How To Implement Dark Mode in Your Drupal Website

Dark mode has quickly become a popular design choice for websites, apps, and digital interfaces. It’s easier on the eyes, can reduce battery usage on OLED screens, and often looks sleek and modern. If you’re using Drupal, you can implement dark mode in a few different ways without sacrificing usability or performance.

Here’s how to set up dark mode in your Drupal website step-by-step.

Why Implement Dark Mode?

Improved User Experience: Dark mode can reduce eye strain, especially in low-light environments.
Modern Aesthetic: It makes your site look trendy and up-to-date.
Energy Efficiency: On OLED and AMOLED screens, dark pixels use less energy.
User Choice: Many users prefer dark mode, and offering it shows you care about their comfort.

Step 1: Understand the Basics

Dark mode usually works by adjusting your website’s CSS to change color schemes. Modern browsers support the prefers-color-scheme CSS media query, which detects if the user’s device is set to dark mode.

Step 2: Update Your Theme’s CSS

You’ll use the following media query to add dark mode styles:

Step 3: Add Dark Mode Support to Your Drupal Theme

1️⃣ Locate Your Theme’s CSS

• If you’re using a custom theme, edit the style.css or main CSS file.

• For a contributed theme (like Olivero), consider creating a sub-theme to avoid overwriting the original files.

2️⃣ Add Dark Mode Styles

• Copy the example above and expand it to adjust links, buttons, forms, and other key elements.

• Test the contrast and readability of your colors.

3️⃣ Enable CSS Aggregation

• Go to Configuration > Development > Performance.

• Enable CSS aggregation to optimize site performance.

Step 4: Provide a Toggle (Optional)

While some users rely on their system’s dark mode preference, others like to switch manually. You can add a dark mode toggle for flexibility.

Using JavaScript

Add a toggle button in your theme’s template or block, then use JavaScript to dynamically apply a dark-mode class:

In your CSS:

This gives users direct control.

Step 5: Test Thoroughly

✅ Check for consistent colors across all elements.
✅ Ensure text and buttons have sufficient contrast.
✅ Test in both light and dark environments.
✅ Check for accessibility compliance (WCAG standards).

Additional Tips

🔹 Use accessible color combinations to maintain readability.
🔹 Leverage the Color module in Drupal for easy color customization.
🔹 Consider using the Dark Mode Switcher module (available via contrib modules) to simplify implementation.

Why Choose Drupalify?

At Drupalify, we’re experts at building modern, accessible Drupal websites. Whether you need dark mode, custom theming, or a complete redesign, our team is here to help.

✅ Custom Dark Mode Solutions
✅ Performance-Optimized Themes
✅ Accessibility-Compliant Designs
✅ Seamless User Experience

Hire Drupal Developers to make your site shine—day or night! Or book a free consultation: Book a Free Consultation.

Conclusion

Dark mode isn’t just a trendy feature—it’s a thoughtful, user-centered addition that can enhance your Drupal site’s experience. With these steps, you’ll be well on your way to offering a sleek, comfortable viewing option to your users.