LibreOffice Dark Mode: A Complete Guide (Win, Mac, Linux)

8/11/2025

So You Want to Embrace the Dark Side: A Deep Dive into LibreOffice's Dark Mode

Hey there! If you're anything like me, you spend a good chunk of your day staring at a computer screen. & between writing documents, crunching numbers in spreadsheets, or creating presentations, that bright white background can start to feel a little...blinding. That's where dark mode comes in, & honestly, it's a total game-changer for eye comfort.

Turns out, you can get that sleek, modern, & easy-on-the-eyes dark mode in LibreOffice too. It's not always a one-click affair, but with a little know-how, you can transform your workspace into a dark-themed haven. So, grab a cup of coffee, & let's walk through how to add dark mode to LibreOffice, no matter what operating system you're using.

Why Go Dark in the First Place?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's chat about why dark mode is so popular. For a lot of people, it just looks cool. But beyond the aesthetics, there are some real benefits:

Reduced Eye Strain: This is the big one. A darker background with light text is often less harsh on the eyes, especially in low-light environments.
Improved Focus: Some people find that a dark interface helps them concentrate better on the content they're creating.
Better Battery Life (on some screens): If you have an OLED or AMOLED screen, using a dark theme can actually save a bit of battery life because the black pixels are truly off.

Of course, it's all a matter of personal preference. But if you're curious about making the switch, here's everything you need to know.

Getting Started: The Basics of LibreOffice Dark Mode

LibreOffice has come a long way with its dark mode implementation. In the latest versions, it's pretty straightforward to get a dark theme up & running. The process is slightly different depending on your operating system, so we'll break it down for Windows, macOS, & Linux.

For Windows Users: It's All in the Options

If you're on Windows 10 or 11, enabling dark mode in LibreOffice is a breeze. Here's how to do it:

Open any LibreOffice application, like Writer or Calc.
Go to Tools > Options. This will open up a big ol' dialog box with all sorts of settings.
In the left-hand pane, navigate to LibreOffice > Application Colors.
You'll see a dropdown menu for Scheme. From here, you can select LibreOffice Dark.
Click Apply, & you should see the interface change to a dark theme.

For the best experience, it's a good idea to also enable the system-wide dark mode in your Windows settings. This will make sure that the title bar & other window elements match the LibreOffice theme.

A Quick Note on Newer LibreOffice Versions

In more recent versions of LibreOffice (like 7.6 & newer), the settings have shifted a bit. You might find the dark mode options under Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Appearance. Here, you can choose between "Light," "Dark," or "System" themes. "System" will automatically match your Windows theme, which is pretty handy.

For macOS Users: Keeping it Consistent

On a Mac, LibreOffice does a pretty good job of following the system-wide appearance you've set. If you have your Mac in Dark Mode, LibreOffice should follow suit. But if you want to manually set it or are having issues, here's what to do:

Open LibreOffice & go to LibreOffice > Preferences from the menu bar (or use the
1⌘ Cmd + ,
shortcut).
In the preferences window, go to LibreOffice > Appearance.
Here, you'll see options to choose your preferred theme. You can force it to "Dark" if it's not already.

Sometimes, even with the dark theme enabled, the document background might stay white. If you want a fully immersive dark experience, you can change this in LibreOffice > Application Colors by setting the Document background to a dark color.

For Linux Users: Embracing Your Desktop Environment

Linux is all about customization, & LibreOffice is no exception. The easiest way to get a dark theme in LibreOffice on Linux is to use a dark system-wide GTK theme. Most modern desktop environments like GNOME, KDE, & Cinnamon have easy-to-use settings for switching to a dark theme.

Once you have a dark system theme enabled, LibreOffice should automatically pick it up. If it doesn't, or if you want to manually set it, you can follow these steps:

Open any LibreOffice application.
Go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Application Colors.
Select LibreOffice Dark from the Scheme dropdown.

Taking it a Step Further: Customizing Your Dark Mode

Okay, so you've got the basic dark mode enabled. But what if you want to tweak it to perfection? LibreOffice offers a surprising amount of customization to get your dark theme looking just right.

Fine-Tuning Your Colors

If the default "LibreOffice Dark" theme isn't quite your style, you can create your own custom color scheme. Here's how:

Go back to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Application Colors.
Instead of choosing a pre-made scheme, you can manually change the color of just about any interface element. You can adjust the colors for the document background, application background, font color, table boundaries, & more.
Just be careful to choose colors that provide enough contrast. Dark text on a dark background is not a recipe for productivity!

This level of customization is pretty awesome. It's like having a well-designed website where the user experience is a top priority. Speaking of which, for businesses that want to provide a great customer experience on their own websites, having a smart & customizable chatbot can make a huge difference. That's where a tool like Arsturn comes in. It helps businesses create custom AI chatbots that can provide instant support & engage with visitors 24/7, making the whole experience feel more personal & helpful.

Don't Forget the Icons!

Sometimes, when you switch to a dark theme, the default icons can be hard to see. Luckily, LibreOffice has a solution for that too.

Go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View.
Here, you'll find an Icon style dropdown menu. LibreOffice comes with a few built-in dark icon sets, like Breeze (Dark) or Sifr (Dark).
Choose a dark icon theme that you like & click Apply.

If you're not a fan of the built-in icon themes, you can even install third-party icon packs from the LibreOffice Extensions website. This is a great way to give your LibreOffice a truly unique look.

Troubleshooting Common Dark Mode Hiccups

Switching to dark mode is usually a smooth process, but sometimes you might run into a few bumps in the road. Here are some common issues & how to fix them.

The Document is Dark, but the Rest of the UI is Light (or Vice Versa)

This is a pretty common issue, especially on Windows. You might enable the dark theme, but only the document itself changes color, leaving the toolbars & menus in a light theme. This can make some text & icons hard to read.

The fix is usually pretty simple: restart LibreOffice. Most of the time, a quick restart is all it takes for all the theme changes to apply correctly.

Black Text on a Black Background

This is another classic dark mode problem. You switch to a dark theme, but some of the text in your document remains black, making it impossible to read. This often happens with documents that have had their text color manually set to black instead of the "Automatic" color.

To fix this, simply select the unreadable text, go to the font color options in the toolbar, & choose Automatic. The "Automatic" color setting is smart enough to switch between black in light mode & white in dark mode.

Resetting Your User Profile

If you've been messing around with a lot of settings & things have gotten really wonky, you might need to reset your LibreOffice user profile. This will restore all the settings to their defaults.

Before you do this, it's a good idea to back up your existing profile folder, just in case. You can find the location of your profile folder in the LibreOffice documentation for your specific operating system.

Third-Party Themes & Extensions

If you're still not satisfied with the built-in dark mode options, you can explore the world of third-party themes & extensions. The LibreOffice Extensions website has a bunch of user-created themes that can give your LibreOffice a completely different look.

You can also find extensions that help manage your themes. For example, there's a "Light Application Colors" extension that can be helpful if you want to use a dark system theme but keep a light document background in LibreOffice.

A Quick Word on Printing

One of the big questions people have about dark mode is how it affects printing. After all, you don't want to waste a ton of ink printing a black page with white text.

The good news is that LibreOffice is smart about this. Even if you're using a dark theme with a black document background, the print preview will show black text on a white background. When you print, it will come out as a standard document, so you don't have to worry about wasting ink.

Making Your Business Communications as Smooth as Dark Mode

Creating a great user experience isn't just about aesthetics; it's about making things easy & intuitive. This is especially true for businesses communicating with their customers. When you're trying to generate leads or provide support on your website, you want the process to be as seamless as possible.

This is another area where a tool like Arsturn can be a game-changer. It helps businesses build no-code AI chatbots that are trained on their own data. This means the chatbot can provide personalized & accurate information to website visitors, helping to boost conversions & create a more engaging experience. It's all about making communication feel natural & effortless, just like a well-implemented dark mode.

Wrapping it Up

So there you have it – a pretty comprehensive guide to getting dark mode in LibreOffice. Whether you're a casual user who just wants a simple dark theme or a power user who wants to customize every last detail, LibreOffice has you covered.

It might take a little bit of tinkering to get it just right, but once you do, you'll have a workspace that's not only easy on the eyes but also a joy to use.

Hope this was helpful! Let me know what you think, & if you have any other tips or tricks for LibreOffice's dark mode, feel free to share them in the comments.