Support for native dark mode
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Hi! There are now many apps that have implemented dark mode natively, is it possible to implement it on KeePass too, without using plugins that expose to security risks? Thanks for everything!
Happy New Year!
KeePass already supports dark themes.
https://keepass.info/help/base/faq_tech.html#guidark
Happy New Year, best regards,
Dominik
thanks for fast reply, but actually KeePass have the support for only high contrast theme not a "Default dark theme" on Windows 11.
Hello Dominik. Thanks for all your hard work on KeePass - it's top-notch!
Christian is correct - KeePass seems to automatically switch to a dark theme only when using the high-contrast Windows themes. Windows 10 and 11 provide dark themes that can be chosen without being in high-contrast mode (and require fewer hoops for the user to jump through). The OS and MS store apps respect this setting for dark backgrounds. Notably, high-contrast mode (and its accompanying dark option) is an accessibility setting, whereas light versus dark theme is cosmetic. I'd wager most users don't want to use high-contrast mode (it makes many other color alterations) and thus prefer the cosmetic-level dark theme.
Would it be possible for you to support detecting the standard, non-high-contrast dark mode?
Attached: screenshot showing relevant settings in Windows 10 Pro.
Access via Settings > Personalization > Colors
Should be accessed similarly in Win11, but I haven't used it much yet.
Here are resources for dark mode:
In XAML, the desired theme can be read from the Application object (can also be detected per-control): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/api/windows.ui.xaml.application.requestedtheme
Overview of Visual Styles for C/C++: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/controls/themes-overview
Guidance for checking whether the theme can be considered light or dark from Windows::UI::ViewManagement::UISettings.GetColorValue(UIColorType) by inspecting the Foreground color: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/ui/apply-windows-themes#know-when-dark-mode-is-enabled
I'm already aware of all that. However, KeePass is a regular Windows application, not a UWP app, thus it follows the system theme, not the UWP option. This is already explained on
https://keepass.info/help/base/faq_tech.html#guidark
Best regards,
Dominik
The high-contrast theme is not the same as the system theme. Your current implementation requires activating high-contrast mode, which is not a light versus dark theme. Currently, KeePass ignores the system theme setting. It's probably readable via a registry key - I just couldn't find tge specific one(s) in the 20 min I spent researching before I posted the links.
Also, there exist othe Win32 apps which respect the system theme setting: Microsoft Office, Edge, and Chrome are all examples. I was pretty sure KeePass is a Win32 app written in C++, although your summary suggests some C# is also used. I only mentioned UWP because of C#; also, I suspect (but have not personally confirmed) the C# libraries would be usable in non-UWP C# applications.
Although I don't have a ton of experience in C++ (I work professionally in .NET - largely C#), but I'd be willing to explore what changes might be made to the KeePass codebase support the Windows theme settings, if you would be willing to discuss potentially including that in a future version.
Dominik,
I would appreciate it if you update https://keepass.info/help/base/faq_tech.html#guidark to more clearly explain the current situation. As others have pointed out, KeePass doesn't support a dark theme. Enabling the high contrast mode in Windows Accessibility settings is not a dark theme in the widely interpreted sense and it is a global setting that overrides the actual system theme (at least on Windows 10).
The current documentation is, frankly, misleading and confusing. I had been using the KeeTheme plugin for quite a while until I saw the Dark theme link in KeePass options. I thought a proper dark mode had been added to KeePass, so I removed KeeTheme, restarted KeePass, and tried to find the settings you referred to within KeePass options.
Then it dawned on me that you were referring to the global high contrast mode. This is an accessibility feature and not the same as light or dark mode or the Windows color settings (which supports light, dark, or a custom color now).
To be honest, and I say this with respect for you and appreciation for efforts, it felt like a way to dismiss requests for a dark mode without admitting that KeePass doesn't support it without a plugin. If you don't want to support dark mode without a plugin, that's fine with me, but please be more transparent about it.
Last edit: James Barton 2025-12-14
As far as I can see, the documentation is correct. It explains the difference between system themes and UWP options already.
Best regards,
Dominik
This is NOT true.
I use a dark mode on my PC, all apps are dark. KeePass is NOT.
All the screen is dark, except the KeePass app. I feel discomfort while I am using it, even on low monitor brightness...
So please remove the misleading info:
"Note: KeePass supports all system themes (including dark ones) without a plugin. The KeeTheme plugin is intended for changing KeePass' appearance independent of the active system theme. " from the Kee Theme description.
And not to forget: Thank you very much for great app.
Best regards,
Nika
Last edit: Nika 2026-03-04
For anyone else coming across this thread and finding the developer's obstinance frustrating, I can highly recommend KeePassXC. It's a modern cross-platform alternative that looks great and respects your system theme. It will work with your existing kdbx files.
Have you looked at the KeeTheme plugin? It's all you need.
I'll consider it as a last resort, but I'd rather have basic light/dark theming available without needing a plugin. I did spend time prowling the KeePass website before making my request.
I use the KeeTheme plugin. With it, I can specify my own 'dark theme' that suits me.
I am not sure what is the mystery about KeePass and Dark mode.
Even https://keepass.info is involved in this conspiracy:
I use a "dark reader" add-on for Firefox, which is working great. I can't remember when any visited site was not processed well, and that was font color too dark on dark background.
When I visit https://keepass.info - it looks like it is not working at all.
SO I go to the Dark Reader settings to check if it is turned off by mistake.
No - it's ON.
And interestingly enough - if I turn it OFF - The https://keepass.info gets pleasant for the eyes...
I see the same issue. Somehow the KeePass website manages to wreck Dark Reader's heuristics / dynamic dark mode styling and can't detect that the site already has a dark mode (and no light mode). Out of thousands of sites I've viewed with Dark Reader, that's certainly rare. The solution is a tiny bit of CSS.
It's also rather unfortunate considering the situation with KeePass's lack of a built-in dark mode and the stonewalling around even acknowledging it. The docs are clearly wrong and any reasonable person could see that. I'm happy using a plugin, but I can't excuse the lie that KeePass has built-in support for dark mode.
I know I can migrate to something else, and I am. But I'm pretty disappointed about it.