Dark mode, available on devices such as OSX, iOS, and Android, has become extremely popular in recent years. If you’re like me, you will love this feature, both because of the visual appeal and the proposed benefits – including less strain on your eyes and battery saving on mobile devices.
But how can this feature be activated on your Salesforce display? Here’s how to make sure your org is taken to the dark side…
Google Chrome Lightning Extension
Initially, this was the easiest way to enable Dark Mode for your Salesforce org. However, due to performance-related issues, Salesforce dark mode is no longer a feature.
Whether or not this will be reintroduced remains to be seen, but for now there are other ways to enable Salesforce dark mode.
Salesforce Dark Theme Beta
Salesforce Dark Theme Beta is a Google Chrome extension, developed by salesforceblue.com, that seems to have taken the place of the Lightning Extension. It easily enables Salesforce dark mode.
This Chrome extension supports:
- Lightning Experience
- Classic Experience
- Trailhead
- Developer Docs
- Component Reference Library
- Lightning Design System Library
- Knowledge Articles
- Discussion Forums
Super Dark Mode
Super Dark Mode is another extension for Google Chrome developed by HiSoft – it’s just like dark mode, but even darker!
Where the Salesforce Dark Theme Beta extension enables dark mode for only Salesforce pages, this extension enables dark mode for all pages in your browser. Go full blackout!
The Blue Light Problem
One of the biggest benefits of using Dark Mode on any device is the reduced exposure to blue light. This is important as blue light stimulates the body’s production of serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin and dopamine are both neurotransmitters that affect you in many ways, including mood and sleep.
In short, blue light tricks our brain into thinking it is daytime, which in turn can cause us to have issues with our moods or have trouble regulating sleep patterns. Both Apple and Microsoft have introduced features to counter this:
Night Shift on Mac
When enabled, the Night Shift feature on Apple devices shifts the colors of your displays to the warmer end of the color spectrum. Though, technically, it doesn’t result in a reduction in blue light, but rather a filtered amber version.
You can learn how to enable Night Shift here.
Night Light on Windows
Night Light is the Windows equivalent to Night Shift on a Mac. It works in effectively the same way – by shifting your display colors to the warmer end of the spectrum.
You can learn how to enable Night Light here.
Summary
Although Salesforce has disabled the dark mode option in the Salesforce Lightning Extension, there are still ways to activate this feature. Either utilize the extensions or – if your main worry is blue light – you can take advantage of the features built into your operating system.
Come and join me on the dark side!