Office Settings & Configuration

How to Use Dark Mode in Outlook and Teams but Light Mode in Word

Huma Ashraf Ch Oct 16, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to apply Dark Mode to Microsoft Outlook and Teams while keeping Microsoft Word in Light Mode, but finds that changing the Office theme affects multiple applications simultaneously.

How to Use Dark Mode in Outlook and Teams but Light Mode in Word

Product: Microsoft Office 365
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Customizing application interfaces for optimal reading comfort across different software tools.
Observed behavior: Changing the Microsoft Office theme to Dark Mode applies globally to Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, making it impossible to set Word exclusively to Light Mode.

Before you start

Verify that your Microsoft Office applications and Microsoft Teams are fully updated, as Microsoft Teams manages its appearance settings entirely independently from the main Office suite.

Solution 1

Set Teams to Dark Mode and Office apps to Light Mode

Because Microsoft Teams does not share the global Office theme, you can configure it to Dark Mode independently while leaving your primary Office apps like Word and Outlook in Light Mode.

This solution is ideal if you only need Microsoft Teams to be dark, but are willing to keep both Outlook and Word in the standard Light Mode.

Open Microsoft Teams settings

Launch Microsoft Teams, click on the three-dot menu (Settings and more) located near your profile picture at the top right, and select 'Settings'.

Apply Dark Mode to Teams

Navigate to the 'Appearance and accessibility' section and select the 'Dark' theme. Teams will immediately switch to Dark Mode.

Configure Office apps to Light Mode

Open Microsoft Word or Outlook. Click on 'File' in the top-left corner, go to 'Account', and set the 'Office Theme' to 'White' or 'Colorful'.

Solution 2Recommended

Use Dark Mode globally but switch the Word page canvas to white

Since Outlook and Word share the same theme, you cannot make Outlook's UI dark and Word's UI light. Instead, you can use the global Dark theme and change only Word's document background to white.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Enjoy a customizable reading experience with WPS Office

If the shared theme limitations in Microsoft Office disrupt your workflow, consider switching to WPS Office. It offers specialized viewing modes, including Eye Protection mode, and seamless compatibility with all your existing Microsoft Office files—completely free.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installation package for your operating system.
2. Install and launch: Run the installer, follow the on-screen prompts, and open the WPS Office desktop application.
3. Customize your view: Open any document, go to the 'View' tab, and select 'Eye Protection Mode' or adjust the page background to suit your preferences.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set Outlook to Dark Mode without affecting Microsoft Word?

No. In Microsoft 365 desktop applications, Outlook and Word share the same 'Office Theme' setting. Changing the theme to Dark Mode in Outlook will automatically apply Dark Mode to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Does changing the Microsoft Teams theme affect my Office applications?

No, Microsoft Teams operates independently of the core Microsoft Office suite. You can set Teams to Dark Mode without altering the theme settings in Word or Outlook.

How do I request independent app themes from Microsoft?

You can submit feedback directly to Microsoft by opening any Office application (like Word or Outlook), navigating to File > Feedback, and clicking on 'I have a suggestion' to request per-application theme settings.

Office App Problems