How to force dark theme in Opera: step-by-step guide with all the options

Dark mode has gone from being a trend to a necessity for those of us who spend many hours in front of a screen. It reduces eye strain, saves battery on some devices, and offers more comfortable browsing at night. Opera, one of the most popular browsers on the market, has options to activate this mode, although not all of them are enabled by default or work the same way in all versions.

If you're looking for how to force dark mode in Opera, whether it's the classic version, mobile, or Opera GX, you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll explain step-by-step how to enable it natively, how to use extensions or hidden settings to force dark mode on any website, and we'll analyze the differences between the various versions of the browser. We go beyond simply changing the interface background: we'll discuss real tricks for darkening even pages that don't support it by default.

Enable dark mode natively in Opera

Opera includes a dark theme that can be easily activated from the browser settings . This feature applies the dark theme to the browser interface, such as tabs, the address bar, and the settings page. However, by default, it does not change the appearance of the web pages you visit.

To activate it on the desktop version:

• open Opera on your computer Windows, Mac o Linux.
• Click on the Opera menu at the top left (icon with a red “O”).
• Go into Settings or press Alt+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+, (Mac).
• Scroll down to the Appearance section within Settings.
• Select the "Dark" option in the Themes section.

On mobile devices ( Android and iOS ) , it is also possible to apply dark mode:

• Open the Opera app on your device.
• touch the menu (three horizontal lines) in the upper or lower corner, depending on the system.
• Go to Settings > Appearance or directly to the Topic section.
• Select "Dark" to apply dark mode.

An additional advantage on mobile is that you can configure Opera to automatically adopt the system theme , saving you from having to change it manually.

How to force dark mode on websites from Opera GX

Opera GX, the gamer edition of the browser, includes some exclusive extra features that allow you to automatically darken entire websites , without the need for extensions.

Users of this version have reported that from the Opera GX settings it is possible to activate a mode that changes the design of pages like Google , Mega or even the Opera forum itself to dark mode, even though these websites do not offer native support for it.

To activate this feature in Opera GX:

• Open the Opera GX browser.
• Click on the menu (“O” icon).
• Go to Settings.
• Look for an option related to “Force dark mode” or “Force content dark mode.”
• Activate it. This will make many pages that were previously displayed with a white background. automatically have a dark background.

This option is not available in the standard desktop version of Opera, although some users have reported hidden experimental features that can be enabled through the browser's "flags" (advanced settings). However, there is currently no official confirmation that this feature is available or active in the standard version.

Use extensions to force dark mode on any page

If you use the standard version of Opera, you can install extensions that mimic or force dark mode on all pages , even those that don't offer this feature by default.

One of the most popular options for this is the "Dark Mode" extension , available directly from the official Opera add-ons store. This tool works like a switch that you can turn on and off from the browser toolbar.

Features of this extension:

• Quick activation from the toolbar.
• More than 50 dark themes available; you can choose the one that best suits your visual style.
• Whitelist of sitesIf you don't like how a page looks in dark mode, you can simply add it to a list that excludes it from night mode.
• Shortcuts or settings from the right-click context menu. Ideal to activate or deactivate at specific times.

This is a very effective alternative if you want to force dark mode without changing browsers or complicated technical settings . Furthermore, it works for both desktop and mobile versions via synchronization.

What about the options built into the operating system?

Another way Opera can adopt dark mode is by following the overall appearance of the operating system . In other words, if you activate dark mode on Windows, macOS, or Android, Opera can automatically adjust to that color scheme.

To change it from the system in Windows:

• Click “Start” > “Settings” > “Personalization” > “Colors.”
• Under “Choose your default mode,” select “Dark.”

On macOS:

• Go to “System Preferences” > “General.”
• Choose the appearance as “Dark”.

This method also changes other system programs , so if you're only looking to darken Opera, it might not be the most convenient option.

Limitations and advantages of dark mode

Dark mode isn't always perfect or compatible with all websites or web applications . Despite its advantages, there are some drawbacks to consider.

Advantages:

• Less eye strain, especially at night.
• Battery saving on OLED and AMOLED screens.
• More elegant aesthetics and focus on content.

Disadvantages:

• Some websites don't render well in dark mode., displaying texts or buttons that become illegible.
• May cause discomfort to users sensitive to dark contrast.
• Not all dark themes are created equal.; some may be more annoying to the eye.

Therefore, the ideal is to be able to choose when and how to darken the browser or websites , and use extensions or settings that suit our preferences.

For those who work with documents, there are also viewers like UPDF that allow you to read PDFs in dark mode. These types of tools are designed to complement the experience across the entire system, not just in the browser. The Opera browser offers several ways to activate the dark theme, from native methods to extensions, including features exclusive to its GX gaming version.