6 Best Ways to Fix Windows 11 Stuck in Dark Mode

Windows 11 offers customization options, allowing you to switch between light and dark modes. Although dark mode is sleek and modern, it can become bothersome when Windows 11 becomes stuck in this mode and fails to switch back to light mode. If you are unable to exit dark mode on Windows, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we will provide six quick solutions to fix the issue of Windows 11 being stuck in dark mode. Let’s get started.

1. Restart Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is a vital Windows component, responsible for managing the Taskbar, desktop icons, and other graphical elements of the user interface. Occasionally, it may become unresponsive and cause issues, including the one at hand.

To resolve this, you can restart Windows Explorer to refresh the user interface and fix the bug causing the problem. Follow these steps:

1. Right-click the Windows icon in the Taskbar and select Task Manager.

Step 2: In the Task Manager, right-click on Windows Explorer and choose Restart.

After restarting, check if you can exit dark mode. If not, try the next solution.

2. Edit Registry Settings

The Registry Editor is a vital Windows tool housing configuration settings for Windows and installed programs. You can edit the registry to switch to the dark mode, but make sure to back up your registry to protect your data if something goes wrong.

To switch to the light mode on Windows, follow these steps:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run tool.

2. Type regedit in the box and press Enter.

Step 3: In the Registry Editor, go to the following location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize

Step 4: Double-click on the AppsUseLightTheme value in the right pane.

Step 5: Type 0 in Value data and click OK.

Next, repeat the steps above with ColorPrevalence, EnableTransparency, and SystemUsesLightTheme.

3. Change Group Policy Settings

The Local Group Policy Editor contains important policies for your Windows PC. If the policy for the Windows theme is set to light mode, you can’t switch to dark mode. You’ll have to manually change and edit these policies to switch to light mode on Windows. However, the Group Policy Editor is limited to Windows Pro and Enterprise editions. If you’re on Windows Home, you’ll see the ‘Windows cannot find gpedit.msc’ error. To fix this error, check our guide on fixing gpedit.msc missing error. Here’s how to fix the Windows 11 stuck in dark mode issue using the Local Group Policy Editor. Step 1: Press Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run tool, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Local Group Policy Editor, go to:

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization

Step 3: Double-click the ‘Prevent changing color scheme’ policy in the right pane to open its properties menu.

Step 4: Choose Not configured, then click Apply and OK.

Choose Not configured for the following policies:

– Prevent changing themes.

– Local a specific theme.

– Force a specific visual style file or force Windows Classic.

– Prevent changing color and appearance.

4. Change the Contrast Themes Settings

Windows 11 has contrast themes settings that add a distinct color to apps and texts. If you’re using either of the contrast themes, you can’t change the color mode of your computer.

You have to disable the contrast themes to switch to the light mode. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Choose Personalization from the left sidebar and click on Colors in the right pane.

Step 3: Choose Contrast themes.

Step 4: Click the drop-down icon next to Contrast themes and choose None. Then, click Apply.

5. Remove Third-Party Apps

Various third-party applications on the Microsoft Store can configure Windows to switch between dark and light modes automatically. If you’re using any such application, you might face issues manually switching between the color modes.

To resolve this issue, disable these applications. To do that, right-click on the application’s icon in the system tray and choose the Disable/Close option. Alternatively, uninstall these applications permanently if you no longer need them.

6. Run SFC and DISM Scan

Are you stuck in dark mode? Corruption in system files might be the cause. Eliminate the corruption by running an SFC (System File Checker) scan. Here’s how: Press the Windows key to launch the Start Menu, type “Command Prompt,” and choose Run as administrator.

Step 3: Type the command and press Enter to start the scan.

sfc /scannow

After the SFC scan finishes, restart your computer and check if you can change the color mode. If not, run the DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan. To do that, relaunch the Command Prompt with admin rights and execute the following commands:

– DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

– DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

– DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Change Color Modes Without Any Issue

The dark mode reduces eye strain when using your computer at night. However, Windows may fail to switch to light mode. Luckily, you can easily fix the Windows 11 stuck in dark mode issue with the methods above.