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Light Switch utility

Light Switch is a PowerToys utility that automatically switches your Windows theme between light and dark modes based on time of day. You can configure Light Switch to change themes automatically using sunrise and sunset times in your location, or set custom schedules that work best for your daily routine.

Benefits of using Light Switch include:

  • Reduced eye strain - Dark themes are easier on your eyes in low-light environments
  • Better battery life - Dark themes can help extend battery life on devices with OLED displays
  • Automatic adaptation - No need to manually change themes throughout the day

How to activate and use Light Switch

Light Switch is enabled by default, but you can activate or deactivate it by opening PowerToys Settings and changing the Enable Light Switch toggle. You can then configure the settings to specify the times for switching between light and dark themes based on your local sunrise and sunset times or manually set times.

An animated GIF of the Light Switch settings.

The following settings are available for Light Switch:

Setting Description
Enable Light Switch Turn the Light Switch utility on or off.
Theme toggle shortcut Set a keyboard shortcut to manually toggle between light and dark themes.
Mode Choose between using dark mode from Sunset to Sunrise (automatic based on your location) or Manual (set specific times). Note that you must have location services enabled and synced for automatic mode to work.
Location Sync your location to enable automatic switching based on local sunrise and sunset times.
Offset in minutes Adjust the time for switching themes by a specified number of minutes before or after sunrise and sunset.
Turn on dark mode Set the time to switch to dark mode when using manual mode.
Turn on light mode Set the time to switch to light mode when using manual mode.
Apply dark mode to Choose whether Light Switch applies dark mode to System (Taskbar, Start, and other system UI) and/or Apps (supported apps).

Install PowerToys

This utility is part of the Microsoft PowerToys utilities for power users. It provides a set of useful utilities to tune and streamline your Windows experience for greater productivity. To install PowerToys, see Installing PowerToys.