Salesforce Dark Mode: How to Enable It

In the constantly evolving digital landscape, user experience is becoming more personalized than ever. One of the most requested features across platforms today is “dark mode,” an interface setting that changes the visual theme from a light background to a darker one. Salesforce, the leading CRM platform, has finally embraced this trend. Whether for aesthetic preference or to reduce eye strain, enabling dark mode in Salesforce can enhance the user experience dramatically.

TL;DR

Salesforce Dark Mode is a sought-after feature aimed at improving visual comfort during extended use. While Salesforce doesn’t offer an official, universal dark mode within its native settings, users can still achieve it using browser extensions or high contrast accessibility options. Salesforce Lightning now supports some dark-themed elements, but it’s not yet complete. This article walks through the best ways to enable dark mode, step by step.

Why Dark Mode in Salesforce Matters

Dark mode offers a variety of benefits, particularly for users who spend long hours on their screens. Some of the key advantages include:

• Reduced Eye Strain: Especially in low-light environments, dark mode can make text easier to read and cause less strain.
• Improved Battery Life: Devices with OLED/AMOLED screens consume less power with darker pixels, leading to improved battery life.
• Visual Preference: Many users find dark themes more visually appealing and modern.

Salesforce is a complex platform filled with dashboards, data tables, and forms. That’s a lot of white space without dark mode. Switching to a darker theme can ease the visual noise and help users focus more efficiently.

Native Dark Mode Support in Salesforce

As of now, Salesforce does not offer a fully native dark mode toggle like many other popular platforms. However, there are some official and unofficial workarounds to achieve a dark-themed interface.

1. Accessibility Settings

Salesforce provides accessibility features that can be used to partially achieve a dark mode interface. Here’s how to enable high contrast mode:

1. Click on your user avatar (profile icon) at the top-right.
2. Select Settings.
3. Navigate to Display & Layout > Accessibility.
4. Enable High Contrast Mode.

Note: This setting doesn’t turn the entire interface dark, but adjusts certain contrast ratios, making content easier to read.

Best Workarounds for a Full Salesforce Dark Mode Experience

Since native implementation leaves something to be desired, the best dark mode experience in Salesforce currently involves third-party tools and browser extensions.

2. Using Browser Extensions

Several browser extensions can apply dark themes to any website, including Salesforce:

• Dark Reader: Widely popular and available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.
• Super Dark Mode: Provides customization options and applies dark themes to multiple websites.
• Midnight Lizard: Offers fine-grained control over colors and themes.

To use Dark Reader, follow these steps:

1. Install the extension from your browser’s web store.
2. Activate it and navigate to your Salesforce dashboard.
3. Toggle the dark mode setting on the extension’s toolbar.

These extensions modify the appearance by injecting custom CSS, giving users a consistent dark theme across all Salesforce pages.

3. Custom CSS via Browser Developer Tools

Advanced users can apply custom CSS rules to make Salesforce appear in dark mode. This method is only suitable for developers or those familiar with browser developer tools.

Steps:

1. Open browser developer tools (usually with F12 or right-click > Inspect).
2. Find the “Sources” or “Elements” tab and locate stylesheet blocks.
3. Inject custom CSS rules to override background colors, text colors, and other UI elements.

Make sure to use a browser extension like Stylus or User CSS to preserve the styles across sessions.

Using Salesforce Lightning with Dark-Themed Elements

Salesforce Lightning Experience offers a more modern UI compared to Classic. Some components in Lightning respond better to dark mode customizations. Here’s how to change to Lightning:

1. Click your avatar icon.
2. Select Switch to Lightning Experience (if you’re not already using it).

Lightning accommodates component-level theming better than Classic, allowing for more seamless dark mode adjustments.

Considerations and Limitations

While browser extensions do a great job, there are still some areas where dark mode falls short in Salesforce:

• Graphics, charts, and images may not invert correctly with dark themes.
• Some text may become hard to read if not styled properly.
• Performance may slightly lag when using browser-based solutions.

Despite these limitations, most users report an overall improved experience with dark mode activated.

The Future of Dark Mode in Salesforce

Salesforce is gradually moving toward better user interface customization. Although an official dark mode is not available yet, user demand remains high, and internal UI improvements suggest that a native dark mode feature may not be far off.

Additionally, Salesforce’s evolving support for component-based design in Lightning allows developers to build custom themes that include dark visuals. Enterprises with custom apps on Salesforce can design fully dark-themed UI for their users.

Conclusion

While Salesforce doesn’t currently offer a built-in dark mode toggle, there are several ways to replicate a dark interface using alternative methods. Whether you use browser extensions, accessibility features, or custom CSS, the dark mode experience is within reach. With ever-increasing demand and improved UI flexibility, the future of a fully native dark mode in Salesforce looks promising.

FAQs

• Q: Does Salesforce have an official dark mode?
  A: No, Salesforce does not currently offer an official dark mode toggle, but it provides accessibility features and customization options through browser tools.
• Q: Will using a browser extension for dark mode affect my Salesforce performance?
  A: Slightly. Some extensions may cause minimal lag due to real-time CSS rendering, but most users won’t notice any major issues.
• Q: Is dark mode available in Salesforce Lightning?
  A: While not official, Salesforce Lightning components respond better to dark mode changes through CSS or extensions compared to Classic.
• Q: Can admins enforce dark mode for all users in an org?
  A: No, dark mode settings are browser-based and per-user. Admins can’t enforce a dark theme across an entire organization currently.
• Q: Is it safe to use browser extensions like Dark Reader with Salesforce?
  A: Yes, trusted extensions like Dark Reader are safe to use and widely recommended for platforms that don’t yet support native dark modes.