Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader don’t have a formal Dark Mode as Microsoft Word does. However, you can create your own Dark Mode by changing the color of the interface and the page background color.
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The images below are from Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. These steps also apply to Acrobat Reader DC. In addition, the steps are similar on PC and Mac. Differences between the two operating systems are noted within the individual steps.
How to Change the Color of the Interface
- Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
- Select the View menu.
- Select Display Theme from the drop-down menu.
- Select Dark Gray from the submenu. (For most users, System Theme and Light Gray will look the same.)
The interface (but not the page) should change to dark gray.
Continue to the next section if you want to match the page background color to the Dark Gray theme or change it to another color.
How to Change the Page Background Color
- Select the Edit menu on a PC (figure 5) or the Acrobat menu on a Mac (figure 6).
- Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
- Select Accessibility in the Categories menu in the Preferences dialog box.
- Select Replace Document Colors.
- Select Use High-Contrast colors and then select an option from the High-contrast color combination menu.
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- Green text on black
- Yellow text on black
- White text on black
- Black text on white
- (Alternative Option) Select Custom Color.
a. Select a new color from the Page Background menu.
b. Select a new color from the Document Text menu.
Pro Tip: Additional Color Options on a PC
You may have noticed that Mac users have many more color options than do PC users in the Page Background menu (see figures 12 and 13) and Document Text menu (see figures 14 and 15).
For additional customization options, PC users can select Other Color in the Page Background or Document Text menu to open an advanced Color dialog box.
- Select the OK button.
Your changes should take effect immediately. These changes won’t affect how your document prints or appears on other people’s computers.
Related Resources
How to Open Links in Separate Tabs in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader
How to Use Automatic Scrolling in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader
How to Use the Split View in Adobe Acrobat
Updated January 16, 2022