How to fix File Explorer's Dark Theme interface error

Microsoft first introduced Dark Theme for File Explorer in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update and this is good news for those who work late.

If you have Dark Theme for File Explorer enabled to reduce eye strain or simply because you think it looks better, then it will definitely be inconvenient when it stops working.

Read the following list of fixes to make Dark Theme for File Explorer on Windows 10 work again!

1. Turn it off and on again

This method may be enough to fix the Dark Mode error in File Explorer. Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Right-click on the Start menu.

Step 2: Click Settings.

Step 3: From the Settings menu, click Personalization.

Step 4: Select the Colors menu.

Step 5: Under Choose your default Windows mode, choose Light.

Step 6: Reboot your PC / laptop.

Step 7: Repeat the steps and in step 5, choose Dark.

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2. Restart Windows Explorer

Small system glitches can cause the Dark Theme interface of Windows 10 to stop working. If that's the case, here's how you can fix it:

Step 1: Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

Step 2: Select Windows Explorer.

Step 3: Click Restart.

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After you've restarted Windows Explorer, re-enable dark background.

3. Sign out and log back into your account

If File Explorer's Dark Theme stopped working due to a system glitch, you can try this solution.

Step 1: Open the Start menu.

Step 2: Right click on your profile icon.

Step 3: Select Sign out.

Step 4: Sign in again with your login information.

Step 5: Go to Settings and re-enable dark background mode.

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If this doesn't fix the error with the dark background mode, a corrupt user account could be the reason for your problem. To fix this, you must create a new user account.

4. Switch back to the default Windows 10 theme

While Windows 10 is great for customization options, it can also cause File Explorer's dark mode to stop working. Here's how you can revert to Windows 10's default theme:

Step 1: Right-click on Start.

Step 2: Click Settings.

Step 3: Select Personalization.

Step 4: Open the Themes menu.

Step 5: From the available themes, select Windows.

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5. Delete custom apps

There are many third-party apps that are designed to apply a Windows 10 theme or change folder icon colors. While these apps help you create a UI that suits your taste, they can prevent File Explorer from properly rendering in the dark background.

If you have custom apps installed, disable or remove them to avoid future problems. Maybe you installed a custom app a long time ago and forgot about it, but it came back causing the problem.

You can access the complete list of apps installed on your device and begin to find out what is causing the problem. In the Start menu's search bar, search for the app and feature, and choose the most relevant option. Check out any old custom tools and remove them.

6. Search for corrupt files

File Explorer dark mode may not load or display accordingly due to file corruption. If this is the case, you should run a System File Checker scan. The scan will not take more than 20 minutes and is very simple.

Step 1: In Start menu search bar, search for command prompt. Right-click on the best match and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: In the Command Prompt window, enter sfc / scannow.

Step 3: Press the Enter button.

The system file checker command will search and replace corrupt files. If you get a message that Windows Resource Protection has found the corrupted files and successfully repaired them, the scan is complete.

You can now close the Command Prompt window and reboot your device. If the problem is caused by a corrupt file, File Explorer's dark mode should work properly again.

Hope you are succesful.

David Pac

Update 24 April 2021