Office Settings & Configuration

How to Fix Inverted Colors in Shared OneNote Documents

Adam Davis Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users viewing a shared OneNote document experience inverted or hard-to-read colors, often caused by conflicting dark mode or display theme settings between the creator and the viewer.

How to Fix Inverted Colors in Shared OneNote Documents

Product: Microsoft OneNote
Device & OS: iOS, Windows
Scenario: Viewing a shared notebook that was created with a different color theme or in dark mode.
Observed behavior: The colors in the shared document appear inverted or are difficult to read for the recipient.

Before you start

Before changing any settings, verify whether the readability issue happens across all your OneNote notebooks or just one specifically shared document, and check your device's current system-wide theme.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust the Office Theme in OneNote 2016 (Desktop)

Use this solution if you are running the classic OneNote 2016 desktop application on a Windows PC.

OneNote 2016 allows you to set an Office Theme independently of your Windows system settings. Reverting the theme to a lighter color can instantly fix inverted document colors.

Open Account Settings

Launch OneNote 2016. Click on the 'File' menu in the top left corner, then select 'Account' from the left-hand sidebar.

Change the Office Theme

Locate the 'Office Theme' dropdown menu. Click it and select 'White' or 'Colorful' to disable the dark background and restore standard text colors.

Adjust the Office Theme in OneNote 2016 (Desktop)

Theme Synced: Changing this setting may also update the theme across other Microsoft Office 2016 applications installed on your computer.

Solution 2

Change Color Options in OneNote for Windows 10

Apply these steps if you are using the built-in OneNote for Windows 10 app.

Solution 3

Modify System Display Settings on iOS

Use this method for iPhones and iPads, where OneNote directly inherits the system's appearance settings.

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1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS website to download and install the free WPS Office suite on your device.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my OneNote background turn black and invert text colors?

This usually happens because your device or application updated its settings to match a system-wide Dark Mode. You can revert this in OneNote by changing the Office Theme back to White or Colorful.

Can I force a shared OneNote document to always open in Light Mode for others?

No, OneNote displays documents based on the individual viewer's application or system theme settings. You will need to instruct users to switch their local display settings to Light Mode if colors appear inverted.

How do I switch back to normal colors on the OneNote mobile app?

On mobile devices like iOS, OneNote relies on your system's overall display settings. Go to your phone's Settings > Display & Brightness, and select Light mode to restore standard background colors.

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