Switching to Microsoft Excel dark mode will make your eyes feel so much more comfortable. Here is a step-by-step guide to do so.
Microsoft Excel dark mode is just what the doctor ordered to give your eyes a rest. (Pixabay) Microsoft Excel dark mode is just what the doctor ordered to give your eyes a rest. (Pixabay)
Continuously working on a laptop screen impacts eyes tremendously. However, do you know you can protect your eyes by switching to the dark mode? Well! Switching to dark mode will make you feel better, especially in the morning and evening hours. The dark mode flips the color palette and hence the interface is dark, and makes the screen more comfortable to read in high-contrast settings. Microsoft has rolled out this dark mode option in its Office suite, allowing users to darken the Excel interface too. But note that by default, dark mode only affects the interface, while the spreadsheet is full of white cells. This can still be jarring, but you need not to worry as there’s a work around way to darken the cells. So, here is how to enable Microsoft Excel dark mode and the spreadsheet too.
1. Since spreadsheets have a white interface you have to set the background to a dark mode. So, first of all head to the ribbon at the top of the screen, tap on the Page Layout, and then click Background.
2. Click the Search Bing search box available in the Insert Pictures dialog box,
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3. Type "solid gray" or "solid black," depending upon how dark you want the background to be.
4. Now press Enter and select a background image and then click Insert.
5. You might need to change the text color if you have set your background too dark, as the black text will not be visible. Press Ctrl-A to select the entire spreadsheet and then click on the Font section in the Home tab.
6. Now, click the Font color dropdown and choose white. If still the text color isn't visible clearly you can select other colour from the Font colour options.
| Time | Tools | Supplies |
| 20 Minutes |
Step 1:
Open your system and click File available on the ribbon at the top of the screen.
Step 2:
Next, head to Account at the bottom of the File menu.
Step 3:
There, open the Office Theme dropdown, and select Dark Gray or Black.
Step 4:
Click the Back arrow at the top left of the screen and it’s done. Excel will have a dark interface.
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First Published Date: 31 Mar, 07:42 AM IST
The standard background color in Excel is white. You may, at some time, want to change the background color to something else, such as a light grey. Unfortunately, there is no way to change the background color; it is not a configurable option in Excel. There are a few things you can try as workarounds, however.
One approach involves selecting all the cells in the worksheet and applying a fill color to the cells. If you don't want the color to print, then you simply need to select all the cells and remove the fill color. This could be automated by using a macro to do the color removal, printing, and re-application.
There are drawbacks to such an approach, however. First, the colors used to fill the cells could interfere with the successful application of conditional formatting, if the conditional formatting involves the use of fill colors. (Conditional formatting applied to font specifications shouldn't be a problem.)
Another option is to create, in your favorite graphics program, a small rectangle that matches the color you want used for your background. Save the small rectangle as a graphics file, using the PNG file format. Then, within Excel, follow these steps:
- Display the Page Layout tab of the ribbon.
- Click the Background tool, in the Page Setup group. Excel 2007 and Excel 2010 display the Sheet Background dialog box. In Excel 2013 and later versions you see the Insert Pictures screen in which you should click the Browse link at the right of the From a File option. You'll then see the Sheet Background dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
- Use the controls in the dialog box to locate and select the graphic image you created (the small rectangle of color).
- Click the Insert button.
Figure 1. The Sheet Background dialog box.
The graphic image is placed in the background and repeated over and over again so that it fills the entire background. The benefit to this approach is that it doesn't affect any conditional formatting and the background image won't print.
Speaking of conditional formatting, if you aren't using conditional formatting for any purpose in a worksheet, you could use it to create your background. In a blank area of your workbook, define a cell that contains the value True. Then select your worksheet that you want to have the background color and use a conditional format to define that color. The format can look at the cell you defined, and if it is True, then the color is applied. If the cell is not True, then the color is not applied. This allows you to turn the background color on or off (for printing) by changing the value of a single cell.
You could also define styles for use in your worksheet. Define a style that has the desired background color, and another that does not. You can then apply the colored style when editing and the non-colored style when preparing to print.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6121) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Changing Excel's Background Color.
Microsoft has rolled out a new theme for Office that's easier on your eyes and also makes buttons and other menu items in the Ribbon stand out. If you thought the Dark Gray theme wasn't dark enough, here's how to enable the higher contrast, Black theme.
The Black theme is available now for Office 2016 and Office 365 users. The other Office themes--Colorful, Dark Gray, and Classic White--are still there.
In the steps below, when you change the theme, it will apply to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook.
1. Open any Office program.
2. Open the File menu in the upper left corner of the window.
3. Click Account.
4. Change the dropdown below Office Theme to Black.
Immediately, all Office app windows will switch to the dark theme.
MORE: How to Disable the Typing Animation in Office 2016 or Office 2013
Change Only One Program to Black Theme
If you want to change to the Black theme for only one specific program, however, follow these steps:
1. Open the Office program you want to change.
2. Open the File menu in the upper left corner of the window.
3. Click Options.
4. Change the dropdown next to Office Theme to Black.
5. Click OK.
The program you've selected will use the new Black theme.