Much has been said about the dark mode on the screen of electronic devices, be they computers, tablets or mobiles. Its use, according to experts, helps reduce eye strain. Therefore it is recommended to use it when we are going to spend a lot of time in front of our computer. Windows 10 incorporates its own dark mode, although it is not as customizable as it should, since we can only activate or deactivate it, but not configure it to our liking. For this we can use a simple application called Auto Dark Mode , about which we are going to talk about next.
Using dark backgrounds is a very beneficial practice especially if we are going to use the computer at night or in poorly lit environments. In general, we usually use white backgrounds that in these situations can cause eyestrain, which brings about dry eyes, since we tend to blink more times when looking at the screen. In addition, it will make us stay more awake and then it will be more difficult to fall asleep. Ideally, Windows 10 should allow dark mode to be configured by default to activate at certain times of the day as we customize. As it is not possible at the moment we must use third-party programs like Auto Dark Mode
Set Windows dark mode with Auto Dark Mode
Auto Dark Mode is a small tool that will help us customize the dark mode of Windows 10 so that we can program its settings, so that you don’t have to manually change it from the Windows configuration itself. In this way we can automatically configure the schedule in which the white or dark theme will run on our computer. This task is carried out in the background, with little use of resources, without interruptions or reliability problems.
Main features
- Clean and easy to use user interface.
- Theme changes based on custom time slots.
- We can choose whether to change the theme in both the applications and the system.
- Windows 10 Grayscale Color Filter can be automatically enabled.
- 100% clean uninstall, no administrator rights.
Adjusts night mode automatically in Windows 10
Once we run the application, its main menu will appear , with an aesthetic very similar to the Windows configuration windows. Here we will find in the bar on the right a menu with four available options: Schedule, Applications, Wallpaper / Theme and Settings.
Schedule
From this section we can activate the change of theme between light and dark automatically . This can be configured through a personalized schedule or from dusk to dawn. For this second option it is necessary that we have activated the Location settings. If we opt for the custom schedule, we only have to indicate at what time the Light mode should be active and at what time the Dark mode and click on Apply.
Applications
Here we can configure where we want the dark or light theme to be applied in a personalized way . We see the options of Applications, System, Edge (old version) and Microsoft Office. If we click on each one, we can decide whether to Fit to the theme (adjust to the time we have selected) or always light or always dark in a personalized way. In this way we can choose to personalize the themes as we are interested.
In addition, we find the option of Recommended tools. From here we can download an extension called Dark Reader, which is integrated into Chrome, Firefox and Edge so that they can respect the theme that we have established.
Wallpaper / Theme
In this section we can configure the Wallpaper or Theme . From the desktop background tab we can configure the background for the light theme and for the dark theme from a file that we have. In this way we can establish any file that we have as a desktop or screen background depending on when one theme or another is active.
Adjustments
From here check or uncheck some settings of the application configuration . We are presented with options to set a 12-hour Clock, Check for updates in seconds, Apply when logging in instead of Windows, Support for multiple users and Use grayscale (Win + Ctrl + C).
Download Auto Dark Mode
Auto Dark Mode is a free open source application that we can download from the GitHub page . From here we download a .zip file that we must unzip to obtain the installation file. This installation is quite simple and at no time does it try to sneak in any additional unwanted third-party problems.
The developer also informs that both the browser and our antivirus can warn us not to download the application. This is due to the lack of a license, but the program can be used without problems. Version 3.0 currently available on July 6, 2020 is available , which proves to be a program with good update support.
Alternatives to Auto Dark Mode
If you want to have the opportunity to configure the dark mode to your liking in Windows 10, you have some more applications with which you can do this work as alternatives to Auto Dark Mode.
Easy Dark Mode
With this open source application we can configure the dark mode of Windows 10, allowing us to alternate between light and dark tones quickly and easily. It is compatible with all versions of Windows 10 from 1803 to the latest. Easy Dark Mode is a free tool that we can download from GitHub .
Moon
Luna is a free and open source program with which we can configure and change the usage times of light and dark themes on our Windows computer. In addition, it allows you to set a custom background or change the color or theme of both the system and applications. We can safely download Luna from GitHub.