A Guide to Using Dark Mode in Mac Mail

If you’re an Apple user, you’ve surely noticed that you can switch between the light and dark modes on your Apple devices, such as your Macbook, iPhone, or iPad. Lately, the dark mode has become increasingly popular for its eye-friendly interface and energy-saving benefits. 

Since Apple Mail is Apple’s native email client, fully integrated with the macOS or the iOS operating system, it also has the dark mode feature. In this article, we’ll show you how to turn on dark mode in Mac Mail and how to get the most out of this fun feature.

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Why Use Dark Mode in Mac Mail?

Dark mode is one of the most popular features on Apple devices. Statistics show that between 55% to 70% of iPhone users use dark mode. Here’s why people use dark mode on their devices and why you may want to turn it on as well. 

• It reduces eye strain: Dark mode can be easier on the eyes, especially if you’re using your device in low-light conditions (for example, right before going to sleep). That’s because it reduces the amount of bright light emitted by the screen, which can help prevent eye fatigue. 
• It helps you sleep better: Studios show that exposure to blue light, which is prevalent in traditional light modes, can interfere with sleep patterns and cause insomnia or trouble falling asleep. Dark mode reduces blue light, potentially helping users to fall asleep more easily after using their phones before bed. 
• It saves battery life: Dark mode can save battery life for devices with OLED or AMOLED screens. Since individual pixels emit their own light in these displays, displaying dark colors uses less power than showing bright ones. 
• It looks elegant: Some people use dark mode simply because they prefer how it looks. It can give your device a sleek, modern appearance. 

How to Set Up Dark Mode in Mac Mail

Switching on the dark mode on your Apple devices will automatically turn on the dark mode in the Mail app. Since Apple Mail is intrinsically connected to the macOS or iOS operating system, any change you make to the overall appearance and display of your Mac or iPhone will be reflected in the Mail app. 

Here’s how to turn on dark mode on your Mac computer: 

1. Go to the Apple icon in the top left corner of the screen and select System Settings. 
2. Scroll to Appearance. There, you’ll see 3 options: Light, Dark, and Auto. 
3. Choose Dark to enable dark mode. You can also choose Auto if you want your Mac computer to switch between the light and dark modes automatically. 
4. If you want to adjust the appearance of the macOS system further, you can also change the accent and highlight colors and the sidebar icon size.

Here’s how to turn on dark mode on your iPhone: 

1. Go to the Settings app on your phone. 
2. Scroll down to Display & Brightness. There, you’ll see two main options: Light and Dark.
3. Choose Dark to enable dark mode on your phone. 
4. If you’d like your iPhone to switch between the light and dark modes automatically, toggle the Automatic option. You can adjust the schedule in the Options below. Just set the times when you’d like your phone to switch to light and dark modes. 
5. If you want to adjust the iPhone’s appearance further, you can also change the text size and make it bold. 

Tips and Tricks to Use Dark Mode in Mac Mail

As you can see, turning on dark mode on either one of your Apple devices is very straightforward and can be done with a few clicks or finger taps. But there are some hidden features and tricks you may not know about that can help you better manage the appearance of your screen on your Mac computer or iPhone. 

Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the dark mode feature on your Apple devices. 

Add It to Your Control Center

By adding the dark mode option to your Control Center on your iPhone, you can easily switch Dark Mode on or off. To set this up, go to the Settings app on your iPhone and select Control Center. Then, scroll down to the Dark Mode option and click the “+” sign. This will add a button that allows you to turn the dark mode on and off from your Control Center. 

Create a Shortcut in the Menu Bar

Creating a shortcut to switch the dark mode on and off in the Menu Bar on your Mac computer can be a time-saving trick. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your Mac.
2. Click the “+” sign in the top menu to create a new shortcut
3. In the search bar, type “dark mode” to find the relevant action.
4. Choose the option that says “set appearance” and drag it to the center of the app.
5. Once it’s there, click the information icon in the top left corner of the app. 
6. Select the “pin in Menu Bar” option.

Now, you’ll have a shortcut icon in your Menu Bar that you can click to toggle Dark Mode on and off with ease. This will provide you with a convenient way to switch between light and dark modes without navigating through system preferences every time. 

Add a Keyboard Shortcut 

To save yourself the time and hassle of switching between the dark and light modes, you can create a custom keyboard shortcut to turn Dark Mode on. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your Mac.
2. Click the “+” sign in the top menu to create a new shortcut
3. In the search bar, type “dark mode” to find the relevant action.
4. Choose the option that says “set appearance” and drag it to the center of the app.
5. Once it’s there, click the information icon in the top left corner of the app. 
6. Click on the “Add a Keyboard Shortcut Button” and fill out the “Run with” field with the keyboard shortcut you want to use to enable Dark Mode on your Mac.

Ask Siri

You can use Siri to automate Dark Mode switching on your iPhone or iPad. You can use a simple word command like “Hey Siri, turn on Dark Mode” and Siri will do it for you. If you want to go back to Light Mode, you can ask Siri to switch back using a simple voice command like “Hey Siri, turn on Light Mode.”

Sync Across Devices 

Enabling iCloud sync for appearance settings ensures a consistent Dark Mode experience across all your Apple Devices. 

This feature synchronizes your Dark Mode preferences, including scheduled activation times and custom settings, across your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and other compatible devices. It ensures that your preferred Dark Mode settings are always applied regardless of which device you’re using.

Mac Mail Dark Mode, the Bottom Line

As you can see, using dark mode on your Apple devices is pretty straightforward. Since Apple Mail is intrinsically connected to the iOS and macOS systems, the changes you make to your Mac’s or iPhone’s appearance will automatically reflect in your Mail app. 

This means that there’s no way to use the Dark Mode solely in your Mail app but not on your Mac or iPhone. However, if you’d like to enable Dark Mode just on your email application, you can look for alternative email clients for mac that offers the dark mode feature, such as Canary Mail. 

Dark Mode for Apple, the FAQs