Enabling New Dark Mode Features in Windows 11

Enhancements to Dark Mode in Windows 11 File Explorer

Microsoft is introducing expanded dark mode features for File Explorer, notably in Folder Options and the Run command.
These features can be manually activated using the ViveTool command vivetool /enable /id:58383338, 59270880, 59203365, 48433719 via an elevated Command Prompt.
Current access to these enhancements is exclusive to the latest preview builds of Windows 11.

Despite ongoing improvements, the dark mode feature in Windows 11 is still a work in progress. To enhance user experience, Microsoft is focusing on introducing dark mode across unfinished components within the File Explorer, including legacy dialogs such as the Run command.

The latest visual upgrades for dark mode are being tested in preview builds released through the Windows Insider Program, particularly in Windows 11 builds 26220.6972 and 26120.6972 across Dev and Beta Channels for versions 25H2 and 24H2.

Key Improvements in File Explorer

In this update, Microsoft has added dark mode support for various elements in File Explorer. Noteworthy enhancements include:

Dark mode for the Folder Options page.
Visual support for actions such as copying, moving, and deleting, including dialog boxes for user confirmations.
Improved aesthetics for progress indicators and error messages.
Full dark mode integration for the Run command.

If you are utilizing one of these preview builds and have not noticed the changes yet, you can enable the new dark mode features manually with the ViveTool utility. For detailed guidance, follow the steps below.

Step-by-Step Guide to Enable Dark Mode in Windows 11

Access the ViveTool GitHub page.
Download the ViveTool-vx.x.x.zip file to your device.
Double-click the zip folder to extract it using File Explorer.
Select the Extract all button.
Click on the Extract button to complete the extraction process.
Copy the file path of the extracted folder.
Open the Start menu.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click on the top result, and select Run as administrator.
Input the following command to navigate to the ViveTool folder, and hit Enter:

cd c:\folder\path\ViveTool-v0.x.x

Make sure to replace the placeholder with the actual path to your folder.
Enter the command below to activate the dark mode updates for File Explorer and the Run command, then press Enter:

vivetool /enable /id:58383338, 59270880, 59203365, 48433719
Restart your computer to apply the changes.

After following these steps, you should now observe the newly implemented dark mode visuals within the Run command as well as other dialog boxes in File Explorer.

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File Explorer and Run new dark mode visuals / Image: Mauro Huculak

In addition, within File Explorer, the new dark mode visuals should appear in the Folder Options page as well as other dialog interfaces.

If you wish to revert the changes, you can follow the same steps but in step 10, execute the command vivetool /disable /id:58383338, 59270880, 59203365, 48433719. Alternatively, you can run vivetool /fullreset to restore all previous settings.

Note that these modifications can only be enabled in the latest preview iterations of Windows 11 via the Dev and Beta Channels. The provided instructions are ineffective in Release Preview, Canary, or Stable Channels.

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