This is an update by Google that enabled dark mode on Google Search and Youtube. You can turn dark mode for these websites back off. See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1364786#answer-1475395

i just noticed the other day that everything is now in dark mode youtube/google etc.. i want to keep my theme with a dark upper portion but want the screen to be white again.the only temporary fix is to chage the them to all white. this is anoying me is there a way to get this forced dark screen back to what it was or to revert to a previous version of firefox? any help would be great! i did several searches to no avail. thank you!

Firefox 96 now harmonizes more parts of Firefox with your toolbar theme. When the text color on your background tabs is light/white, it triggers Firefox to use a dark background on menus, the sidebar, the Library window, and various built-in pages. Firefox also signals sites that you have a dark theme preference.

What to do about this now

(1) For people willing to change their toolbar theme

The fastest workaround for now is to change your theme to one that uses dark text. By dark text I mean, for example, the built-in Light theme, or an add-on theme with black or dark text on the tabs. That doesn't need to be blinding, it can have a pastel color. As examples:

• Firefox Logo: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/firefox-b/
• Winter snow: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/blue-winter-snow/
• Green shoots: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/printania/
• Great wave: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/japan-style-kanagawa-gr-232767/
• Kitten: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/savage-black-kitten/

(2) For people who can't part with their toolbar theme

There is a partial workaround for the built-in pages, and for websites that have light/dark responsive themes. Currently, the only way to switch this setting is through the back door:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox. The moderators would like us to remind you that changes made through this back door aren't fully supported and aren't guaranteed to continue working in the future.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste layout.css.prefers-color-scheme.content-override and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the preference to display an editing field, and change the value to whatever you prefer from the list below, then press Enter or click the blue check mark button to save the change.

• 0 => Force a Dark background
• 1 => Force a Light background
• 2 => Follow the System theme (default in Firefox 94)
• 3 => Follow the Browser toolbar theme (default in Firefox 95+)

The about:config page should immediately reflect your saved change. Websites probably will need a reload (Ctrl+R).

penzes102 said

i just noticed the other day that everything is now in dark mode youtube/google etc.. i want to keep my theme with a dark upper portion but want the screen to be white again.the only temporary fix is to chage the them to all white. this is anoying me is there a way to get this forced dark screen back to what it was or to revert to a previous version of firefox? any help would be great! i did several searches to no avail. thank you!

Firefox 96 now harmonizes more parts of Firefox with your toolbar theme. When the text color on your background tabs is light/white, it triggers Firefox to use a dark background on menus, the sidebar, the Library window, and various built-in pages. Firefox also signals sites that you have a dark theme preference.

What to do about this now

(1) For people willing to change their toolbar theme

The fastest workaround for now is to change your theme to one that uses dark text. By dark text I mean, for example, the built-in Light theme, or an add-on theme with black or dark text on the tabs. That doesn't need to be blinding, it can have a pastel color. As examples:

• Firefox Logo: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/firefox-b/
• Winter snow: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/blue-winter-snow/
• Green shoots: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/printania/
• Great wave: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/japan-style-kanagawa-gr-232767/
• Kitten: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/savage-black-kitten/

(2) For people who can't part with their toolbar theme

There is a partial workaround for the built-in pages, and for websites that have light/dark responsive themes. Currently, the only way to switch this setting is through the back door:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox. The moderators would like us to remind you that changes made through this back door aren't fully supported and aren't guaranteed to continue working in the future.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste layout.css.prefers-color-scheme.content-override and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the preference to display an editing field, and change the value to whatever you prefer from the list below, then press Enter or click the blue check mark button to save the change.

• 0 => Force a Dark background
• 1 => Force a Light background
• 2 => Follow the System theme (default in Firefox 94)
• 3 => Follow the Browser toolbar theme (default in Firefox 95+)

The about:config page should immediately reflect your saved change. Websites probably will need a reload (Ctrl+R).

Thank you so much. I now know I should stop looking for a fix for the menus. I fall into option (2) above. I can't part with my theme, something called Classic Blue. It's beautiful. But also greatly helps usability/readability by setting the browser header menus apart from the content and separates the overall Firefox window from other windows on my desktop. Among other problems, I had trouble determining the active tab in the default Firefox light theme.