Some users of Microsoft Word for web will begin seeing a dark
mode for online document editor. It is not yet live for users
and requires a server-side update as the company says it will
begin testing dark mode with users in the coming weeks.
Currently in internal testing, dark mode for Word online
switches the bright white background to black.
While Office for Windows 11 has gained a dark theme earlier
this year and Outlook web also supports dark mode, Microsoft’s
web-based apps like Word and Excel have been notable holdouts.
We don’t know when Excel will receive dark mode, but Microsoft
has confirmed that night-friendly mode for Word is coming soon
and will likely also apply to the document view. The UI of Word
web is expected to receive a rather straightforward dark theme
matching the one currently available in Word for Windows or
‘Office for Windows’.
The dark mode will also apply to the document editor,
right-click menu and other areas of the web app.
Apart from darker background, this update will also switch the
colours used in the documents to a slightly darker version. For
example, bright colours like red or yellow will be adjusted to
reduce the brightness of Word and better match the dark mode of
the editor.
Microsoft will also provide an option to disable the dark
canvas (editing area) and stick with a lighter version.
As per a post on the Microsoft roadmap
page, Word’s dark mode is set to launch ‘soon’ and ETA
isn’t available at the moment.
New features coming to Office apps
In addition to dark mode for the web version of Word, Microsoft
is also working on new features and updated designs for apps
like OneNote.
Microsoft is updating the original Win32 OneNote app with
features from the retired UWP client as the company plans to
unify the two OneNote apps over the coming months. The new-look
ditches the classic ribbon menu with a fresh visual that
extends to the header and navigation panels.
All areas of OneNote have been updated with rounded corners and
Mica is noticeable across the app. Microsoft noted that design
refresh applies to the page list, section tabs and even
notebook dropdown.
As mentioned, OneNote is getting all features from its UWP
counterpart, including better Windows ink or pen integration,
new AI capabilities, ruler support and more.
