How to Turn On Dark Mode on YouTube

To turn on dark mode in the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, then General, then Appearance, and choose Dark theme; on a computer, click your profile picture, open Appearance, and select Dark theme.

Dark mode swaps YouTube’s bright white background for a deep dark one, which is easier on the eyes in low light and can save a little battery on OLED phones. The setting has moved around over the years, so if you have hunted for it without luck, this guide shows exactly where it lives today in 2026, on both the mobile app and the desktop site. It only takes a few taps, and you can even have YouTube follow your phone’s own theme automatically.

Turn on dark mode in the YouTube app

The steps below work the same way on Android and iPhone, though the exact wording can vary slightly between app versions.

1. Open the YouTube app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
2. Tap Settings from the menu.
3. Tap General.
4. Tap Appearance.
5. Choose Dark theme.

The change applies immediately, turning the entire app dark. If you prefer, you can pick Use device theme instead, which is explained below. On some older versions of the app the option may appear directly under Settings rather than inside General, so if you do not see General, look for Appearance or Dark theme on the main Settings screen.

Let YouTube follow your phone automatically

If your phone already switches to a system-wide dark mode, either on a schedule or manually, you can have YouTube match it. In the same Appearance menu, choose Use device theme. Now YouTube will be light when your phone is light and dark when your phone is dark, with no need to change it in the app each time. This is the most convenient option for people who use night-time dark mode across their whole phone.

Turn on dark mode on desktop

On a computer, the setting is just as quick to find.

1. Go to the YouTube website and sign in.
2. Click your profile picture in the top right corner.
3. Click Appearance from the dropdown menu.
4. Select Dark theme.

The site turns dark instantly. As with mobile, you can choose Use device theme to match your computer’s system setting. Remember that this desktop preference is separate from your phone, so setting one does not change the other.

Why the setting is per device

Many people expect a single toggle to change YouTube everywhere, but the appearance choice is stored on each device individually rather than on your account. That means you control the look of YouTube on your phone, your tablet and your computer independently. It is a small quirk, but it explains why your phone can be dark while the desktop stays light until you change both.

If you can’t find the option

The most common reason the Appearance menu is missing is an outdated app. Update YouTube from Google Play or the App Store, then reopen it and try again. Being signed out can also change how the menus look, so sign in to your account for the complete set of options. If the app is behaving oddly or running slowly after an update, clearing its temporary files can help, and our guide on how to clear cache on Android walks you through it safely.

Dark mode across your other apps

Once you have YouTube looking right, you may want your other apps to match. Instagram, for example, has its own dark theme, and our guide on how to turn on dark mode on Instagram shows how. If your phone often feels sluggish or storage-starved while streaming and downloading, freeing up space keeps things smooth, and our walkthrough on how to free up storage on your phone helps you clear the clutter.

Dark theme versus incognito and other options

It is worth knowing that dark mode is purely a visual setting and has nothing to do with privacy. Some people confuse it with incognito mode, which is a separate feature that stops YouTube from saving your watch and search history during a session. Dark theme simply changes the colours on screen. If you switch to dark theme and later notice YouTube looks light again, the most likely causes are that you were signed out, that the app updated and reset a preference, or that you had chosen Use device theme and your phone flipped back to light mode on its schedule. Checking the Appearance menu once more usually clears up the confusion.

There is no separate scheduling option inside YouTube itself for dark mode, so if you want it to turn on only at night, the trick is to enable your phone’s system-wide dark mode on a schedule and then set YouTube to Use device theme. YouTube will then follow your phone, going dark in the evening and light in the morning automatically without you touching the app at all.

Does dark mode really save battery?

On phones with OLED or AMOLED screens, dark backgrounds can genuinely reduce power use because true black pixels are effectively turned off. On older LCD screens the difference is small. Either way, most people choose dark mode for comfort rather than battery, since it reduces glare and eye strain during evening viewing. It is a personal preference, and switching between the two takes only seconds now that you know where the setting lives.

The bottom line

Dark mode on YouTube is a quick change once you know the path. In the app it is Profile, Settings, General, Appearance, Dark theme, and on desktop it is Profile, Appearance, Dark theme. Choose Use device theme if you would rather YouTube follow your phone or computer automatically, and remember to set it separately on each device. Whether you want less eye strain at night or a sleeker look, you are now set up to watch comfortably in the dark.