Quick Links

Google Sheets lets you use a dark background, which is easier on the eye. We're going to show you how to enable dark mode in Google Sheets on Android, iPhone, and desktop.

Table of Contents

How to Turn on Dark Mode in Google Sheets on Android and iPhone

It's fairly easy to switch to dark mode in Google Sheets on your smartphone. To do that, open the Google Sheets app on Android or iPhone and tap the three-line menu in the top-left corner of the screen.

Open the Google Sheets app on Android or iPhone and tap the three-line menu in the top-left of the screen.

To enable dark mode from the three-line menu, select "Settings."

To enable dark mode from the three-line menu in Google Sheets, select “Settings.”

In Google Sheets settings on iPhone, select "Theme." On Android, this option is called "Choose Theme."

In Google Sheets settings on iPhone, select “Theme.”

Tap "Dark" under Theme settings to switch to dark mode in Google Sheets on your smartphone.

Tap “Dark” under Theme settings to switch to dark mode in Google Sheets on your smartphone.

After enabling dark mode in Google Sheets, you can view individual documents in light theme in the app. You don't have to switch to the light theme across the app if you just want to check how a spreadsheet looks with a light background. To do this, open any spreadsheet in Google Sheets' app on Android or iPhone and hit the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of the screen.

Open any spreadsheet in Google Sheets’ app on Android or iPhone, and hit the three-dots icon in the top-right of the screen.

This opens the preferences pane for your spreadsheet in Google Sheets. Select the switch next to "View In Light Theme" to view the spreadsheet with a light background.

Select the switch next to “View In Light Theme” to view the spreadsheet in Google Sheets with a light background.

If you want to switch back to dark mode, flip the switch next to "View In Light Theme" once more.

How to Turn on Dark Mode in Google Sheets on Desktop

Although Google Sheets doesn't officially support dark mode on desktop, you can enable it by using Google Chrome flags.

This feature isn't available to everyone for a reason. Flags might not work correctly and can negatively impact your browser's performance. Enable flags at your own risk.

Before you get started, be aware that this method will force dark mode on all websites, not just on Google Sheets. Open Google Chrome on Windows, Mac, or Linux, and in the address bar at the top of the window, type

        chrome://flags
    

.

In the address bar at the top of the Google Chrome window, type "chrome://flags".

Click the search box at the top of the Chrome flags page and search for "Force Dark Mode."

Click the search box at the top of the Chrome flags page and search for “Force Dark Mode.”

In the search results, you'll see "Force Dark Mode For Web Contents." To the right side of this result, click the "Default" button to reveal a drop-down menu.

In the search results, you will see “Force Dark Mode For Web Contents.” To the right side of this result, click the “Default” button to reveal a drop-down menu.

Select "Enabled" in the drop-down menu to force dark mode on all websites that you open in Google Chrome.

Select “Enabled” in the drop-down menu to force dark mode on all websites that you open in Google Chrome.

The final step is to restart the browser. Chrome will show you a warning asking you to relaunch the browser to apply the changes. Make sure that you don't have any unsaved work in other open tabs or windows of the browser, and then click the blue "Relaunch" button.

To restart Google Chrome, click the blue “Relaunch” button.

That's it! You can open the Google Sheets website and enjoy dark mode. The background will be dark and the font color will be white. You should also check how to enable dark mode in Google Docs.