One missing Google Docs feature has a pretty easy workaround

If you go a little out of your way, you can make Google Docs much easier on the eyes.

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Google Docs is an incredibly convenient application, and it's one that receives constant support and updates. Recently, Google has been releasing more and more new features to the word processor, bringing Gemini-powered content creation tools to Docs — alongside a myriad of other AI updates. However, there's one long-requested feature that has historically escaped (and continues to escape) Google Docs' repertoire.

Google's own word processor has a lot going for it, what with the way it seamlessly bridges between its different host platforms (as opposed to Microsoft Word, which is much clunkier on mobile). Interestingly, though, one of the features missing from Docs exposes a divide between versions of the product. That missing feature is dark mode — which is present on mobile but missing on the web version. Dark mode is a glaring omission on the website version of Google Docs, so it's lucky that there are ways to get around this shortcoming both within and without Google's direct remit. 

Official routes to dark mode on Google Docs

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Google began to make dark mode available to Docs on mobile in 2020, first with Android and later with the Apple version of the application. In either version, you can find dark mode via Menu > Settings > Theme (or Choose Theme if you're using Android). From there, you can choose Dark, Light or System Default.

Unfortunately, you won't find this range of brightness options on Google Docs' own website. Google hasn't listed an official reason for this favoritism toward the mobile end of its offerings, but it has at least offered a single in-house workaround via Chrome's experimental features. By searching chrome://flags in Chrome, you can access these features and search for "Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents" — but be warned: these features are experimental and could compromise browser data and device security, so you're taking a risk by toggling this feature.

Dark mode on Google Docs via browser extensions

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Luckily, there are ways of accessing dark mode without risky experimental toggles. You don't have to wait for the future of Google Docs to access browser extensions today — and that includes Google Docs Dark Mode in the Chrome Web Store (or an alternative for your browser of choice, such as DocsAfterDark on Firefox). It's not the only extension that covers this area, but it's a great choice, and it's easy to get working.

A free download of this browser extension will automatically activate dark mode in Google Docs. However, if you want to change up your dark mode settings (or disable the extension entirely), you'll want to hit the Extensions icon next to the search bar (which looks like a puzzle piece and is in the top-right of the screen). Here, you can not only disable the mod, but you can also select a color theme and tweak individual sepia, contrast, grayscale and brightness settings. In addition, this extension will automatically disable dark mode for prints — so don't worry about toggling it on and off all the time.