Use ‘Dark Mode’ and save your eyes (part 3 of 3)

This is part 3 of 3 on how to be gentle on your eyes when working in dark places. In this post we cover:

1. Dark mode on everything Windows (via Win10 Settings)
2. Dark mode on the Chrome browser (via Chrome Theme)
3. Using f.lux (application)

Dark mode on windows

You can change the visuals of the entire Windows eco-system by selecting high contrast mode in settings by going to Settings>Ease of Access>High Contrast, and turning on the High Contrast switch, after which you select a color scheme (or create a custom color scheme). Through this, you will notice that many of the Windows programs (File explorer, default apps) and Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, OneNote etc) switch colors. I don’t know about you, but most of them are by default white and not easy to change back and forth, and I was always looking toggle switches. This is particularly useful when your eyes are feeling sensitive.

Settings on Windows 10 — click on Ease of Access

Go to High Contrast, and then switch on the high contrast button

Select a color scheme in the drop-down

The results can be quite satisfying, and adds another dimension to making your screen go ‘dark’. You may like it. I don’t know if there is an equivalent for Macs.

File Explorer and OneNote before applying high contrast

File Explorer and OneNote after applying high contrast

Dark mode on the Chrome browser

I rely on the Chrome browser, but one thing I hate when opening the browser is that the browser itself by default is white, and the search page is all white. You can use Stylish to make the search page dark, but you can also make the browser itself dark by choosing a dark theme in the theme store https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/themes

Chrome web store for browser themes

Default white search page

When the Morpheon Dark theme is applied to the browser

I use the theme ‘Dark Morpheon’, but there are a ton of other dark themes, as well as other fun themes that give your browser a customized look.

Morpheon Dark Theme Page

About f.lux

I was also going to write about f.lux, which changes the warmth of the white or blue light displaying on your screen. It’s an application you install on your computer, and depending on the time of day, it automatically adjusts the light temperature so that at nighttime, the color is much warmer, and stronger during the daytime. Go to https://justgetflux.com/

f.lux webpage

I realized that screenshots can’t display the color difference, so let me just say that at nighttime, the white color becomes more of an orange-ish color that is easier on the eyes. That’s all for now.