--- title: "How to Turn On Dark Mode in VLC (Windows, Mac, Linux)" date: 2026-11-12 author: "Rajesh Namase" featured_image: "https://www.techlila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/vlc-dark-mode.webp" categories: - name: "Computer" url: "/topics/computer.md" tags: - name: "Computer Tips" url: "/tags/computer-tips.md" --- # How to Turn On Dark Mode in VLC (Windows, Mac, Linux) VLC dark mode became a built-in option on Windows and Linux with the 3.0.23 release on **January 8, 2026**, according to VideoLAN. Before that, Windows and Linux users could get a dark look from a skin, through VLC’s skins2 interface. On a Mac, VLC 3.0.5 updated the VLC dark UI to better match the dark mode of macOS Mojave. This guide gives the setting for each system, then covers older versions, turning dark mode off, and a missing checkbox. Each section names the exact menu path, so you can follow it on the machine you are changing. VideoLAN’s download page lists Version 3.0.24, and these steps follow VideoLAN’s release notes, wiki and 3.0 branch commits. > **Before you start:** On Windows or Linux you need VLC 3.0.23, the release that adds the Dark Mode option, or anything newer. On a Mac, the Dark interface style lives in VLC’s own preferences. Dark skins are a separate route, covered further down. ## Key Takeaways - VLC 3.0.23, released on **January 8, 2026**, adds a dark mode option on Windows and Linux. - In VideoLAN’s code, the option is stored as qt-dark-palette and ships set to false, so you turn it on yourself. - According to the VideoLAN commit, ticking the box switches VLC’s style to Fusion and applies the dark palette. - According to Ubuntu’s package archive, Ubuntu 24.04 packages VLC 3.0.20, which predates the option, while Debian’s package archive lists VLC 3.0.24 for Debian 13 (trixie). - On a Mac, VLC applies the dark appearance when you select dark in its own preferences. - Skins are not available on macOS, so dark skins are a Windows and Linux fix for older versions. ## Does VLC have a dark mode? Yes: VLC 3.0.23 is the twenty-fourth update of the Vetinari branch, and its notes add a Dark Mode user interface option on Windows and Linux. On a Mac, VLC has applied the dark appearance when you select dark in its preferences since a commit of **December 16, 2018**. The setting took years to reach the Windows and Linux builds. Pratik Patel’s commit adding an option to use a dark palette landed on the 3.0.x branch on **October 20, 2024**. That was more than a year before it shipped in a release, as the timeline below shows. 6 EVENTS · Source: VideoLAN, VideoLAN vlc-commits mailing list VLC Dark Mode Milestones, 2018 to 2026 6 EVENTS VideoLAN Sep 2018 VLC’s macOS preferences add support for dark mode in Mojave Dec 2018 VLC 3.0.5 updates the dark UI to match macOS Mojave Oct 2024 An option to use a dark palette joins the 3.0.x branch Sep 2025 The option is renamed Enable Dark Mode Jan 2026 VLC 3.0.23 adds a dark mode option on Windows and Linux Sep 2026 VLC 3.0.24 ships with over 130 security fixes SOURCE VideoLAN, VideoLAN vlc-commits mailing list View the dataDoes VLC have a dark mode? | Date | Event | |---|---| | Sep 2018 | VLC's macOS preferences add support for dark mode in Mojave | | Dec 2018 | VLC 3.0.5 updates the dark UI to match macOS Mojave | | Oct 2024 | An option to use a dark palette joins the 3.0.x branch | | Sep 2025 | The option is renamed Enable Dark Mode | | Jan 2026 | VLC 3.0.23 adds a dark mode option on Windows and Linux | | Sep 2026 | VLC 3.0.24 ships with over 130 security fixes | Those dates explain why older guides say VLC has no dark mode on Windows. For guides written before **2026**, that was true of the released builds. ## Step 1: Update VLC to Version 3.0.23 or Later VideoLAN lists Dark Mode among the 3.0.22 and 3.0.23 fixes for VLC 3.0.23 in its [VLC 3.0.23 release notes](https://www.videolan.org/vlc/releases/3.0.23.html). Any release from that point on carries it. VLC 3.0.24, released on **September 22, 2026**, is a major security update with over **130** security fixes, which makes it the version to install. 1. Check the version number in VLC’s About window. 2. If it is older, download VLC from VideoLAN, which offers Windows, Windows 64bit and Windows ARM 64 installers. 3. Run the installer over your current copy, then start VLC again. VLC 3.0.24 also upgrades FFmpeg from 4.4 to 8.1.2 and updates **49** third-party libraries. The update is worth taking even if you never use dark mode. Searches for “VLC 3.0.21 dark mode” come from people on an older build, and the answer for them is the same: update. ## Step 2: Turn On Dark Mode in VLC on Windows On Windows, open Tools, then Preferences, and tick the Enable Dark Mode option. The checkbox sets the style to Fusion and applies the dark palette, so menus, the playlist and dialogs turn dark. These **4** actions do it: 1. In the menu toolbar, select Tools, then Preferences, or press Ctrl+P. The [VLC keyboard shortcuts](/vlc-media-player-shortcuts/) list has the rest of the hotkeys. 2. Stay in the simple preferences dialog, where the dark mode checkbox is linked to the style menu. 3. Turn on the Enable Dark Mode checkbox. 4. To save your preferences, click Save, then close and reopen VLC so every window picks up the change. Steve Lhomme renamed the option Enable Dark Mode because it should be easier to understand and translate. Earlier builds labeled it as an option to use a dark palette, and the setting name stayed qt-dark-palette. If a guide mentions “dark palette”, it means the same checkbox. ### Does VLC dark mode use the Windows accent color? Yes, in current builds. December 2025 commits to the 3.0.x branch made the dark palette use the Windows accent color and adapted the seek bar and volume slider to it. So highlights in VLC follow the accent you set for Windows 11 or Windows 10, while the panels stay dark. VLC’s setting changes only the player. For the rest of the desktop, a set of [Windows 11 dark themes](/windows-11-dark-themes/) does the same job system-wide. [See also 10 Windows 10 Dark Themes to Download (2026)](https://www.techlila.com/windows-10-dark-themes/) ## Step 3: Turn On VLC Dark Mode on Linux VideoLAN’s notes for VLC 3.0.23 add the Dark Mode option on Linux as well as Windows, and the steps match the Windows ones. The catch is the version your distribution packages. Ubuntu 24.04 (noble) ships VLC 3.0.20, while Debian 13 (trixie) ships VLC 3.0.24. These **3** actions turn it on: 1. In the menu toolbar, select Tools, then Preferences, or press Ctrl+P. 2. In the simple preferences dialog, turn on Enable Dark Mode. 3. Save the change, then restart VLC. If the checkbox is not there, check whether your package predates VLC 3.0.23. On Ubuntu 24.04 and distributions built on it, such as Linux Mint, install a newer VLC from VideoLAN’s Linux options or your distribution’s newer channels. VLC keeps its settings per user in ~/.config/vlc/vlcrc on Linux, so a reinstall leaves your other preferences in place. ## Step 4: Set the Dark Interface Style on a Mac VLC’s macOS preferences carry an interface style setting, and VLC applies the dark appearance when you select dark there. Use that setting, because the Mac app uses its own interface and the Windows checkbox does not exist on it. 1. Open VLC on macOS and use the VLC menu in the menu bar to access the preferences. 2. Select dark in VLC’s preferences. David Fuhrmann’s **December 2018** commit disabled automatic switching between dark and bright mode for now, after it broke the aspect ratio of movies on macOS Mojave. Manually setting the dark appearance works and does not break video output, so VLC applies it when you select dark in its preferences. With that commit, VLC on a Mac stopped switching automatically with the macOS appearance. > **Skins do not work here:** Skins are not available on macOS. On a Mac, use the dark interface style in VLC’s own preferences instead. ## Use a Dark Skin on Older VLC Versions VLC supports skins through its skins2 interface module, which you turn on by choosing Use custom skin in the Look and feel section of the preferences. This is the route for Windows and Linux builds that predate the Dark Mode option, or for anyone who wants a different look altogether. Use these **3** actions: 1. Download a skin file, which usually comes with the VLT extension. 2. On Windows, put it in the skins folder of the VLC installation directory, such as C:\\Program Files\\VideoLAN\\VLC\\skins. 3. In the preferences, choose Use custom skin, click Save and restart VLC. VideoLAN warns that not all of the skins available for download are fully functional. The steps to [install a VLC skin](/how-to-install-vlc-skins/) cover folders and fixes in detail, and our picks of [dark VLC skins](/vlc-skins/) list the ones worth trying. ## How to Turn Off Dark Mode in VLC Unticking the box removes the custom palette and reverts VLC to the default, so turning dark mode off takes the same path in reverse. On Windows or Linux, use these **3** actions: 1. In the menu toolbar, select Tools, then Preferences. 2. In the simple preferences dialog, turn off Enable Dark Mode. 3. Save the change and restart VLC. On a Mac, select the bright interface style again. VLC stores those preferences in one configuration file per user. ## Why is the VLC dark mode option missing? VLC 3.0.23 adds a dark mode option on Windows and Linux, so check your version first. Ubuntu 24.04 still packages VLC 3.0.20, which predates the option. Check these causes in order: - **Old version:** check your version in VLC’s About window, then update. - **Distribution package:** Ubuntu’s noble package is 3.0.20-3build6, so look for a newer source. - **Skins interface on:** VLC runs the skinnable interface instead of its native one when Use custom skin is selected, so switch back to the native interface first. - **Mac:** The Windows and Linux checkbox does not apply; use the interface style in VLC’s preferences instead. > **Download VLC only from VideoLAN:** Sites that bundle “VLC dark mode” installers or plugins are not VideoLAN. The built-in option needs no add-on, so anything asking you to install one is a risk with no benefit. ## Does VLC follow the system dark theme automatically? No, the qt-dark-palette setting ships set to false, so VLC does not apply its dark palette on Windows or Linux until you tick the box. On a Mac, VideoLAN disabled automatic switching between dark and bright mode in **2018**, and the choice sits in VLC’s own preferences. A June 2026 commit for the 4.0 branch enables the style combo box on Windows in the simple preferences dialog, because 4.0 applies the style regardless of the system. ## Conclusion VLC 3.0.23, released on **January 8, 2026**, added the dark mode option on Windows and Linux, and current builds carry it. Update an older copy first, then turn on Enable Dark Mode and restart VLC. Mac users pick the Dark interface style instead. The version decides everything here: if your distribution ships an older VLC, update it before reaching for a skin.