Dark mode now available for the file manager too

Dec 18, 2018 09:23 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is working on giving users more control over the look of their system in Windows 10, and the upcoming 19H1 release will make it possible to change the File Explorer theme independently from the rest of the desktop.

Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) introduces a dark theme for File Explorer, but the current implementation only allows users to enable it once the dark mode is actually activated for the rest of the operating system.

In other words, File Explorer can be dark only if Windows 10 is configured to use a dark theme as well.

In the upcoming Windows 10 19H1 update, this behavior is likely to change, according to a tweet from Albacore. Microsoft will allow users to change the theme of File Explorer independently in Windows 10 19H1, which means you can just enable the dark mode for the file manager even if the operating system is configured with the light theme.

Coming in spring 2019 to all users

The idea behind this change is to give users more options when it comes to the way their operating system looks and to better adapt each app to their configuration.

File Explorer itself has improved substantially in the latest OS feature updates, and Microsoft is now focusing on smaller changes that can improve the overall experience with the app.

Windows 10 19H1 is projected to be finalized in the spring of 2019, and just like before, insiders will be the first to get their hands on the RTM build. If the same release schedule as before is used, the update should be ready in March, while the public rollout kicks off in April.

If you want to use the dark theme for File Explorer in Windows 10 October 2018 Update, you can enable it by switching to dark mode in the OS from Settings > Personalization > Colors > Choose your color.