Forum Discussion
Switch Excel Spreadsheet from Light view to Night View?
i have cataracts and struggling to read spreadsheets due to the glare.
Excel has a feature called "Dark Mode" that changes the color scheme of the program to a darker palette, which may be easier on the eyes in low-light conditions. Here are the steps to switch to Dark Mode in Excel:
Open Excel and click on "File" in the top left corner.
Select "Options" at the bottom of the left-hand menu.
In the "General" tab, find the "Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office" section.
Click on the drop-down menu under "Office Theme" and select "Dark Gray" or "Black" to switch to the Dark Mode color scheme.
Click "OK" to apply the changes.
Once you've switched to Dark Mode, the color scheme of your Excel spreadsheets will be darker, which may reduce glare and make it easier to read.
Dark Mode is available in newer versions of Excel.
For Windows:
Excel 2016 or later versions support the Dark Mode feature.
To check if you have Excel 2016 or later version, click on the "File" tab, select "Account" and then click on the "About Excel" button.
For Mac:
Excel for Mac 2016 or later versions also support Dark Mode.
To check if you have Excel for Mac 2016 or later version, click on the "Excel" menu, select "About Excel".
If you have an earlier version of Excel that does not support Dark Mode, you can try changing the color scheme of your operating system to reduce glare. For example, on Windows, you can go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and choose a darker color for your app mode. On Mac, you can go to System Preferences > General and choose "Dark" under the Appearance section. This will affect the overall color scheme of your computer, including Excel.
I hope this helps!
*Response with AI assisted.
- It cahnged the Header but not the actual spreadsheet. I need to change the spreadsheet to dark mode.
You could slip a dark background into the sheet through Page layout menu | Background. The trade off is you'd have to change the font color to something other than black. The background does not print with the sheet.
This is what it'd look like:
NikolinoDE i have sxcel from office 2019 on mymacbook air with os macOS Sonoma 14.2.1
when clicking FILE their is no OPTION available
where else can i find dark mode
Excel 2019 does not fully support a Dark Mode for its content area as Office 365 does. While Excel 2019 includes some customization options, its support for Dark Mode is limited primarily to the application’s interface rather than the spreadsheet content itself.
Dark Mode in Excel 2019 for macOS
Here's how you can adjust Excel 2019 to get the closest experience to Dark Mode:
1. System-Wide Dark Mode (macOS Sonoma)
- Open System Preferences:
- Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Preferences.
- Go to Appearance:
- Click on General.
- Select Dark Mode:
- Choose Dark under the “Appearance” section.
This will affect the overall appearance of macOS and compatible applications, including Excel. However, Excel 2019 may not fully adopt Dark Mode for its content area.
2. Office Theme in Excel 2019
- Open Excel 2019:
- Launch Excel from your Applications folder or dock.
- Access Preferences:
- Click Excel in the top menu bar and select Preferences.
- Choose General:
- In the Preferences window, go to General.
- Set Office Theme:
- Look for Personalize section.
- Find the Office Theme dropdown menu.
- Select Dark Gray or Black if available.
Note: Excel 2019’s theme options are more limited compared to Office 365, and the theme mostly affects the interface rather than the content of the spreadsheets.
3. Customizing Spreadsheet Appearance
Since Excel 2019 does not offer a comprehensive Dark Mode for spreadsheet content, you can manually adjust your spreadsheets for better visibility:
- Change Background Color:
- Select the cells or range you want to modify.
- Go to the Home tab.
- Click the Fill Color icon (paint bucket) and choose a dark color for the background.
- Adjust Font Color:
- Click the Font Color icon (A with a color underline) and choose a light color (e.g., white) to contrast with the dark background.
4. Consider Upgrading
If Dark Mode and enhanced accessibility features are crucial for your workflow, consider upgrading to Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). Microsoft 365 provides better support for Dark Mode and other modern features across its applications, including Excel.
Summary
- System-Wide Dark Mode: Apply through macOS settings; affects Excel’s interface but not content.
- Office Theme: Set to Dark Gray or Black in Excel Preferences, though content visibility may still be limited.
- Manual Customization: Adjust cell and font colors for better readability.
- Upgrade to Microsoft 365: For enhanced Dark Mode support and additional features.
These steps should help you optimize your Excel experience under macOS Sonoma, even with the limitations of Excel 2019. The text and steps were edited with the help of AI.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
This answer is not accurate on Mac - these options are not available and spreadsheets remain white...
- Same exact issue. Changing Office Theme settings changes the color on everything except the spreadsheet. I even checked to see if maybe for some reason my spreadsheets were being color filled white by default. I started color filling spreadsheets and changing the color of the borders to basically replicate dark mode. That was fine for my own stuff but then I realized I can't set up work spreadsheets like that or they'll think I've been replaced by Wednesday Addams. Hoping to find a solution to this. I think my work around may be adding a solid color picture to every spreadsheet, but this is a looong way from ideal. First, it's gotta be a gray or brown picture, as the font stays default black. The background does not print, but the background does stay with the file, so again, unless you're Wednesday Addams, you'll have to remove the back ground before sending it to anyone at work. Hopefully someone figures this out.
- I feel like this is a problem that needs more attention by Microsoft. I love the seamless switch between light mode and dark more that exists in Word and Outlook. Excel needs this too. This would be particularly useful for those of us who are vision impaired (as I am myself).
- I also agree, As i am working in a shared environment i have issues with both cataract remnanats and glaucoma so having a white background and black coloured writing is difficult for me, and a small minority of my colleagues.
What would be ideal for me and my colleagues is an option to show the spreadsheet's worksheet data inverted as a personalised toggle or option so it doesn't affect my normal sighted colleagues view who prefer the light view but can actually be read and reasonably comfortably in a reversed view for those of us who find it difficult to see a glaring white filled view.
So Microsoft or anyone, any take up on providing this feature to MS Excel as a part of the accessibility?
I agree - This is something MSFT needs to offer as well, similar to the other apps. Kind of surprising they haven't done this with excel.
