Learn how to customize the themes and backgrounds in MS Word (Office apps) and also the steps to toggle between the Dark and Light modes.
People with normal vision might prefer to work in light mode, while certain users, particularly those who have contract issues, might choose to use dark modes. It is also recommended to use the light mode when in bright lighting conditions, and the dark mode during the night or in dark settings.
Today, Microsoft Office lets you effortlessly change between light, dark and vibrant, dark grey, and the themes for your system. This feature is accessible for Microsoft Office 365, Office 2019 as well as Office 2016. The colors, dark grey, and themes for the system are available only for Microsoft 365 version. If you also have Microsoft 365, you can make use of the new dark mode feature in your Office applications.
If you choose to use the latest dark themes (dark mode) for the Word document, it does not just alter the look of the Ribbon and toolbar, but as well the writing canvas in your Word document. The theme and background that you select within the same Office application (e.g. Word) can alter the background and theme of all apps within the Office suite to give users an unifying experience.
In this video we’ll guide you through the process of personalizing themes and backgrounds of MS Word (Office apps) and also change the appearance of Word to a ‘light’ or ‘dark’ modes.
Table of Contents
Change Word to Light Mode (applies to All Office Apps)
The majority of computer interfaces and applications use a light theme/mode to display content since it resembles the appearance like ink on paper, rendering text more accessible in comparison to other theme.
Light Mode also referred to as Positive Contrast Polarity is the traditional black and white text. If you’re able to see normally or live in bright surroundings it will help to digest information more easily. With a light background there will be more light and pupils won’t have to expand more to allow in more light, making it easier to your eyes absorb the details.
By default, all Office applications (including Word) are set to use system settings (Windows themes) as well as ‘Colorful’, however, you can alter the appearance and feel of your Office applications by altering your Office Theme or background. As we’ve mentioned earlier, when you alter the theme of any of your Office applications it will automatically carry your Office themes across all applications. To switch your Microsoft Word theme to the White style (light mode) Follow these steps:
Change to Light Mode from the Account Settings
Then, start first the Microsoft Word application (or Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook) Then, select File from the menu in the upper left corner of the application.
Within the Word Backstage view, select “Account” on the left side of the screen.
In the account page tap or click the drop-down ‘Office Theme’ list, and select the theme you’d like to use: Black, Dark Gray, Colorful, or White. Because we’re looking for the light-colored mode, we’ll choose the theme ‘White’ here.
You can clearly see, the title bar as well as ribbon, canvas and borders, and everything else is white (light mode).
In truth, the distinction in the theme of white and that default theme ‘Colorful’ is not that obvious. If you’re using the theme ‘Colorful the title bar would be blue, while the ribbon and windows would have a a light-grey (nearly the color of white) color. In the theme of ‘White’, all things would appear in White color.
The main distinction in the design of the application is when you switch the theme to Dark Grey or Black (Dark Mode).
Change into Light Mode from the Word Options Screen
Start Microsoft Word, then click the File menu on the Ribbon. Select “Options” at the bottom of the left panel , in The backstage perspective.
When you click on the Word Options window will appear. Make sure that the tab ‘General’ is chosen in the left pane . Then search for the ‘Personalize your version of Microsoft Office’ section on the right.
In the ‘Personalize your version of Microsoft Office’ section, select the drop-down menu beside the word ‘Office Theme’. select ‘White’ as the light mode. After that, click “OK” to apply the.
Try the Dark Grey Theme too
Let’s take a look at how the Dark Grey theme appears in Word. To get it follow the above steps and select the theme ‘Dark Grey’ from the drop-down menu ‘Office Theme’.
The way the Word appears when it is in Dark Grey. Dark Grey theme.
How do I Change Microsoft Word Background (applies to all Office applications)
Microsoft Office apps also allow users to alter backgrounds of the applications. There are a variety of backgrounds that you can pick from, including clouds and spring, underwater and many more.
To alter the background to change the background, open Microsoft Word and click the File menu. Then, select “Options” from the left sidebar, and then click the General tab. Select an appropriate background design from the drop-down menu ‘Office Background’ list in the ‘Personalize your version of Microsoft Office’ section.
How to Enable Dark Mode in Word
If you’re a night-owl who stays all the night, doing work on Word document, MS Word can strain your eyes and harm your retinas due to its bright white color. To combat this, Microsoft Office introduced a new black theme (dark mode).
For those suffering from cataracts and related conditions or those working in dim light conditions, the dark mode is a good option to reduce eye strain and improve the sensitivity to light. In dark mode, you can write and read white text with a dark background, which creates a more elegant and attractive as opposed to the lighter mode. Additionally, Dark mode helps you reduce battery consumption, especially when you’re using the OLED screen.
The Dark Mode was present in the previous version, but it just changes the color of the toolbars and ribbon and the writing canvas remains white and bright. However, with the latest Dark Mode, the dark theme also includes the document canvas too. Unfortunately, the full black theme is available only within Microsoft 365.
To enable Dark Mode in the Word, Open Microsoft Word (or any other Office application) and then click the ‘File menu’ in the ribbon. After that, select “Account” in the sidebar.
On the right side, switch the dropdown beneath Office Theme to ‘Black’.
Alternately, select ‘Options’ from the view of backstage. Then, choose the theme ‘Black’ in the dropdown menu that is next to the Office Theme under the ‘Personalize your copy Microsoft Office’ section in the Word options. After that, click OK to apply the theme.
In the future, Microsoft Word (and other Office applications) will run automatically in dark mode, as illustrated below. As you can observe, the toolbar, canvas, and ribbon are all black and the colors (texts) in the document will be automatically adjusted to match the new contrast of colors.
Quickly Switch Between Dark and Light Modes
After you have installed after you have applied the Black theme to your computer, you are able to effortlessly switch between black and white background colors without changing the theme. This can be helpful in cases where certain elements of documents do not appear properly in this Black theme. Here’s how to do it:
Once the black theme has been selected, click the tab ‘View’ in Word Ribbon, you’ll see an additional button called Switch Modes in the ‘Dark Mode’ section. Switch the ‘Switch Modes’ (sun icon) to switch the background colour to white.
This will switch the editor back into the light mode (temporarily) but it will leave the ribbon and background as well as the title bar, background and status bars in black (as as shown below).
To switch the editor back in the black (dark mode) Click the switch Modes button once more (this time it will show an icon of a moon).
How to Disable Dark Mode (But Keep the Black Theme)
You can also switch the editor back to a white canvas (permanently) but keep the black theme of ribbon as well as background as well as status bar. Here’s how:
Click on the File menu, then Options and General Then, check the “Disable dark mode” box (next to the Office Theme drop-down) under the personalize the version in the Microsoft Office section.
This will keep the editor’s page’s color white, while preserving it’s black-themed theme.
That’s it.