Short answer: On iPhone, iPad and Android you can switch Canary Mail between dark and light in the app: open Settings, go to Appearance and pick a Theme. On Windows, Canary follows your Windows color mode, and you can also set a theme under Preferences > General > Theme. On a Mac, Canary follows the system: change it in System Settings > Appearance.
| Device | Where to change it | Follows the system? |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone and iPad | Canary settings, Appearance, Theme | Only if you choose Automatic |
| Android | Canary settings, Reading, Appearance, Theme | Not described in Canary help |
| Mac | System Settings, Appearance | Yes, always |
| Windows | Windows Settings, or Canary Preferences, General, Theme | Yes, by default |
iPhone and iPad
Canary on iOS lets you pick a theme that's different from your device's theme, so you can run a light Canary on a dark iPhone or the other way round.
- In Canary Mail, open the settings and go to Appearance.
- Tap Theme.
- Choose Light or Dark. Choose Automatic if you want Canary to follow your device's light or dark setting.
Android
- Open Canary Mail and tap the menu icon (three lines) in the upper-left corner.
- Tap the Settings icon.
- Go to Reading > Appearance.
- Tap Theme and select Dark or Light.
Mac
Canary Mail for Mac doesn't have its own theme switch. It uses your Mac's appearance, so a Mac in dark mode means a dark Canary, and a Mac in light mode means a light one. To switch to a light layout, or back to dark:
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
- Click Appearance in the sidebar.
- Select Light, Dark or Auto.
Auto switches between light and dark on a schedule. On older Macs running macOS Monterey 12 or earlier, the same setting is under System Preferences > General. Apple Mail works the same way; our guide to dark mode in Apple Mail covers its extra option for showing emails on a light background.
Windows
Canary for Windows adopts your Windows color mode automatically. To change it for the whole system:
- Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Select Personalization > Colors.
- Under Choose your mode, select Light or Dark.
To set a theme for Canary alone, open Canary and go to Preferences > General > Theme.
About Canary Mail
Canary Mail is an email app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android that works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange and other IMAP accounts. The free plan covers unlimited accounts on 2 devices with AI inbox sorting. More than 2 million people use it, and Apple has featured it on the App Store and the Mac App Store.
Frequently asked questions
How do I switch Canary Mail to a light layout?
On iPhone, iPad or Android, open Canary's settings, go to Appearance, tap Theme and choose Light. On a Mac, set System Settings > Appearance to Light. On Windows, use Preferences > General > Theme in Canary, or switch Windows to light mode.
Why is Canary Mail dark on my Mac when I didn't choose it?
Canary for Mac follows your Mac's appearance. If macOS is set to Dark, or to Auto and it's evening, Canary turns dark too. Change it in System Settings > Appearance.
Can Canary use a different theme from my phone?
Yes on iPhone and iPad. Pick Light or Dark under Appearance > Theme instead of Automatic, and Canary keeps that theme whatever your device is set to.