darker

We don’t usually think about the themes of the operating system installed on our computers. Most of the time, we find a good one, and we stick to it. However, both Windows 10 and the latest iteration of macOS have two appearance modes, or two GUI modes if you will: Dark and Light.

Switching between them can make have a small or a rather big difference on how you get work done on your computer. For instance, dark mode is supposed to improve readability of text, provides better contrast, and should in theory reduce your eye strain, making it very good for the nighttime. Conversely, Light Mode, with its less dramatic look and feel is particularly useful for working in well-lit environments.

If you have the (healthy) habit of switching between them, then you might be interested in checking out a small app called darker. It’s a Windows-only utility that allows you to switch your system’s theme from Dark to Light and vice versa with a single mouse click directly from the tray.

Simply put, it saves you the trouble of going into Settings, finding the system theme section, and actually having to select it from there. It’s a very straightforward app, with a minimalist menu section, and there’s really not much to be said about it. You just click its tray icon to activate a mode, and click it once more to active the other mode, that’s all.

Before we conclude, it’s worth noting that the app only works on computers running Windows 10 version 1903 or higher (partially, it’s because there is not Light theme present before 1903). Last but not least, the app requires .NET Core Desktop Runtime which can be downloaded and installed from Microsoft’s website in mere seconds.

To conclude, darker is a hum-drum little app that does its job well. It’s easy to install, and practically effortless to use, and it should come in handy to users who often find themselves having to switch their OS theme from Light to Dark and vice versa.