A long-awaited display feature of Microsoft Excel has finally arrived—Dark Mode. You can now work on your spreadsheets with a darker theme on Windows PCs.

As far as modern technological trends go, Dark Mode is certainly towards the top of the list. Indeed, it seems that every platform and program—from Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge to YouTube and Wikipedia—offers the option to switch from a white background to a black one. But there’s good reason to opt for this visual transition. Dark mode supposedly helps to reduce eye strain, often requires less battery power, is more favorable to individuals with light sensitivity, and projects a modernized, appealing appearance.

Now, Microsoft Excel has joined the list, with the new feature allowing you to darken your entire worksheet, including the menu ribbon and even the cells themselves. If the darkened user interface concept is new to you, it’ll take some getting used to—but it’s worth giving it a try. People who have made the switch in Microsoft Word say that Dark Mode is now their default setting.

This display change comes just a few months after Microsoft added Focus Cell—another visualization aid that lets you track the active row and column more easily—to its popular spreadsheet program. To enable Dark Mode, click “Switch Modes” in the View tab on the ribbon.

In its blog announcement post, Microsoft added, “To make sure you are using a supported Office theme, select File > Account > Office Theme, and confirm that either Black or Use System Setting is selected.” It went on to clarify, “If you select the Use System Settings option, you will also need to make sure that your Windows theme is set to Black.”

When you enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Excel, it won’t affect how others see the spreadsheet if you collaborate in real time or share it via OneDrive or email. Similarly, using Dark Mode on your desktop won’t automatically turn it on when you view the spreadsheet on your phone.

In fact, this feature is currently only available in Excel for Windows to Microsoft 365 Insider members on the Beta Channel running Version 2502 (Build 18508.20000) or later. However, as with most Microsoft 365 features in their testing phase, Dark Mode will likely become generally available once Microsoft has verified its effectiveness and ensured its performance and positive user feedback. Whether Excel for the web, Excel for Mac, or the Excel mobile app eventually adopt this new feature remains to be seen.

Source: Microsoft