How to turn on Twitter's dark mode

Twitter can be an assault on the eyes, and not just because of its frequently distressing content. The microblogging website's default white theme can sometimes feel harsh and blinding, particularly if you're waking up in a cold sweat to check your notifications in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the microblogging platform offers a dark mode to help make those late night scrolling sessions a little easier — at least physically.

Twitter first introduced their dark mode option in 2016, initially calling it night mode. It then went even darker in 2019 by adding a third theme: the pitch black "Lights out" mode. This means there are now three shades of Twitter for you to choose from, whether you want it to be glaring white, black, or something in between.

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SEE ALSO: Here's how to change the text size on Twitter

Here's how to turn on dark mode on Twitter.

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1. Open Twitter.

2. If you're on desktop, click on "More…" in the navigation bar on the left to reveal more options. If you're on mobile, open the navigation bar by tapping on your profile picture in the top left corner.

3. Click or tap on "Settings and privacy" in the navigation bar. 

4. Click or tap on "Accessibility, display, and languages."

5. Click "Display" if you're on desktop, or tap "Display and sound" if you're on mobile.

6. On desktop, look under "Background" to select your preferred theme from "Default" white, dark grey "Dim," and pitch black "Lights out." On mobile, tap "Dark mode" to open the menu, then tap the toggle next to "Dark mode" to turn it on or off. Once turned on you choose how dark you want Twitter to be by selecting either "Dim" or "Lights out" under "Theme."

Twitter allows you to choose between three themes. Credit: Mashable

You can also change Twitter's theme on desktop by clicking "More…" in the navigation bar and selecting "Display." This will bring up Twitter's display settings, allowing you to quickly choose the theme you'd prefer.