What Is Dark Mode?
Dark mode is a setting that switches your device's interface from light to dark. It helps reduce eye strain, can improve readability, and may extend battery life on OLED screens. Most email clients adapt their interface to this setting. Some even allow users to turn it on manually.
Dark mode changes how your emails display. Email clients may invert or adjust colors automatically. This can affect text, backgrounds, and borders—but not images or logos.
Watch this demo on dark mode in Knak:
Why Use Dark Mode?
Eye comfort: Reduces strain, especially in low-light conditions
Improved readability: Helpful for some users and environments
Battery efficiency: Saves power on OLED screens
It's cool! - There's no denying it, dark mode is the cool kid on the block in UX design right now.
How Dark Mode Affects Emails
Email clients handle dark mode differently. Some simply darken backgrounds. Others invert all colors - even dark to light. The way that dark mode affects your emails will vary between email clients. At the moment Gmail and Outlook on Windows have the most invasive color changes when dark mode is used.
Below is a table of all the major email clients that have a dark mode, and how they modify your email in dark mode.
Email client | Default behavior in dark mode |
Apple Mail (iPhone & iPad) | May darken some elements, particularly white backgrounds |
Apple Mail (Mac) | May darken some elements, particularly white backgrounds |
Outlook (Mac - latest version) | Darkens bright colors and backgrounds, lightens text |
Outlook (Mac - older versions) | Darkens bright colors and backgrounds, lightens text |
Outlook (Windows 365 & 2021+) | Inverts all colors (white becomes black, black becomes white) |
Outlook App (Android) | Darkens bright colors and backgrounds, lightens text |
Outlook App (iOS) | Darkens bright colors and backgrounds, lightens text |
http://Outlook.com (Browser) | Darkens bright colors and backgrounds, lightens text |
Gmail App (iOS) | Inverts all colors (white becomes black, black becomes white) |
Gmail App (Android) | Darkens bright colors and backgrounds, lightens text |
Yahoo App (iOS) | Darkens bright colors and backgrounds, lightens text |
Yahoo App (Android) | Darkens bright colors and backgrounds, lightens text |
Can You Customize Emails for Dark Mode?
Yes, but only in compatible email clients. These allow custom styling with CSS. Knak supports dark mode editing to help you optimize images and colors specifically for dark mode.
Below is a table of all the major email clients with dark mode capabilities and whether they support dark mode editing:
Email client | Supports dark mode editing |
Apple Mail (iPhone & iPad) | Yes |
Apple Mail (Mac) | Yes |
Outlook (Mac) | Yes, in some versions. (Support can vary between installations. Still darkens elements that are considered too bright, click here to learn more) |
Outlook (Windows) | No |
Outlook App (Android) | No |
Outlook App (iOS) | No |
http://Outlook.com (Browser) | No |
Gmail App (iOS) | No |
Gmail App (Android) | No |
Yahoo App (iOS) | No |
Yahoo App (Android) | No |
For email clients that don’t support dark mode editing, Knak offers a range of best practice recommendations and optimizations as you build, to ensure your emails look their best.
For instance, users might encounter unintended color inversions or inability to hide or replace images specific to dark mode when dealing with Outlook 365. By organizing colors and imagery for general compatibility, these issues can be minimized.
Preview your assets
Use the preview tab in Knak to toggle between light and dark modes.
Light mode:
Dark mode:
You can also use our Email Testing Feature to view how this email will appear in different email clients:
More Help for Dark Mode Emails
Dark Mode for Landing Pages
Landing pages are easier to manage. Browsers do not automatically change colors in dark mode. All major browsers support dark mode editing.
Need more help? Contact support via live chat within Knak using the chat bubble in the bottom right corner or email support@knak.com