How to Enable the New Official YouTube “Dark Mode” Theme on Chrome & Firefox (Updated)
Dark mode for Youtube isn’t really anything original, users have been able to enable custom themes for websites for ages, using an extension called ‘Stylish’. Now though Google is implementing their own Dark Theme as well is plenty of other small design tweaks to make using Youtube even better. If you want to get in on the new changes and streamlining early, this guide will show you how.
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Over the years Youtube has had many design changes and improvements, so it is surprising it has taken so long for a Dark Mode to be added. Having a Dark Mode option is a great way to grab more of a user’s attention, minimize distractions from other sources and deepen the experience, the same way that movie theaters do. It's also way better for your eyes!
As well as adding a new dark theme Google is also making some changes to the overall design of the site, implementing a more minimalist layout. The new design is still technically in its design phase but if you are really excited, below are the steps you need to take in order to enable it before it becomes mainstream. The changes work on all Windows, Mac, and Linux machines.
How to Enable YouTube’s Official Dark Mode Theme.
There are two ways you can go about getting the new Youtube UI and Dark Mode. Option 1 is the newly updated method, which is super easy and works until you reset your Chrome browser, delete cookies or use the option at the bottom of the new User Menu. If you do either of these, you will need to enter the information again. Option 2 works well also, however, it is a little more complicated and requires you to use an extension. (you can delete it afterward though and the UI will work fine)
Option 1: The Easy Way to Enable Dark Mode. (Chrome)
First, you have to go to www.Youtube.com, once you are at the main page press the F12 Key this will bring up a new menu. In the new window change to the Console tab, this can be found in the top left of the window. Now just enter the below code into the type area: (cut and paste is best)
document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=fPQ4jCL6EiE"
Once you have entered the code, press Enter to confirm, then Refresh the page. You will now have the brand new UI with Dark Mode. To find Dark Mode click on your Profile picture and select the theme you wish to use. Simple isn't it.
Note: Depending on the base language of your account it may not activate. Try signing out and signing in again to reset your account.
Option 2: The Harder Way to Enable Dark Mode. (Chrome)
To start the Process, you will need to open your Chrome Browser and add an extension called EditThisCookie. You can grab it here:
Download EditThisCookie
When you have downloaded the Chrome extension, head on over to the Youtube website for your region. www.youtube.com for those who want a shortcut to the site. Once you are on the main Youtube page you can sign in, however, it doesn’t make any difference to the process, just make sure you remain on the main page.
Now, whilst staying on the main page, click the newly added EditThisCookie icon, located on your extension bar. From the window that opens go down to: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE and click on it to see the Cookie Options. In this expanded tab replace the Value: 962-IT-gSyc (or similar) with the New Value: fPQ4jCL6EiE When you have entered the new value click the big Green Tick to save the changes.
Note: Keep a copy of the original code in case you want to change back to the old theme, this will be useful if the new layout is buggy on your system for some reason.
Now all you have to do is Refresh the page for the new design aspects to be visible. On refresh, you will notice that the page is still currently showing as white. This is normal and you will have to Enable Dark Mode Manually using the newly added option. Go up to your account profile picture and click on it (log in first of course, if you aren’t already), you will now see a new menu, bring your gaze down to about the middle of the list and you should see the theme set to Light, just click on this and flip it to Dark and you’re done.
You will also notice a few other interesting options on this menu you can fool around with, like Content-Location, Language, and Restrictions. If the new design layout isn’t your cup of tea, or it’s just buggy on your machine you can restore the old layout, by changing the code in the cookie menu back to its previous one.
Note: Don’t forget if you are running Stylish with other Youtube themes enabled you will need to turn them off, otherwise, you won’t see the changes correctly.
One you have changed over to the new theme you can go ahead and delete EditThisCookie as you probably won't use it again.
How to Enable YouTube’s Official Dark Mode Theme on Firefox.
The process for Enabling the new design layout and Dark Mode on Firefox is almost identical to Chrome, it just looks a little more complicated so follow closely. First, download the Firefox extension:
Download Cookie Editor
Then head on over to the Youtube website for your region. www.youtube.com for those who want a shortcut to the site. Once you are on the main youtube page you can sign in, however, it doesn’t make any difference to the process, just make sure you remain on the main page.
Now whilst staying on the main page, open the Cookie Editor extension you have just added. From the window that opens scroll down to until you find the entry: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE in the Cookie Name column. Click on it once to highlight it, then click Edit from the list of options below, and enter fPQ4jCL6EiE into the Content box then Save the changes.
Note: Keep a copy of the original code in case you want to change back to the old theme, this will be useful if the new layout is buggy on your system for some reason.
Now all you have to do is Refresh the page for the new design aspects to be visible. On refresh, you will notice that the page is still currently showing as white. This is normal and you will have to Enable Dark Mode Manually using the newly added option. Go up to your account profile picture and click on it (log in first of course, if you aren’t already), you will now see a new menu, bring your gaze down to about the middle of the list and you should see the theme set to Light, just click on this and flip it to Dark and you’re done. If the new design layout isn’t your cup of tea, or it’s just buggy on your machine you can restore the old layout by changing the code in the cookie menu back to its previous one.
Note: Don’t forget if you are running Stylish with other Youtube themes enabled you will need to turn them off, otherwise, you won’t see the changes correctly.
One you have changed over to the new theme you can go ahead and delete Cookie Editor as you probably won't use it again.