Microsoft Word for Mac follows your Mac’s appearance setting, so when macOS is in Dark Mode, Word’s toolbars go dark and, by default, so does the page. You can keep Word dark with a white page, turn Word’s dark mode off entirely while the rest of your Mac stays dark, or switch your whole Mac to dark. This guide shows each option in Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2021/2019 for Mac.
Quick Answer
To make Word dark, turn on Dark Mode for your Mac in System Settings > Appearance > Dark. Then control Word’s page color in Word > Settings (Preferences) > General > Personalize: choose Dark Mode has a dark page color, Dark Mode has a white page color, or Turn off Dark Mode.
Step 1: Turn On Dark Mode on Your Mac
- Click the Apple menu > System Settings (System Preferences on older macOS).
- Click Appearance.
- Choose Dark, or Auto to switch between light and dark based on time of day.
Word and other Office apps switch to dark automatically.
Step 2: Choose Word’s Dark Mode Style
- Open Word and click Word > Settings (or Preferences) in the menu bar.
- Click General.
- Under Personalize, choose:
- Dark Mode has a dark page color: dark toolbars and a dark page with light text. Easiest on the eyes at night.
- Dark Mode has a white page color: dark toolbars, but the page stays white so the document looks as it will print.
- Turn off Dark Mode: Word stays light even when macOS is dark.
In some versions, only a checkbox appears, such as Turn off Dark Mode; update Office for all three options.
Does Dark Mode Change My Document?
No. Dark Mode only changes how the document looks on your screen. When you print, share or open the file on another computer, it appears with its normal colors. If the actual page background is dark for everyone, someone set a page color: remove it with Design > Page Color > No Color.
Switch Quickly Between Light and Dark Pages
In Word for Microsoft 365, the View tab may include a Switch Modes button that toggles the page between dark and light while you work, without changing settings.
Other Office Apps on Mac
Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for Mac also follow macOS Dark Mode, and most have a Turn off Dark Mode option in their own Settings > General.
Excel follows the same macOS appearance and has its own Turn off Dark Mode option, covered in this look at Excel color schemes.
Troubleshooting
- Word doesn’t go dark: check that Turn off Dark Mode isn’t selected, and update Office via Help > Check for Updates.
- Text is hard to read in dark pages: text with manually set dark colors may look odd. Use Automatic font color, or choose the white page option.
- Images look strange: pictures keep their original colors; switch to a white page for image-heavy documents.
Related: Change the Word background to white.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use dark mode in Word on Windows?
Go to File > Account > Office Theme > Black. See our guide to changing Word to light mode for the reverse.
Does Word for the web have dark mode?
Yes. Use the View tab’s dark mode option in Word for the web.
Can I use dark mode only in Word?
Word for Mac’s dark mode depends on macOS Dark Mode, so the rest of your Mac must be dark too. Other apps can have their own light settings.
Summary
- Turn on Dark in System Settings > Appearance.
- Open Word > Settings > General.
- Choose a dark page, white page, or turn Dark Mode off.
- Remember it doesn’t change the document for others.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.