To do that, or to check which version you have, open Chrome and click the three dots in the top-right corner.
Then click on Help > About Google Chrome. This should prompt it to update to the latest version, and will display the current version number.
Once updated, simply close Chrome and launch it again. You probably won’t see any difference because dark mode isn’t yet enabled unless you already run Windows 10 in Dark app mode.
How to turn on Chrome’s dark mode
One way to make Chrome go dark is to enable Windows 10’s Dark app mode. Open the Settings app, type Colour (or Color if you’re in the US) and click on Colour settings which will be top of the list of results.
Scroll down and click on Dark instead of Light. All apps which support Dark mode will immediately switch, including Chrome if it’s open.
Some people won’t be happy with this, and will want to control Chrome’s dark mode independent of Windows and other apps.
Fortunately you can enable the new mode by changing Chrome’s shortcut settings. Right-click on the shortcut to Chrome on your desktop (one is created by default when you install Chrome) and choose Properties.
A window will open and it should display the Shortcut tab. Click in the Target box and – after the final quote mark – add this text:
-force-dark-mode
Click OK and close Chrome if it’s open. Double-click the shortcut and Chrome should now open in dark mode, even if Windows 10 is set to use the Light app mode.
Bear in mind that the black theme only applies to the Chrome interface. When you open a website with a white background, it will still be white.
Here’s how to enable dark mode in YouTube.
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
