No More Eyestrain: Activate Google Docs Dark Mode Now

I enjoyed working on my dissertation during my Bachelors’ final year. Everything about the project seemed wonderful and I generally look back at the experience with mostly good memories. One of the not-so-good memories is having to spend entire nights sitting in front of a glowing white screen typing away my document. There were times when I’d wonder “is there a Dark Mode for Google Docs that I could turn on?” Unfortunately, there wasn’t and still isn’t. Unfortunately, Google Docs still doesn’t offer the ability to simply flick on a night or dark mode. But, unlike before, I’ve now learned some tricks on how to activate Google Docs Dark Mode using third-party apps.

I’ve used these apps for a couple of months and I have felt the difference. So, until Google comes up with its own feature to allow a Google Docs Dark Mode, here are some of the third-party extensions that’ll help you get by just fine.

Extensions You Can Rely On

I feel like I should mention that these are just some of the Chrome extensions that I tried. They have the highest rating and that was a good enough reason for me to opt for them. You may find numerous other such extensions on the Chrome Webstore that provide similar or, in some cases, even better results.

DarkDocs

Darkdocs has been my preferred extension to activate Google Docs Dark Mode. I found its minimalist user-interface to be exactly what I needed. With a single click, it enables a dark background for all your Google Docs while keeping the text black.

I tried using the extension on multiple Google Docs and it did not seem to have any issues at all. Even when I had older files open, the extension did not cause any lengthy reloads or pages to crash. In my time using the service, I have not had any issues with Darkdocs and would not feel hesitant at all recommending it to others as well.

Additionally, the service also offers you the chance to keep the Google Docs Dark Mode enabled on just one or multiple tabs if you want.

Night Eye

Night Eye is another Chrome extension that I’ve found particularly impressive. It has one distinct advantage and a simultaneous disadvantage compared to Darkdocs in my opinion.

The best part about Night Eye is that it’s not just a dedicated Google Docs Dark Mode extension. Yes, that means that when I enable the extension it converts every web page I visit into dark mode. So, if you’re someone like me that prefers to keep screen brightness as low as possible, this will be the perfect extension for you.

On the other hand, unlike Darkdocs, the transition is not nearly as smooth. For instance, once I enable Night Eye, it can mess up the Dark Mode on other websites that have their own default dark mode options like YouTube. So, in my case, if I have the dark theme enabled on YouTube and I enable Night Eye, YouTube’s dark theme is automatically turned off. This can be particularly painful if you’ve been sitting in front of a dark-themed screen for hours and suddenly a bright white screen appears when you don’t expect it.

Dark Reader 

I didn’t have any high expectations from this extension. It is highly rated and has generally favorable reviews, but nothing really stood out to me initially. However, within a few minutes of use, I could see why Dark Reader enjoys such positive clout. 

It offers an unparalleled level of customizable. Not only does it convert most of your webpages to Dark Mode automatically, but it also gives you an option to alter the Mode to your liking. This ability to toggle and play with settings until I found what suited me best sets it apart from the rest of the names on this list.

The Final Verdict

Night Eye would definitely have been my recommendation if it could fix this compatibility issue. I like its ability to activate dark mode on every site and web page I visit. At the same time, Dark Reader exceeds all others in terms of customizability and user-friendliness. But Darkdocs has posed absolutely no issues for me when I’ve turned on Google Docs Dark Mode through it. Hence, it’ll be my recommended extension for you as well.

The Need for Privacy

Even though getting the Google Docs Dark Mode can alleviate some of your eye strain-related problems, you’re still left with vulnerabilities in your privacy. If you’re a journalist or an activist that relies on Google Docs, you’re likely to be surveilled, by corrupt governments or any other entities not in favor of your work. It’s no surprise that privacy is of the utmost concern to such individuals.

The most surefire way to guarantee that your digital activities on and off Google Docs are not being monitored is to get a reliable VPN such as PureVPN. Thanks to its 2,000+ servers in more than 140 countries, you can properly obfuscate your digital activities. At the same time, you’re protected via AES 256-bit encryption. And lastly, PureVPN is an independently verified no-logs service, meaning not even PureVPN keeps a log of your activities online. For someone concerned about their digital privacy, PureVPN represents the best option by far.