Practical: Nightfall – how to switch dark mode with a keyboard shortcut on macOS [Video] – 9to5Mac

Nightfall is a free macOS utility from Ryan Thomson that allows users to quickly switch to dark mode with a keyboard shortcut, or by clicking an icon in the menu bar. Watch our brief practical procedure for a demonstration of how it works.

Current methods for switching to dark mode

Dark mode is a feature I often use when working on my Mac in a dimly lit environment. It can be activated by clicking on the Dark / Light buttons in System Preferences → General.

You can also switch to dark mode via Siri. Just ask Siri to turn on dark or light mode and your Mac will switch between the two. It’s even possible to automatically switch your Mac between light and dark depending on the time of day in your location.

Dark mode is great because with a toggle, you can instantly transition from your Dock, the menu bar, proprietary apps, and many third-party apps. This can make working on your Mac much more comfortable depending on the current lighting situation.

Nightfall video procedure

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Using Nightfall to Switch to Dark Mode

But sometimes you just want to be able to quickly activate dark mode, and there’s really no one-click options to do it by default in macOS. A new open source utility called Nightfall remedy this shortcoming.

Nightfall app icon

Nightfall is a simple utility that lives in the menu bar. With a click on the menu bar icon, it allows you to quickly switch between light and dark mode on macOS.

Utility preferences also allow the user to customize both the transition time and the delay that occurs when the switch is called between each mode. This is a very thoughtful feature, because otherwise, switching to dark mode is shocking and abrupt. Unlike similar utilities I have seen, Nightfall closely imitates the transition that occurs when switching from light to dark mode via system preferences.

Nightfall preferences

However, to use the transition function, you will need to grant Nightfall access to the screen recording permission in macOS. Keep in mind that Nightfall is an open source utility, which means its code is free to browse on GitHub.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Nightfall lets you assign a global keyboard shortcut for quickly dark mode from anywhere. In System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts, you will find a new Switch dark mode option in the Services menu. The toggle is set to ⌃ + ⌥ + ⌘ + T by default, but you can customize it according to the shortcut you prefer.

Nightfall global keyboard shortcut for dark mode

Nightfall is available for free download and, as I mentioned, is open source. The developer accepts donations for those who appreciate the work involved in the production of this utility.

Are you using dark mode on your Mac? What do you think of Nightfall? Pick up below in the comments with your thoughts.

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