How to enable new dark mode visuals coming to Windows 11

• Microsoft is adding more dark mode support to File Explorer elements like Folder Options and the Run command.
• You can enable these improvements manually using the ViveTool command vivetool /enable /id:58383338,59270880,59203365,48433719 in Command Prompt (admin).
• The new dark mode support is currently only available in the latest preview builds of Windows 11.

On Windows 11, the dark mode experience remains incomplete, but Microsoft is now working on adding more dark mode across the remaining surfaces, starting with those unfinished areas in File Explorer and legacy dialogs, such as the Run command.

Microsoft is currently testing these dark mode visual improvements in the latest preview builds available through the Windows Insider Program, and more specifically, on Windows 11 builds 26220.6972 and 26120.6972 in the Dev and Beta Channels for versions 25H2 and 24H2.

In File Explorer, the company is finally adding dark mode support to the Folders Options page as well as for other elements, including default and expanded states for copy, move, and delete dialogs, progress bars and chart views, dialogs for confirming states (such as skip, override, and file selection), and multiple confirmation and error dialogs. Even the Run command is now getting full dark mode support.

If you’re running one of these preview builds but don’t see the changes yet, you can manually enable the new dark mode features using the ViveTool (via @PhantomOfEarth) command-line utility.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to enable (most) of the dark mode visuals introduced in the latest preview of Windows 11.

Enable new dark mode visuals for File Explorer and Run dialog

To enable the latest dark mode improvements on Windows 11 (preview), follow these steps:

1. Open the GitHub website.

2. Download the ViveTool-vx.x.x.zip file onto your computer.

3. Double-click the zip folder to open it with File Explorer.

4. Click the Extract all button.

   

5. Click the Extract button.

6. Copy the path to the folder.

7. Open Start.

8. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

9. Type the following command to navigate to the ViveTool folder and press Enter:

   cd c:\folder\path\ViveTool-v0.x.x

   In the command, remember to change the path to the folder with your path.

10. Type the following command to enable upcoming dark mode visual changes in File Explorer and the Run command, and press Enter:

    vivetool /enable /id:58383338,59270880,59203365,48433719

11. Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, you should be able to see the new dark mode visuals in the Run command.

In File Explorer, you should notice the new visuals inside the Folder Options page and other dialog boxes.

If you want to undo the changes, you can follow the same instructions outlined above, but in step 10, run the vivetool /disable /id:58383338,59270880,59203365,48433719 command. You can also run the vivetool /fullreset command to reset any customization you may have enabled using this tool.

It’s important to note that you can only enable these changes in the latest preview of Windows 11 through the Dev and Beta Channels. These instructions won’t work in the Release Preview, Canary, or Stable Channels.