First look at Microsoft's new auto light/dark mode switch for Windows 11 — coming soon to PowerToys

Windows 11.

PowerToys is finally gaining the ability to automatically switch your Windows theme and apps between light and dark mode based on the time of day on Windows 11, and now we have our first look at what the feature looks like within the PowerToys settings menu. In a GitHub pull request, Microsoft has outlined the features and settings users will be able to configure.

The feature looks to have been very well thought out, with a nice UI that makes configuring when to switch between the two modes easy and intuitive. The feature is officially dubbed "Light Switch" within PowerToys, and lets you configure a time of day in which Windows will automatically switch between light and dark mode themes across the system.

Light Switch will also let you set a keyboard shortcut for when you want to switch between light and dark mode on the fly. You can even set the schedule to sync up with the sunrise and sunset, based on your current location, and add an offset in minutes if you want your theme to switch a few minutes before or after the sun has risen or set.

All the options for PowerToys' new Light Switch feature (Image credit: Microsoft)

The feature will also let you configure which parts of the OS actually switch themes. Windows has two themes that light and dark mode can apply to: system elements and apps. So for example, you can set Light Switch to change themes just for the apps, but keep your overall Windows system theme in dark mode if that's something you prefer.

Overall, the feature seems to be very well thought out and feature rich, with all the customization options you could want from a feature that lets you automatically switch between light and dark mode. It's insane that Microsoft hasn't ever built this into Windows, but at least the PowerToys team is now stepping up to fill the gap.

Hopefully the Windows team wakes up soon and decides to add this into the OS natively, as all other modern platforms already have a toggle that lets you switch between light and dark mode, though none are as feature rich as Light Switch is in PowerToys. Light Switch isn't yet available in the latest stable release of PowerToys, but it should be coming soon.

via Neowin