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The default theme for Microsoft 365 is Use system setting, which matches the Windows theme. You can change the look and feel of all your Microsoft 365 apps by changing the theme or background.

How to change your theme

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To change the background color and design of all your Microsoft 365 apps:

  1. Open a Microsoft 365 app, like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

  2. In the top left, select File > Options > General > Office Theme.

  3. Choose one of the options.

    Settings for Office theme

Colorful theme

The colorful theme aligns with the visuals of our modern Microsoft 365 apps by bringing their primary accent color to the ribbon.

The colorful theme in Excel:

Excel using Coloful theme
 

The colorful theme in PowerPoint:

PowerPoint using Colorful theme
 

The colorful theme in Word:

Colorful theme for Word

Dark gray theme

The dark gray theme is perfect for those who prefer a softer take on high-contrast visuals. Here's an example of the dark gray theme applied to PowerPoint:

PowerPoint using Dark Gray theme

Black theme

This feature is only available if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription. If you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber, make sure you have the latest version of Office.

The Black theme provides the highest-contrast visual for your Microsoft 365 apps. Here's an example of the black theme applied to PowerPoint:

PowerPoint using Black theme

White theme

The white theme displays the classic look of Microsoft 365. Here's an example of the white theme in PowerPoint:

White theme in PowerPoint

See Also

Dark mode in Outlook for Microsoft 365

On the Mac, Microsoft 365 apps will match the Light or Dark appearance of your Mac.

Tip: If you would like your Microsoft 365 apps to always use a Light appearance regardless of your Mac settings, you can enable "Turn Off Dark Mode" in Microsoft apps.

If you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you can also choose between two themes when your Mac is using a Light appearance.

To change the theme, click on the menu for your Microsoft 365 application (Word, Excel, etc.) and select Preferences > General. Under the Personalize section you can configure your theme.

  • Word preferences menu

  • Aluminum theme (default)
    The Aluminum theme provides a familiar Mac look and feel. Here's an example of the Aluminum theme in Word.
    Aluminum theme on Mac

  • Colorful theme
    The Colorful theme brings the primary accent color of the app to the ribbon. Here's an example of the Colorful theme in Word.
    Aluminum theme on Mac

Turn on Dark Mode on macOS

​​​To use Dark Mode, you need to change the "Appearance" setting in the macOS System Settings:

  1. Click the Apple menu at the top left.

  2. Select System Settings > Appearance.  (on older versions of macOS, choose System Preferences > General)

  3. At the top of the dialog box you can switch the appearance of the operating system from Light to Dark:
    Dark appearance setting on macOS

Here's an example of Word in Dark Mode.

Dark theme on Mac

Turn off Dark Mode for a Microsoft app

If you'd like to have Dark Mode turned on for your operating system but want to turn it off for individual Microsoft 365 apps, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the app preferences (For example, in Word, select Word > Preferences).

  2. Select the General tab.

  3. Under Personalize, select Turn off Dark Mode.

    Note that this setting only affects the current app, so if you want it turned off in WordandExcel, for example, you'll need to repeat these steps in each of those apps.

Dark Mode in Outlook

To set Dark Mode in Outlook, first set it for macOS, as described above. Then do the following:

  1. In Outlook, select Outlook > Preferences.

  2. Select the General tab.

  3. Choose the Appearance option you want:

    • Light       Sets Outlook to light mode, regardless of what macOS is set to.

    • Dark      Sets Outlook to dark mode, regardless of what macOS is set to.

    • System      Matches your macOS mode setting, either light or dark.

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