Windows 11 could finally get a finished dark mode – but I can’t believe how long it’s taken

• Windows 11’s dark mode has long remained unfinished
• Microsoft is bringing dark mode to some new parts of the interface, based on clues spotted in testing
• This includes file operation dialog boxes, such as when copying files across from one folder to another

If you use dark mode in Windows 11, you may have noticed that it doesn’t cover the whole operating system – but it appears that Microsoft is finally filling in the gaps.

Dark mode is an option you can select in Windows 11 which, as the name suggests, provides a dark background for windows and interface elements (and some stock Microsoft apps, too). So, if you’re using your PC late at night, you can avoid the harshness of the traditional white backgrounds, which can be a bit glaring in low-light conditions.

Windows Central picked up a post on X from leaker PhantomOfEarth, a regular source of Microsoft-related spillage, who noticed that dark mode is now being applied to more of the fundamental parts of the Windows 11 interface in a preview build.

Specifically, it’s the dialog boxes for file operations that are getting a dark background when dark mode is switched on – but the catch is that this work isn’t yet live in testing. It’s still hidden in the background of the preview build, and the leaker enabled it by using a Windows configuration utility.

‘File operation’ refers to the parts of the interface that pop up when you copy files across from, say, a USB stick to a folder on the desktop, and there are also dialog boxes for when you delete files (to get confirmation). Another example is the ‘access denied’ warning box, as you can see below – which it looks like Microsoft hasn’t quite finished working on, as the buttons are still light grey.

Analysis: dark times

So, this is still a work in progress, and it’s hidden away in preview right now (meaning even testers won’t see it yet, unless they fudge it to appear as PhantomOfEarth has done). However, even though it’s not official just yet, I can’t see Microsoft not pushing forward with this change – after all, the company has got to apply dark mode across the entire Windows 11 interface eventually.

Indeed, the question is: why has it taken so long for Microsoft to implement a full realization of dark mode in Windows anyway? Dark mode was first introduced in Windows 10, way back in the middle of 2016 (as part of the Anniversary Update), but it was woefully inconsistent back at the time.

Since then, Microsoft has been working to incorporate dark mode into more Windows 11 interface elements – there was a notable flurry of activity back in 2020 – but let’s face it, progress has been painfully sluggish.

Hopefully, this is a sign that Microsoft is back on the case, and that more of the finishing touches are finally going to be applied to dark mode in Windows 11.

Given how long this has taken, you might guess that the reason for dark mode remaining in an unfinished state is because not that many people use it, but I can’t imagine that this is the case – I certainly use it. So get your skates on Microsoft – it really isn’t a good look that some bits of the Windows environment have been left out in the cold (or should that be left in the glaring light?) for so long.

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