Here we are going to instruct you on how to change your Notion templates and pages into the dark mode appearance to get that sleek aesthetic and avoid eye strain. So know this, yes Notion offers it, and yes, it’s very easy to implement. Let’s get right to it.
How to Turn Dark Mode on Notion for Desktops
At this stage, we are presuming that you have your computer (PC or Mac) turned on and you have fired up Notion, and you’re all logged in and ready to go. You have a few pages that you have made as well, so you can test it out fully.
- Head to “Settings & Members.” This is found in the top left-hand panel under your Member name; you should also see “All Updates” as well as “Quick Find”—ignore those for now. Once you click that, another menu should pop up.
- Head to “Appearance.” You should see that there is a sub-menu called Appearance with a little half-moon in a circle around it. Go to this, and you should see the option to “Customize how Notion looks on your device.” From here, you have the three options:
Use system setting Light Dark
So if you want to go for dark mode on Notion all the time, set it to this. However, if you’re like me, you like to use dark mode at night and light mode during the day, you can configure it to “Use system setting,” this will then naturally match how your computer operates. If you’re on Mac, you can adjust this by heading to System Preferences and then to General, and under Appearance at the top, you can switch it to Auto, and this gives you the ability to adjust from light to dark, depending on the time of the day.
Bonus: Dark Mode Notion Shortcut
There is actually a faster way of toggling between dark mode and light mode as well through a keyboard shortcut. Depending on if you have a Mac or a PC. For Mac, you can use the following keyboard shortcut:
⌘ + Shift + L
Then you will see as you hit the keyboard combination, you will automatically toggle between the two different modes. For PC, you can use the following Notion keyboard shortcut:
Ctrl + Shift + L
On Windows, this will allow you to quickly move in between them. This is particularly useful depending on the task. If it is more of a reading task, where you have saved a long document to read, then you can toggle to light; however, it is a task list or something that is more visual, dark mode tends to perform better. So knowing this handy Notion keyboard shortcut is a great way to switch it up.
How to Turn Dark Mode on Notion for Mobile
So when it comes to mobile, again, make sure you’ve got your phone turned on and you are logged into the Notion app.
- Click the hamburger symbol in the top left corner (the three horizontal lines). This should then bring up a menu for you that allows you to see all the different formats and pages that you have built. However, at the bottom, you should see the following: “Notifications and Settings.”
- Click the “Notifications and Settings” link. You will now be displayed with a series of settings. Scroll down slightly, and you’re going to see “Appearance.” These are the exact same settings as we have discussed just above.
Use system setting Light Dark
You can then adjust it to how you want to use it. Then feel free to flick back and forth between light and dark modes to see what you prefer. Let me know in the comments section if you are having any difficulties switching to dark mode on your Notion app, and I will be more than happy to help you through it for both mobile and desktop.
Advantages of Dark Mode
There are, of course, a few reasons why someone might want to opt for dark mode with Notion. Generally, it’s ideal for those low-light settings; you can use it in bed or on the couch in the evening without disturbing friends and family or your partner. Plus, you can save on battery power as well but personally, I find it better on my eyes with regards to straining, and also I believe it produces less overall blue light, which since I’ve got a habit of checking my phone or computer before going to bed, it seems to make me go to sleep easier. Most of the time, I prefer the overall aesthetic of dark mode for a lot of applications as well compared to the lighter themes and have switched a lot of the apps that are available in dark mode over as well such as:
Zoom Facebook Snapchat Reddit Dark Reader Google Docs
And much, much more.
Disadvantages of Dark Mode
Often during the day, the opposite occurs, where reading in dark mode seems a lot more difficult with the light contrast being different. However, this can be personal to you, and you should experiment to see what you get the best out of.
Are You Using Dark Mode?
Let us know how you have got on with turning on Notion with dark mode. Do you prefer it? Do you feel like it is making you more productive? If so, why, and if you have reverted back to light mode more often, or perhaps use a combination of the both like I do, it would be great to hear your thoughts. Also, if you have got some other handy tactics and tricks that you use with Notion, I would definitely love to hear it and see how you get the most out of this incredibly productive app. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. © 2021 Carlyn Hayes
