How to auto-switch light and dark mode with PowerToys on Windows 11

• Windows 11 now supports automatic theme switching thanks to PowerToys’ new Light Switch module in version 0.95.
• The feature allows you to schedule switching between the light and dark color modes automatically or on schedule, according to your location’s sunset and sunrise times.

Microsoft has finally added a way to switch between light and dark color modes automatically on Windows 11, but not as a native feature. Instead, the company has integrated this functionality into its PowerToys tool with a new utility called “Light Switch,” and in this guide, I’ll walk you through the setup steps.

It’s a welcome addition with the release of PowerToys 0.95, but it also highlights a long-standing disappointment. Windows 11 still lacks a built-in option to automatically switch between light and dark themes, a feature that macOS has offered for years.

The Light Switch feature provides a straightforward solution to fill that gap, allowing you to schedule when the system changes color modes. You can configure a custom time schedule or let the app automatically toggle between light and dark based on sunset and sunrise.

If you want a more robust solution, consider “Auto Dark Mode,” an open-source app that allows you to configure a schedule to switch between light and dark modes automatically. In addition, you can configure the tool to change the desktop wallpaper, accent color, and cursor color on schedule to match the color mode. 

Furthermore, this third-party tool includes conditions to prevent the switch when gaming, running a specific process, or using the device on battery power. You can even specify whether apps, including Microsoft Office, should follow the color or stay in their current theme.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to use PowerToys’ Light Switch to automatically switch between light and dark modes on Windows 11.

Change from light to dark mode automatically on Windows 11

Before you can switch between color modes automatically, you need to install PowerToys 0.95 or higher with these instructions, and then you can proceed with the steps below.

To configure Light Switch to change between the Windows 11 light and dark modes automatically, follow these steps:

1. Open Start on Windows 11.

2. Search for PowerToys and click the top result to open the app.

3. Click on System Tools.

4. Click on Light Switch.

5. Turn on the “Enable Light Switch” toggle switch.

6. (Option 1) Select the “Sunset or sunrise” option in the “Mode” setting to let the feature schedule when to turn on the dark or light mode automatically based on your geographic location.

   

7. Click the Location button to calculate your location.

8. (Optional) Use the Offset option to set the number of minutes to trigger the switch earlier or later.

9. (Option 2) Select the “Manual” option in the “Mode” setting.

   

10. Configure the schedule to turn dark mode on or off.

11. (Optional) Choose whether the feature should change color modes only for the system or system and apps using the “Apply dark mode to” setting under the “Behavior” section.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will switch between light and dark mode automatically.

Also, you can use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + D” keyboard shortcut to trigger the switch manually at any time. Of course, you can always customize the shortcut with the dit option.