The dark theme has finally arrived on Wikipedia!

Wikipedia has finally changed its white background, which has been tiring the eyes of users who have been researching late at night for many years. On Wikipedia, the dark theme stood out as the most requested feature of 2023 and it has finally been implemented. Now Wikipedia users will be able to have an eye-friendly experience on desktop and mobile devices.

How to use Wikipedia dark theme feature?

Wikipedia’s dark theme feature is available on both desktop and mobile devices. In the desktop version, you can find the “Color (beta)” option by clicking on the settings icon in the upper right corner. If you don’t see this icon, look for a glasses-like icon near the search and account tools.

On mobile devices, you can access the settings menu by clicking on the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the page and select the “Color” option from there. Available options include standard “Light,” “Dark,” and “Automatic,” which automatically switches according to system settings.

The year is 2024, why did it take so long to arrive?

Wikipedia’s introduction of the dark theme feature may seem like a simple process at first glance. However, many inline styles within Wikipedia contain hard-coded colors, making this transition quite difficult. In a discussion on Reddit, it was stated that a dark theme could be achieved substantially with simple CSS code, but for a perfect result, the site’s design would have to be completely rewritten.

A ticket titled “Provide dark/night mode skin or theme” on Phabricator, the site’s bug and issue tracker, dates back to June 22, 2010. Serious activity on this issue began in early 2022, and a large-scale mission was finally marked “Resolved” on July 12.

Wikipedia’s dark theme feature has been greatly welcomed among users. For users doing research late at night, this feature will increase eye comfort and enable them to work longer and more efficiently.