Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Guides

How to enable dark mode with LibreOffice to make it easier on your eyes

By

LibreOffice remains one of the most popular Microsoft Office alternatives, an incredibly versatile text editor that’s free to download, and allows you to set it up exactly how you want. You can easily import files from other text editors, customize the appearance of every tool, and use a variety of macros. And, if you want to, you can even learn how to enable dark mode for a writing and editing experience that's far easier on the eyes.

Here’s exactly where to go and what to do to switch to dark mode and give your eyes a break.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • LibreOffice

How to switch to dark mode in LibreOffice

If you haven’t already done so, head to LibreOffice’s website and download the app for your platform. Remember, the full app is free to use, but you will have to give it permission to access your current documents, etc.

Step 1: Open the document that you are working on.

Open LibreOffice Document.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Now you’ll want to head to Options in LibreOffice. This can vary a bit based on your platform and the version of LibreOffice that you are using. In many versions of LibreOffice, you can find Options in the Tools section of your menu. It may also be called Preferences in this section.

There are some exceptions: In macOS, for example, you’ll find the menu is called Preferences, and that it is located under the LibreOffice menu where Preferences is found in many macOS apps. Open it when you locate it.

Open the Options Menu in LibreOffice.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: A new window will open with a variety of options to control LibreOffice settings. If you have the time, it’s a good idea to choose Online Update and get the latest version of LibreOffice before proceeding — these steps may not work unless you do. If you are just interested in dark mode and have a newer version of LibreOffice, select Personalization to continue.

Go to Personalization in LibreOffice.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Make sure that Personalization is set to Preinstalled Themes, and select the Dark theme on the right. Select Apply to continue. This will change the toolbar to a darker shade.

Step 5: We know, a small toolbar change isn’t very impressive. But you’re just getting started. In the left side menu, select Application Colors.

Choose LibreOffice dark mode.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 6: In the Color Scheme section, select the dropdown menu and LibreOffice Dark. Now select Apply, and you should see a much more satisfactory full dark mode appear.

Dark Mode enabled in LibreOffice.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 7: You may also want to go through the Custom Colors section, where you can pick a color for just about anything, including links, various types of highlighting, and more. Even if you don’t change anything right now, you may want to revisit this section and make some changes depending on what LibreOffice tools you end up using the most frequently.

Icon themes in LibreOffice.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 8: One last tip for some extra customization: Head to the View section before you exit out. Here, you’ll find a variety of ways to change the icons that appear in the toolbar. Under Theme, you’ll find a number of themes to experiment with, including dark versions. You may want to check these out and see if a different theme would work better with your dark mode. When you are totally finished, select OK.

Does LibreOffice allow me to download themes?

Some versions of LibreOffice once allowed you to download and use third-party themes. This feature has largely been removed in recent versions of LibreOffice, so it’s not really an option anymore. If you find any downloadable themes for LibreOffice online, they aren’t likely to work these days.

Not sure if LibreOffice is for you? Check out our LibreOffice vs. OpenOffice guide to learn more.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tyler Lacoma
Tyler Lacoma
Former Digital Trends Contributor
If it can be streamed, voice-activated, made better with an app, or beaten by mashing buttons, Tyler's into it. When he's not…
Slack’s desktop app finally has dark mode. Here’s how to enable it
Slack NYSE

Slack desktop app users can finally use the workplace chat app with the popular visual theme, dark mode. The collaboration software company announced the desktop availability of an optional dark mode feature on Thursday, September 12, via a tweet and a blog post.

According to Slack’s blog post on the matter, dark mode can be enabled on all versions of the desktop app: Mac, Windows, and Linux. The desktop availability of dark mode is in addition to the mobile platforms that already had the feature. But while the feature is now available on all platforms, Slack’s post did mention one caveat:

Read more
Lenovo’s Surface Pro alternative is $70 off right now
The Lenovo IdeaPad D Series 2-in-1 laptop with its detachable keyboard on a white background.

Even with the discounts from Surface Pro deals, Microsoft's 2-in-1 devices are still pretty expensive. If you like their versatility but they're beyond your budget, here's an affordable alternative -- the Lenovo IdeaPad D Series 2-in-1 laptop for only $360 from Walmart, following a $70 discount on its original price of $430. We're not sure how long this offer will last though, so if you're interested in taking advantage of it, it's highly recommended that you proceed with the transaction right now.

Why you should buy the Lenovo IdeaPad D Series 2-in-1 laptop
The Lenovo IdeaPad D Series 2-in-1 laptop looks and works similar to the Microsoft Surface Pro 9, with a detachable keyboard that also functions as protection for its 10.9-inch touchscreen with 2000 x 1200 resolution. It's much more affordable though, as it comes with the Qualcomm Kryo 468 processor and 8GB of RAM. It's not the fastest 2-in-1 laptop out there, but it's going to be more than enough to handle regular tasks such as doing online research and creating reports.

Read more
HP’s 34-inch curved gaming monitor is down to $350 today
The HP Omen 34c gaming monitor with video game art on the screen.

You won't be able to maximize your gaming PC if you're still using an outdated display. You should upgrade your screen to something like the HP Omen 34c gaming monitor, which you can get from Best Buy at $130 off. Instead of its original price of $480, you'll only have to pay $350, but time may already be running out for you to take advantage of this offer. If you want the savings when buying this gaming monitor, you're going to have to proceed with the purchase immediately.

Why you should buy the HP Omen 34c gaming monitor
The HP Omen 34c gaming monitor features a 34-inch screen with QHD resolution that will let you appreciate the graphics of the best PC games, and a 165Hz refresh rate exceeds the recommended range by our computer monitor buying guide. The 1500R curvature of the gaming monitor's display fills your peripheral vision for complete immersion in the game that you're playing, while HP's Eye Ease technology reduces blue light emissions to keep your eyes comfortable even after you've been looking at the screen for several hours.

Read more