Safari follows the Dark appearance on Mac, iPhone and iPad, but that does not make every website dark. Night Eye adds dark mode to most websites in Safari, including pages that do not provide their own dark theme.
Use the instructions below to turn on Safari’s interface dark mode or enable the Night Eye Safari extension for website dark mode.
Last reviewed: August 8, 2026.
Safari Dark Mode: Quick Answers
| What you want to do | Best option |
|---|---|
| Make Safari’s interface dark on iPhone or iPad | Settings → Display & Brightness → Dark |
| Make the Mac interface dark | System Settings → Appearance → Dark |
| Add dark mode to websites in Safari | Install and enable Night Eye |
| Use different settings on individual websites | Configure the website in Night Eye |
| Return a website to its original appearance | Choose Normal mode in Night Eye |
Does Safari Have a Built-In Dark Mode?
Safari and website dark mode are not the same thing.
When you turn on Dark Mode on an iPhone, iPad or Mac, the operating system and supported apps use a darker appearance. Safari follows that system appearance for its browser interface. Websites, however, can still display a white or light background because the page controls its own design.
Some websites detect your system color scheme and provide their own dark theme. Others stay light. If you want a consistent dark mode across the websites you browse, a Safari dark mode extension such as Night Eye handles the webpage itself.
Preview of Night Eye Dark Mode for Safari
Before and after: the same webpage in its original appearance and with Night Eye dark mode applied.
How to Enable Dark Mode on Safari for iPhone and iPad
On iOS 26, turn on the system Dark Mode like this:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Display & Brightness.
- Select Dark.
You can also open Control Center, touch and hold the brightness control, and tap Dark Mode. To switch automatically, go to Settings → Display & Brightness, turn on Automatic, then open Options to choose a schedule.
This changes the iPhone appearance and Safari interface, but it does not guarantee that every webpage will use dark colors.
How to Enable the Night Eye Safari Dark Mode Extension on iPhone and iPad
To enable Night Eye as a Safari dark mode extension on iPhone or iPad:
- Download Night Eye from the App Store.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps → Safari → Extensions.
- Tap Dark Mode - Night Eye.
- Turn on Allow Extension.
- Allow Night Eye to run on the websites you visit. If All Websites appears, tap it and choose Allow.
- Open Safari and start browsing.
You can also open Safari's Page Menu and use Manage Extensions to manage enabled extensions. If you use Safari profiles, make sure Night Eye is enabled for the profiles where you want website dark mode.
How to Enable Dark Mode on Safari for Mac
To make the Safari interface dark on a Mac:
- Open System Settings.
- Select Appearance.
- Choose Dark.
You can choose Auto instead if you want macOS to change between light and dark appearance automatically. Safari follows the system appearance, while individual webpages can still use their own colors.
How to Enable the Night Eye Safari Dark Mode Extension on Mac
To add Night Eye to Safari on Mac:
- Download Night Eye from the App Store.
- Open Safari.
- Choose Safari → Settings from the menu bar.
- Open the Extensions tab.
- Turn on Night Eye by selecting the checkbox next to the extension.
- Allow website access where required, then open a webpage and choose your preferred Night Eye mode.
If you use Safari profiles, extension settings can be managed separately for each profile. In private browsing, extensions that require website access may also need to be allowed separately.
Night Eye - Dark Mode Extension for Safari
Night Eye has been built to provide smooth dark mode across a wide range of websites while giving you control over how each site appears.
- Dark Mode: converts website colors, backgrounds, small images and icons into a complete dark appearance.
- Filtered Mode: keeps the website's original colors while letting you adjust brightness, contrast, warmth and dimming.
- Normal Mode: returns the website to its original design whenever you do not want dark conversion.
- Website-specific settings: use global settings or create a different configuration for a particular website or page.
- Brightness, contrast and saturation: fine-tune the converted appearance to suit your screen and surroundings.
- Warmth and dimming: soften bright website colors when you prefer a less intense appearance.
- Scheduling: choose when Night Eye should turn dark mode on or off automatically.
- System-theme integration: let Night Eye follow supported operating-system and browser color settings.
- Built-in theme integration: on supported websites, choose whether to use the site's own dark theme or Night Eye's conversion.
Night Eye Lite provides free dark mode on up to five websites in one browser. New installations also include three months of Night Eye Pro with no payment or registration required.
Why Safari Asks Night Eye for Website Access
Safari may warn that an extension can read and change webpages. Night Eye needs permission to access a page because changing its colors and visual elements is the function of the extension.
Night Eye performs webpage color conversion locally on your device. Promotino does not receive the URLs or domains of webpages you visit, webpage content or your browsing history when Night Eye converts a page.
Night Eye still communicates with its servers for essential functions such as authentication and license verification. For the complete explanation of extension data handling, see the Night Eye Privacy Policy.
Customize Safari Dark Mode With Night Eye
After Night Eye is enabled, open the extension from Safari and choose how the current website should appear.
- Choose Dark for full dark-mode conversion.
- Choose Filtered when you want to keep the site's original colors but reduce their intensity.
- Choose Normal to leave that website unchanged.
- Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, warmth and dimming as needed.
- Create individual settings for websites or pages that need different treatment.
Night Eye remembers your selected settings and applies them when you return to configured websites.
How to Turn Off Safari Dark Mode
If you want to return Safari to a lighter appearance, first identify which layer is dark.
- iPhone or iPad interface: go to Settings → Display & Brightness and choose Light.
- Mac interface: go to System Settings → Appearance and choose Light.
- Only the webpage is dark: open Night Eye and choose Normal, or disable Night Eye for that website.
- Disable the extension on iPhone: go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions → Dark Mode - Night Eye and turn off Allow Extension.
- Disable the extension on Mac: open Safari → Settings → Extensions and clear the Night Eye checkbox.
How to Change the Safari Start-Page Background in iOS 26
The Safari start-page background is separate from webpage dark mode.
In iOS 26, open Safari and create a new tab. Scroll to the bottom of the start page, tap Edit, then use Background Image to choose the image shown behind the Safari start page.
This changes the start page only. It does not turn websites dark. For website dark mode, use a site's own dark theme or Night Eye.
Safari Dark Mode FAQ
How do I turn on Safari dark mode on iPhone, iPad or Mac?
On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings → Display & Brightness → Dark. On Mac, go to System Settings → Appearance → Dark. This changes Safari’s interface, not every webpage.
How do I make websites dark in Safari?
Some websites follow your device’s dark appearance or offer their own theme. For websites that stay light, enable Night Eye in Safari and choose Dark mode. Safari itself does not include a separate setting that forces all webpages into dark mode.
Why is Safari dark while a website is still white?
Safari’s interface and webpage colors are controlled separately. A website may remain white if it does not support your system color scheme. Night Eye can apply dark mode to the webpage layer.
Does Safari offer a true black dark mode?
Safari does not provide a universal pure-black setting. Its interface follows the system appearance, while websites choose their own colors. Night Eye converts most webpages and lets you adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, warmth and dimming instead of forcing one pure-black design.
Is Night Shift the same as Dark Mode?
No. Night Shift changes the screen’s color temperature. Dark Mode changes the appearance of the operating system and supported apps, including Safari’s interface.
How do I manage Night Eye in Safari on iPhone or iPad?
Open Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions → Dark Mode - Night Eye. From there, you can enable or disable the extension and manage website access.
How do I change the Safari start-page background?
On iOS 26, open a new Safari tab, scroll to the bottom of the start page and tap Edit. Use Background Image to choose an image. This affects only the start page, not website backgrounds.
How do I turn off Safari dark mode?
Choose Light in your device’s appearance settings to make Safari’s interface light again. If only webpages are dark, switch Night Eye to Normal mode or disable it for those websites.
Get Dark Mode for Safari With Night Eye
Safari's system appearance is useful for the browser interface, but websites do not all follow it. Night Eye adds the missing website layer by converting most bright pages into a customizable dark theme on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Install Night Eye from the App Store, enable the Safari extension, and choose how each website should appear.
