Thanks to PowerToys, Windows 11 dark mode is finally usable

After teasing the feature back in September, Microsoft has finally rolled out its anticipated Light Switch tool for Windows 11. Bundled in with the newly-released version 0.95.0 of PowerToys, which is a free download over on the Microsoft Store, Light Switch brings with it the ability to automatically switch between light and dark themes on the fly.

The release of Light Switch is notable as it marks the first time a first-party auto-theme switcher has been built for the Windows platform — until now, third-party apps like AutoDarkMode were required to unlock this (admittedly long-overdue) functionality. Now, with Light Switch in tow, PC users can effortlessly swap between light and dark UI states via a hot key, or, alternatively, have the system take care of the process entirely behind the scenes.

I welcome Light Switch for Windows 11 with open arms

Even though Light Switch isn’t built directly into Windows 11, it’s still a valuable first-party tool to have at the disposal

I’ve been using Light Switch for the better part of a day now, and, for the most part, I’m happy with how it functions. The tool is easy to configure, with enough options to satisfy my basic itch for customization. From within the app’s settings page, there are options to set dark and light mode switching on a manually-defined time basis, or to have the utility switch themes automatically based on the time of day.

The latter configuration, known as Sunset to sunrise, requires you to give PowerToys location access. Once this permission is granted, it’ll fetch coordinates that help it determine the best time to switch themes based on your current geolocation.

Other configurable options include the ability to select whether dark mode applies universally across the system, or only to either shell interface elements or to compatible applications. You can also offset the theme switching trigger on a minute-by-minute basis, which might come in handy depending on individual use case.

Lastly, the Shortcuts section makes it easy to switch between light and dark modes via a keyboard hotkey. By default, the shortcut is set to Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + D, but I promptly switched it to Windows key + Spacebar to streamline accessibility.

Light Switch isn’t quite as feature-packed as some third-party alternatives, but I’m nonetheless happy to see a first-party theme switcher finally make its way to Windows after all these years. Sure, it requires the installation of a separate app as opposed to being built directly into the OS, but it does follow Windows 11 design principles, and it does work reliably. Microsoft tends to use its PowerToys suite to test out features before they hit the mainstream, and so it’s entirely possible that Light Switch will eventually be ported over to Windows 11 proper.

How to set up auto theme switching on Windows 11 using Light Switch

The Light Switch tool is available within Microsoft’s PowerToys application

To get started with automatic light and dark mode switching on your Windows 11 PC, follow these steps:

1. Download and install the PowerToys application from the Microsoft Store, if you haven’t already done so.
2. Launch PowerToys.
3. Navigate to System Tools > Light Switch.
4. Switch the Enable Light Switch toggle to the on position.

From within this same settings page, you can also adjust the theme toggle shortcut to whichever combination you find most convenient. Additionally, you can swap between automatic daylight-based and manually-defined theme switch cadences, as well as adjust which parts of the operating system dark mode is applied to when triggered.

Microsoft is finally taking dark mode seriously

The company is working to bring dark theming to more legacy Windows interface elements

Other operating systems, including macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Android, and ChromeOS have included the ability to automatically switch the system between light and dark mode states for many years now. With Light Switch for PowerToys, Windows is certainly playing catch-up in this department.

Overall, switching between light and dark modes within Windows 11 feels a bit sluggish when compared to the competition, likely owing to the abundance of legacy desktop code layered underneath newer PC code. Perhaps this unoptimized dark mode toggling is the reason Microsoft has been hesitant to bring auto-switching to the Windows platform until now.

The other pain point here is to do with consistency: despite Windows shipping with a dark mode for the better part of a decade now, many UI elements continue to adhere only to light mode, making for a disjointed end-user experience that feels entirely unpolished.

Thankfully, this appears to be changing, and I couldn’t be happier. In a recent Windows Insider blog post, Microsoft officially showcased new dark mode dialogues for legacy interface elements like the Run prompt, file transfer progress, file deletion, and several error windows. I sincerely hope to see this effort to darken Windows’ dark mode be accelerated, as there are still many screens within the OS that don’t adhere to the theming, even in 2025.

For the time being, Light Switch is a solid addition to Windows 11, and it can only get better if Microsoft improves the visual consistency and performance of theme switching at a platform level in the coming months. I do have one additional request for Microsoft: please add a theme switching quick setting tile to Windows’ Quick Settings pane, for extra convenience on top of shortcut keys.