How to fix
Windows 11 is stuck in Dark Mode
on Windows

Hello. My Windows computer is stuck in Dark Mode. I cannot find the option to change the mode in the Personalization settings. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Windows has a wide range of customization abilities. All of them can be found in Personalization settings.[ref en-1] People can choose their own background picture, main color, and accent color. Windows also has light and dark modes that are handy in different situations.

The light mode is designed to work well during daylight hours, and the dark mode has colors that are designed to work well in a low-lit environment. This option is for the Start menu, taskbar, and action center. Users should be able to switch between these modes any time they want.

However, some users are experiencing a weird issue that makes them stuck in Dark Mode. The problem was reported on Windows 10 and Windows 11 versions. For some users, the option to change the mode is not visible. There are various things that could be causing this as there is no specific culprit.

Some people found that the issue can be resolved by disabling the High Contrast theme. There is also a possibility that there are problems with the Registry Editor settings. More often than you may think people change settings in their system that should not be messed with and they cause various unwanted symptoms.

In this guide, you will find 4 steps that should help you fix Windows 11 is stuck in Dark Mode issue. Unfortunately, the manual troubleshooting process can be lengthy. If you want to avoid it, we recommend using an automatic maintenance tool like [d1]. It can fix most system errors, BSODs,[ref en-2] corrupted files, and registry[ref en-3] issues. Otherwise, follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Solution 1. Fix Corrupted System Files

Use Command Prompt commands to repair system file corruption:

• Open Command Prompt as administrator
• Use the following command and press Enter:
  sfc /scannow

• Reboot your system
• If SFC returned an error, then use the following command lines, pressing Enter after each:
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Solution 2. Turn off High Contrast Theme

• Open the Settings App
• Go to Accesibility
• If there is a High Contrast Theme set, turn that off

• Now, go to Home
• Then to Personalization, and Colors
• Change Choose your Color settings to Custom
• Then set Windows Mode to Dark
• And set the App Mode to Light or Dark

Solution 3. Restart Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is a graphical file management utility. However, it also has features unrelated to file management such as playing audio and videos and launching programs, etc. That is why restarting the Windows Explorer process may fix the Dark Mode issue.

• Press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu
• Select Task Manager from the list
• Find the Windows Explorer process

• Click the Restart button

Solution 4. Check the Registry Editor

• Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box
• Type regedit and click on the OK button
• Click Yes in the UAC prompt
• Navigate to the following path: 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize

• Find all the REG_DWORD values with a Value data of 1
• Double-click on them and set the Value data as 0
• Click the OK button to save the changes