Google is dropping a new version of the Chrome web browser, which finally brings Windows 10 users the dark mode already available to Mac users.
Chrome 74 arrives today on Windows, Mac and Linux, but the headline feature on Windows users is that retina-friendly mode Mac users got in v.73 last month.
The good news is that Chrome will automatically adhere to the system-wide dark mode if its enabled by the PC users. The bad news is that not everyone has access to the feature yet, even if they’ve downloaded the update.
A community manager on the Chrome support forums confirmed as such, saying: “I can confirm that we are rolling out this feature to a small number of Chrome M74 users now, and that it will become more widely available in the near future.”
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Thankfully, if you’re desperate to take the new dark mode for a spin there’s a quick trick you can use to enable it within Chrome 74, as The Verge reports.
All you need to do is locate the shortcut file that starts Chrome, right click on the icon and and select Properties. Here you can add “–force-dark-mode” at the end of the Target field and hit Apply then OK. Now, when you start Chrome you should see the dark mode enabled.
This method is similar to how the dark mode was enabled in the Canary version of the Chrome browser before it made it into the main build (via ZDNet). If you’re not desperate enough to go messing around in the properties then you can probably just wait a few days for Google to just turn it on.
Not everyone’s convinced though. Keen user Todd Athorp wrote: “No luck here either with latest Windows 10 and Chrome 74. How flippin’ hard is it to turn off the blinding white? C’mon Google.”
Should more developers be embracing the retina-saving dark mode as standard? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
