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by Samuel Buchmann
Dark Mode in Windows 11: More bright spots disappear
19.8.2025
Translation: machine translated
Microsoft is testing new dark mode elements in Windows 11, with file actions such as copying and deleting appearing in a dark design for the first time - but only for insiders and without an official announcement.
It's dark in the room. You copy a file. And suddenly: bright white. Welcome to Windows Dark Mode as it was before - a half-compromise, a visual patchwork. Following the introduction of Dark Mode in 2016, Microsoft finally seems to be getting serious. However, there has not yet been an official announcement.
Darkness is coming - but so far only for insiders
X user @phantomofearth has discovered new dark dialogue windows in a Windows Insider build (26100.5061). Copying, deleting and other file operations now shine in cosy blackness. Or rather: it no longer shines. At last.
But: If you want to see this, you have to tinker. The new elements are hidden, deactivated and can only be made visible with tools such as ViVeTool. Microsoft itself remains silent. Perhaps out of strategy. Perhaps because they themselves don't yet know whether they really want to go through with it.
Why this is important - or not
Microsoft has been expanding Dark Mode bit by bit - but it has not yet been fully implemented. The dialogues that have now been discovered are among the most conspicuous bright spots in the system. But they are not the last. Parts of the control panel, older error messages and individual pop-ups continue to glow brightly. So the road to complete darkness is not over yet.
The new elements are a glimmer of hope. Or a shadow. Depending on how you look at it. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of the glaring Windows. Or maybe it's just an experiment that will never see the light of day.
You want to see it? Then you'll have to see it
If you have the latest Insider build installed and have the open source tool ViveTool, you can activate the darkness with the following command (open the terminal as administrator, then restart):
vivetool /enable /id:45620306,57857165,57994323,48433719,49453572
If you want to undo the changes, execute the same command with /disable instead of /enable.
But be careful: this is not an official feature. It's a peek behind the curtain. A dark dialogue with the operating system. One that may mutate into a light one with the upcoming autumn update 25H2.
Header image: @phantomofearth / x.com
Martin Jud
Senior Editor
martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.chI find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
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