Microsoft today launched a much-requested dark mode for its Outlook.com web mail service. The company teased the new mode earlier this month, suggesting it would be reminiscent of last year's Halloween theme for Outlook.

outlook dark mode
The new dark mode actually adopts shades of grey to generate panel contrast, providing a more polished look as a result. You can enable it from the Quick settings menu (the cog wheel icon in the upper right). Currently it only works with the default blue theme.

The dark mode for Outlook.com is one of the most highly requested features for Microsoft's web mail service, according to listings on the Outlook.com feedback site, although there's still no word on whether a similar mode is coming to the mobile Outlook app.

Last month, Microsoft launched a rebranded version of its Microsoft News app for iOS with a dark mode. Several other iOS apps have similar modes, including Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, and Twitch, while Apple's upcoming macOS Mojave also includes dark mode support.

Top Rated Comments

44267547 Avatar
95 months ago
What’s so special about dark mode?
When dark mode is enabled, it provides a reverse color scheme to Improve readability, thus resulting in making it easier on the eyes when reading for less strain. For some, dimming isn’t the answer, when dark mode is preferred.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Music Ambulance Avatar
95 months ago
The less outlook the better
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0815 Avatar
95 months ago
This will make lots of people happy. I personally don’t care for dark modes - for me it reduces readability. But everybody is different. I tried dark mode in the macOS beta and also before in many other tools ... maybe I’m too old for this.

But choice is good and as long as everybody can pick their favorite, everybody should be happy.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
honeycombz Avatar
95 months ago
Dark mode is pointless. Everyone has their macs running in a freezer now anyways. Plenty dark in there.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cpk Avatar
95 months ago
If I look at the attached screenshot I have to say though... this is what I'd prefer for iOS.

Dark Gray + BLUE
not
Dark Gray + ORANGE how Apple did it.
(Sorry for the long post...)

I agree! As a person with poor eyes, this is awesome! I really hate Apple for taking so long to implement a good, simple and consistent OS wide Dark mode. I hate Microsoft for implementing it half-a**ed as well.

On my iOS devices I have my home button triple click set on invert screen. Unfortunately Apple's 'Smart Invert' is ok once On, but awful to use due to the long time it takes to swap between normal and Smart Invert (on iphone 6, anyways). Then, just like Microsoft (half a**), the alarm clock is in Dark Mode by default, so if I'm reading and I'm in invert colors mode, and before sleep I need to check my Alarms, I open a bright white app that burns my eyes. This is so simple to properly fix or introduce into iOS and yet it takes years before they do it. If ever.
On PC, my tool of choice is a little program called Negative Screen that has smart invert features. I have it an all my computers and it help a lot. I do photography. Photoshop had a darkish' gray background since version 3! Now it's even darker. I always had all my photo viewers set with dark (er) background for thumbnail view. It just helps to see the colors so much better because your eyes don't fight the all the white space around them. I'm an engineer. All my CAD stuff is on black. I've tried once to swap the colors just for fun...you get headache after half an hour of work.

And for all the people out there that think Dark Mode is just a fad or completely useless, please understand that taking the brightness down all the way at night is NOT what you need in order to comfortably read stuff on your phone or tablet. And no, don't compare it with the 'books' either please. You never ever read books in the dark. You always have a light above or nearby that lights up more than just your book. There is no strain because your eyes don't have to adjust to anything as the light reflected off of your book is just about at the same intensity as the light reflected off of your walls or ceiling, or night stand. Reading on a backlit screen is NOT like reading in a book. It's like someone points a flashlight in your eyes. At night, in a dark room, with dark mode on, your eyes don't fight lights of 0 intensity (your room) and bright intensity (your screen). You can keep your brightness quite high for pictures and such, and still read comfortably.

Sorry, but yeah...the more Dark Mode, the better.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glockworkorange Avatar
95 months ago
So is this available in Office 365 Outlook or just Outlook.com? I can't find it in Office 365.
Not in Office 365. Just Outkook web mail
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...