How to Enable Dark Mode in Windows 11 Calculator App

Microsoft offers ‘Dark’ mode for several built-in apps on Windows 11. These apps have been redesigned for a finer experience, including the ‘Calculator’. Many of us prefer having text on dark background for enhanced readability and to reduce the strain on the eyes. And it does have a positive effect if you work for long hours at a stretch.

There are two ways you can enable the ‘Dark Mode’ on Windows 11 for the calculator app, either via the built-in Calculator settings or by changing the Windows theme to ‘Dark’ mode. The former approach changes the theme to dark just for the calculator app while in the case of the latter, the theme is changed throughout the system. We will walk you through both the methods.

Enable Dark Mode via Calculator App Settings

To enable ‘Dark’ mode via the Calculator app settings, press WINDOWS + S to launch the ‘Search’ menu, enter ‘Calculator’ in the text field, and click on the relevant search result to launch the app.

In ‘Calculator’ click on the ‘Open Navigation’ icon, which resembles a hamburger icon, at the top-left corner,

Next, select ‘Settings’ from the list of options that appear. Settings will be listed at the bottom.

You will now find the ‘App theme’ drop-down menu under the ‘Appearance’ section. Click on the drop-down menu.

You will find that the ‘Use system settings’ option will be selected by default, which simply means that Calculator will honor the theme set for Windows. Now, select the ‘Dark’ option, and you will notice the ‘Calculator’ app theme changing to ‘Dark’ instantly.

Enable Dark Mode via Personalization Settings

As you noticed earlier, the default ‘App theme’ setting in Calculator is set to ‘Use system setting’. Hence, if you choose ‘Dark’ theme for Windows, the changes would reflect in the ‘Calculator’ app as well. This method would be useful if you prefer the ‘Dark’ mode, and would like the other apps and elements to adapt to it.

To enable Dark Mode in the Calculator app via Settings, right-click on the ‘Start’ icon in the Taskbar or press WINDOWS + X to launch the Quick Access menu, and select ‘Settings’ from the list of options. Alternatively, you can press WINDOWS + I to directly launch the ‘Settings’ app.

In Settings, you will find several tabs listed on the left, select ‘Personalization’.

Next, select ‘Colors’ on the right.

Next, click on the drop-down menu next to the ‘Choose your mode’ option.

You will now find three options listed here, ‘Light’ which is selected by default, ‘Dark’ which we will be selecting, and ‘Custom’ which allows you to set different modes for Windows elements and apps. Here, both ‘Dark’ and ‘Custom’ would do, but since we intend for the changes to apply across the system, we would choose the former.