How To Add Dark Mode To Your WordPress Site

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The dark mode is becoming increasingly popular in the last few years, and rightfully so.

There are many benefits of having the option to switch your website from light mode to a more eye-pleasing dark mode.

Why Add Dark Mode To Your WordPress Website

The most obvious reason dark mode is beneficial to have on your page is that it reduces the amount of blue light we receive from staring at the screen.

And that is especially important in the evening as it can drastically improve your sleep routine.

Let’s look at some more reasons why you should consider adding this popular functionality to your design:

  • Reduces eye strain at night and cuts glare.
  • Some users have reported that it reduces screen headaches.
  • The dark mode uses slightly less energy to increase battery life duration.

You have also to consider the downsides, which can include:

  • Some users simply don’t like dark colors.
  • It can reduce focus in some cases.
  • Negative (contradictory) effect if you are working in very bright conditions.

It’s important to consider both the positive and negative sides. That’s why you should never opt to have only dark mode on your page.

It’s important you add it with a light switch so every user can decide which mode to use.

How To Add Dark Mode In WordPress

In the days of HTML websites adding dark mode would be tedious and time-consuming.

You would have to build another website with a dark design and switch between them.

Fortunately, there is a much more elegant solution for WordPress users.

WP Dark mode plugin seamlessly implements dark mode functionality to almost every WordPress theme out there.

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It basically works out of the box, with only a few tweaks needed to perfect it for your website.

But picking a dark WordPress theme may be even better if you build a website from scratch.

1. Install The WP Dark Mode Plugin

The first step is to install the WP Dark Mode plugin, so head to Plugins > Add New or download it from the WordPress repository.

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2. Enable Dark Mode

After the plugin is activated, refresh your home page.

You will notice that the dark mode is already enabled and the switch button is nicely placed in the bottom right corner of the page.

Clicking on the switch will instantly swap between modes.

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As you can see, the plugin already works perfectly without touching any settings.

How To Add Dark Mode To Your WordPress Admin

If you spend a lot of time writing articles in your WordPress dashboard, you might also want to add dark mode to your backend.

Head to WP Dark Mode > Settings > General Settings and turn on the Enable Backend Darkmode option.

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Refresh your WordPress admin panel, and dark mode will be enabled when the page loads.

The switch button will be added to the top bar, where you can now switch between light and dark modes.

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Use WP Dark Mode Plugin

It’s time to explore what WP Dark mode offers in terms of customization and adaption.

Some options are free, while the more advanced ones are only available in the PRO version.

For instance, several designs for float switch buttons are only available if you purchase the plugin.

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You can customize the plugin further by setting a color scheme.

Two of them are available in the free version of the plugin, and the other 10 layouts (along with your custom colors) are reserved for premium users.

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The plugin offers a ton of customizations, like:

  • The ability to disable dark mode in the WooCommerce plugin can be handy if your products look better on a light background.
  • Custom CSS to match the plugin’s design with your website perfectly (PRO version).
  • Backend dark mode
  • Analytics & Reporting so you can check how popular the dark mode is among your users – one of my favorite features.
  • Reducing the brightness of images when dark mode is enabled.
  • The time-based dark mode allows you to automatically turn on the dark mode within a given time range. That can be useful if most of your visitors are from the same time zone.
  • Sunset mode lets you automatically turn on the dark mode at sunset time. The beauty of this feature is that it adapts according to the user’s time zone.
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Switch Between Light And Dark Modes

You might be wondering why exactly you would switch between the two modes.

Some research showed that it’s important we get enough bright light during the day and decrease that gradually in the evening.

That’s why it is important to use the light mode when we are actively working and the surroundings are bright.

Then switch to dark mode in the evening, when it’s time to relax and our body prepares for sleep.

Fortunately, switching between the two modes is as simple as possible.

Just CLICK on the switch button, and the mode will change accordingly.

If you have the PRO version of the plugin, you can set it to Sunset mode, which will change the mode automatically.

Final Thoughts

Having an option for your users to enable dark mode when needed improves the general usability of your website.

Many visitors prefer dark mode in the evening, and some of us even prefer it during the day.

The important part is that this should always be a user’s choice.

Even if you implement the Sunset mode, there should always be a switch on the website to turn it off at any given time.

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