Word’s dark look comes from the Office Theme, which can follow your operating system without asking. That’s why it often turns dark “by itself” in the evening or after a Windows update.
- Switch Word to a light theme on Windows
- Keep a dark ribbon but a white page
- Turn off Dark Mode in Word for Mac
- Turn off Dark Mode in Word for the web
Switching Word to a light theme on Windows
Use this when you want Word, and the rest of Office, back in light colors. This is the method in the video.
- Open Word and click File.
- Click Account in the bottom left.
- Open the Office Theme drop-down.
- Choose White or Colorful.
Result: The ribbon, menus and page turn light straight away. You don’t need to restart Word.
You can make the same change in File > Options > General, under Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office.
Note: The Office Theme is shared by all your Microsoft 365 apps. Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook switch to the light theme too.
Why Word changes themes on its own
The default theme is Use system setting. It picks White or Black to match your Windows light or dark mode, as Microsoft explains in Change the look and feel of Microsoft 365.
So if Windows switches to dark mode, Word follows. Choosing White or Colorful stops that.
Keeping a dark ribbon but a white page
Use this when you like the dark interface but want to see the page as it will print.
To switch the page for now:
- Go to the View tab.
- Click Switch Modes.
Word remembers this choice for future Dark Mode sessions. Click Switch Modes again to go back to a dark page.
To keep the page white permanently:
- Go to File > Options > General.
- Under Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office, next to Office Theme, select Never change the document page color.
- Click OK.
Result: The ribbon stays dark, but the document page is always white.
Tip: The Dark Gray theme gives a softer dark interface. Only the Black theme recolors the document page.
Turning off Dark Mode in Word for Mac
Use this when Word on your Mac stays dark because macOS is set to Dark or Auto appearance.
- Click Word in the menu bar, then Preferences (called Settings in recent versions).
- Click General.
- Under Personalize, select Turn off Dark Mode.
Result: Word uses the light appearance even when macOS is dark. Other Mac apps stay dark.
If you only want a white page, select Dark Mode has a white page color instead. Microsoft lists both options in Dark Mode in Word.
Turning off Dark Mode in Word for the web
Use this when Word opens dark in your browser.
- Open the document in Word for the web.
- Go to the View tab.
- Click Dark Mode to turn it off.
To keep the dark interface but a light page, click Switch Backgrounds on the View tab instead.
Word for the web turns on Dark Mode automatically if your browser or operating system is dark. If your choice isn’t remembered, check that cookies are allowed for the site.
Comparing the methods
| Method | Best for | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Office Theme set to White or Colorful | Turning Dark Mode off everywhere in Office | Windows |
| Switch Modes | Previewing the light page for a moment | Windows, Mac |
| Never change the document page color | Dark ribbon, always-white page | Windows |
| Turn off Dark Mode | Light Word on a dark Mac | Mac |
| View > Dark Mode | Word in the browser | Web |
Platform differences
- Windows: controlled by the Office Theme in File > Account. It affects every Office app.
- Mac: follows the macOS appearance unless you select Turn off Dark Mode in Word’s preferences.
- Web: controlled by the View tab and remembered per browser.
- Across devices: the setting doesn’t carry over between Windows, Mac and the web. Change it on each one.
Troubleshooting Dark Mode in Word
- Word turns dark again after a restart: the theme is still Use system setting. Pick White or Colorful explicitly.
- The page is black but the ribbon is light: the document has a page color. Go to Design > Page Color > No Color.
- Pasted text has a white box behind it: paste with Ctrl + Shift + V (Cmd + Shift + V on Mac) to paste text only. This also strips any links, a quick alternative to the ways to remove hyperlinks in Word.
- Charts, text boxes or equations look wrong: Microsoft notes that some objects don’t map to Dark Mode. Use Switch Modes to check how pictures and text boxes sit beside your text.
- You’re about to share or export: Dark Mode never changes the file itself. Use Switch Modes to preview the light page before you save the document as a PDF.
For more quick fixes, see the Microsoft Word guides.