Dark Mode

What Does Dark Mode Mean?

“Dark mode” in IT refers to user interfaces that work to decrease light output by changing the way that information is presented on the screen. Specifically, IT pros use the term “dark mode” to talk about light text showing up on a dark screen background.

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Techopedia Explains Dark Mode

Part of the explanation of dark mode has to do with the history of computing. In the early days, the default was to have light-colored text presented on a dark background. However, with the advent of new Windows operating systems, user interfaces often deployed white space background and dark colored text as a matter of making the “digital page” familiar to the user. In the early days of word processors, the white page was a key way to get people to adapt from typewriters to computer document processing.

These days, dark mode is useful for limiting light from an interface, and can be preferable for people with vision issues or others who want to limit background light. Dark mode may be useful on desktop or mobile devices where white space on a white screen space is not the ideal option.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…