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How to Customize OneNote Desktop Theme Colors and Brightness
Question details
The user wants to know how to fully customize theme colors, create custom dark themes, or reduce the brightness in the OneNote desktop application.
- Product
- Microsoft OneNote Desktop
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Adjusting the application's appearance to reduce eye strain, lower brightness, or personalize the digital workspace.
- Observed behavior
- OneNote desktop does not offer a built-in, direct option to fully customize theme colors or generate completely custom dark themes, relying instead on system-level settings.
Ensure your Windows operating system is up to date, as OneNote's visual appearance is designed to synchronize with your system-wide personalization settings.
Enable Windows Dark Mode to Reduce OneNote Brightness
Since OneNote desktop lacks a standalone custom theme generator, you can apply the system-wide Windows Dark Mode to darken the interface and significantly reduce screen brightness.
While you cannot pick specific hex codes for custom theme colors in OneNote, switching to Dark Mode changes the canvas and ribbons to dark gray and black, which is highly effective for reducing eye strain.
Click the Start button on your Windows taskbar and select the 'Settings' gear icon, or press the Windows Key + I on your keyboard.
Click on 'Personalization' from the main Settings menu, then select 'Colors' from the left-hand sidebar.
Scroll down to the 'Choose your default app mode' section and select the 'Dark' radio button. Open OneNote Desktop to verify that the dark theme has been applied.
Submit Feedback for Advanced Customization
If you require more granular control over specific theme colors or brightness sliders, the best approach is to request this feature directly from the Microsoft development team.
Try WPS Office for a Comfortable, Customizable Reading Experience
While OneNote desktop has limited theme customization, WPS Office provides built-in Eye Protection and Dark Modes across its suite of Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheet applications, helping you work comfortably without relying solely on Windows system settings.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Get the free WPS Office suite from the official website and install it on your device.
- 2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open any document you wish to read or edit.
- 3. Enable Eye Protection Mode: Navigate to the 'View' tab on the top ribbon and click on 'Eye Protection Mode' to instantly apply a soothing, low-brightness background.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the page background color in OneNote without using Dark Mode?
Yes. You can change the background color of an individual page by navigating to the 'View' tab on the ribbon and selecting 'Page Color'. This allows you to choose from a palette of pastel colors to slightly reduce glaring white backgrounds.
Why did my OneNote stay white when I changed my Windows theme to Dark?
OneNote might be manually set to a light theme. To fix this, open OneNote Desktop, click on 'File', select 'Options', and go to the 'General' tab. Look for the 'Office Theme' dropdown menu and change it from 'White' or 'Colorful' to 'Use system setting' or 'Black'.
Are there third-party add-ins to create custom OneNote themes?
While there are powerful macro tools available for OneNote, such as Onetastic, there are currently no safe, verified add-ins that allow you to override the core UI theme colors of the OneNote Desktop application. Advanced programming workarounds should be discussed in the Microsoft Q&A community.
Does OneNote for Windows 10 have different theme settings than OneNote Desktop?
Yes, OneNote for Windows 10 (the UWP app) handles settings slightly differently. In OneNote for Windows 10, you can go to Settings and More (the three dots in the top right) > Settings > Options, and choose Light, Dark, or Use my Windows mode under the Color section.
