blur. A soft light grey on a dark grey page is usually easier on the eyes. Lower the screen brightness a little, and avoid reading in a completely dark room: a small lamp behind the screen reduces the difference between the screen and its surroundings.
The screen looks too yellow or too warm
The extension has a Night Shift mode that adds a warmer tone to the screen after dark. If the colours look too warm for what you are doing, such as editing a photo or checking a design, switch Night Shift off. Colour-critical work is best done with a neutral screen.
One site looks better without the extension
Some pages are carefully designed and look best in their own colours. Add the site to the extension’s white-list so it is left untouched, and the extension keeps working everywhere else.
A quick checklist
- Reload the page after changing any setting.
- Turn Night Shift off if the colours look too warm.
- Switch the site’s own dark mode off, or the extension off for that site, so only one of them is working.
- Add the site to the white-list if it looks better in its own colours.
- Measure the text and background in the Contrast Checker if the text is hard to read.
Still not right?
Send us the address of the page and a screenshot using the contact form. Colour problems are often easiest to fix once we can see them.