Why I Ditched Dark Mode on macOS

I stopped using dark mode on my macOS. I don’t need it anymore. It actually creates more problems than it solves.

The original idea was good: with dark mode in the operating system, you can use your computer at night without damaging your eyes with high brightness. Dark mode was first introduced in macOS Mojave in 2018. Then web community realized the same need. In 2019, the CSS Working Group added new specifications for prefers-color-scheme. This means that any website can specify colors for dark mode.

It’s 2025, yet not all websites use that feature. This creates an unpleasant situation: your macOS and your browser are in dark mode, but then you visit some old website that doesn’t support the feature, and it shines as brightly as possible. It looks even brighter because it’s surrounded by dark objects, and your eyes have gotten used to the darkness.

Of course, you can install a browser plugin to add a dark mode to any website, but I found a better solution. I no longer use dark mode on macOS. If I find the display too bright in the dark, I simply reduce the brightness to a comfortable level, and that’s it. It reduces brattiness to everything, without exceptions. Problem solved.