How To Turn On Dark Mode In Outlook New & Outlook Classic On Windows 11 PC

Apps that support dark mode automatically apply dark/light mode based on the system theme settings. That is, if dark mode is turned on in Windows 11, all apps automatically switch to it.

With default app settings, users do not need to manually enable dark mode in each app. The same applies to the Outlook New and Outlook Classic apps as well. They automatically switch to dark or light mode based on the system theme settings, unless you have configured Outlook New or Outlook Classic to not follow them.

However, if you wish to turn on the dark mode in the Outlook New or Outlook Classic app without turning on the dark mode via Windows 11 personalization settings, you need to perform a few clicks.

Turn on dark mode in Outlook New in Windows 11

Step 1: Launch the Outlook New app using search or by clicking the Outlook shortcut icon on the desktop.

Step 2: In the Outlook app, click the File menu and then click Settings to open the Outlook Settings window.

Step 3: Here, on the left side, click General and then click Appearance on the right (refer to the picture below).

Step 4: Finally, in the Choose your mode section, click “Dark” to turn on the dark mode for the Outlook app. To switch back to the light mode, click “Light”. If you wish the Outlook New app to switch between dark and light themes automatically using system theme signals, click “Use System settings”.

The same page also offers a variety of themes for Outlook New which you might want to try out.

Turn on dark mode in Outlook Classic in Windows 11

Please note that changing the mode in Outlook Classic also changes the mode in other Office apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint and vice versa.

Step 1: Open the Outlook Classic app.

Step 2: Click the File menu and then click Options.

Step 3: Here, on the left pane, ensure that the General tab is selected.

Step 4: Now, on the right side, select “Black” from the drop-down menu next to Office Theme. To restore the default light mode, select the “White” option.

Step 5: Click the OK button to apply the selected mode.