File Explorer has received a much-needed improvement starting from Windows 10 update version 1809 build 17666. In this guide, you’ll learn how to enable File Explorer Dark Theme on Windows 10 devices. You will be able to implement the instructions in this tutorial to enable dark theme in File Explorer on your desktop, laptop or tablet running Windows 10 v1809 preview build number 17650 or later.
Days after the release of Windows 10 April 2018 version 1803 to users worldwide, Microsoft has already started work on the next lineup of features to be introduced in its desktop operating system. Early preview build releases suggest that the Redmond based tech company is working on some really fine features to elevate the user experience even further. Among them is the dark theme for File Explorer on Windows 10.
And at long last, Microsoft brings dark theme to its file explorer with the latest preview build update. Though the feature to switch to a dark theme is not new in Windows 10, but it’s the implementation that has largely been inconsistent. One issue is the restricted use of dark theme on specific classic desktop applications, such as File Explorer, Control Panel and other older section of Windows operating system – it only worked with certain new Windows 10 elements and apps, up until now. Because starting from build 17666, dark theme support for the classic version of File Explorer has arrived.
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File Explorer Dark Theme (Windows 10)
This dark theme feature is designed using mach2, which is a tool created by Rafael Rivera that allows users to unlock preview features. If you have preview build 17650 or later installed on your device, you can use the steps below to enable file explorer dark theme on Windows 10. However, starting from the preview build 17666, you will be able to get this feature by default without needing to use third-party tools. For those on builds older than the version 17666, the following tutorial will be of great use.
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This feature is available only on those computers registered on the Windows Insider Preview Program. It’s still in testing stages to make sure that it performs without hiccups before the eventual release for public in the next major Windows 10 update to arrive at the back end of 2018.
Now let’s see how to enable the dark them for file explorer on Windows 10 using mach3 tool by Rafael Rivera.
Enable The Dark Theme For File Explorer On Windows 10
The steps below can be used to use File Explorer with the dark theme on devices running Windows 10 preview build 17650 or later. Starting from the build 17666, users will get this feature by default and can enable or disable it from the Settings app.
Step 1 – Download the mach2 tool from this GitHub link.
Step 2 – Go to the location where you saved the file and extract the content of the zip folder.
Step 3 – Open the folder to access the extracted content.
Step 4 – In the address bar, type cmd and hit enter to launch Command Prompt in the folder location.
Step 5 – Now type the following command and hit enter to enable dark theme on File Explorer:
mach2 enable 10397285
Step 6 – Let the process complete and restart your computer.
Step 7 – Now open Settings.
Step 8 – Click on Personalization.
Step 9 – Click on Colors.
Step 10 – Under More options, select the Dark theme option.
That’s it. Once you have performed all the above steps, open File Explorer which should now open in dark theme. Since this is not an officially approved method to enable dark theme File Explorer, it might only apply to some parts of the interface. To get a complete File Explorer dark theme experience, you will have to update your Windows 10 to the latest preview build version 17666 or later.
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