In the next official update to macOS Mojave, Apple's Safari browser will enable automatic Dark Mode for websites that support it.

safari dark mode for websites
Since the release of Safari Technology Preview 68 in October, Apple has been building support for the use of ‌Dark Mode‌ CSS, which can be enabled via its Develop -> Experimental Features menu. The experimental feature has now also made its way into the latest macOS Mojave 10.14.4 developer beta.

macOS Mojave enables users to switch between Light and Dark mode via System Preferences -> General. With the latest macOS developer beta installed, websites that support the new CSS query will automatically adapt their color scheme to match whichever system-wide option the user has enabled.

dark mode safari website
As noted by iDownloadblog, developers running the macOS 10.4.4 beta can test out the new feature by visiting software engineer Kevin Chen's website, which already supports the new Safari CSS media query. Everyone else can give it a spin by downloading the latest version of Safari Technology Preview, which can be run alongside vanilla Safari in any version of macOS Mojave.

Related Forum: macOS Mojave

Top Rated Comments

nortonandreev Avatar
90 months ago
While this is neat, I can’t see it being widely implemented by websites.

I’m a web dev and I feel like unless this becomes a standard across all browsers, we simply won’t implement designs for it. It’s a further cost to our clients (and a pretty major one in reality) and for a single web browser? A web browser that only runs on a single OS? I doubt many companies will be keen to spend money on this.
Others browsers will implement support for it as well, eventually. Also, Windows 10 has already got dark theme, so it makes sense for other browsers to have it as well. Chrome and Firefox are already working on it. When it comes to adding support for it and the costs related to it, I think it mostly depends on how big the website is, but for my personal website I added the query for like 5 minutes. I think it is really nice feature and hope to become widespread in near future. Just because you feel like it's "useless", doesn't mean it's the case for everyone else.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuchal Avatar
90 months ago
Others browsers will implement support for it as well, eventually. Also, Windows 10 has already got dark theme, so it makes sense for other browsers to have it as well. Chrome and Firefox are already working on it. When it comes to adding support for it and the costs related to it, I think it mostly depends on how big the website is, but for my personal website I added the query for like 5 minutes. I think it is really nice feature and hope to become widespread in near future. Just because you feel like it's "useless", doesn't mean it's the case for everyone else.
And if your website already has a dark mode, it's just a matter of automatically choosing it as the default.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
twistedpixel8 Avatar
90 months ago
Others browsers will implement support for it as well, eventually. Also, Windows 10 has already got dark theme, so it makes sense for other browsers to have it as well. Chrome and Firefox are already working on it. When it comes to adding support for it and the costs related to it, I think it mostly depends on how big the website is, but for my personal website I added the query for like 5 minutes. I think it is really nice feature and hope to become widespread in near future. Just because you feel like it's "useless", doesn't mean it's the case for everyone else.
I don't remember calling it "useless". My point was that it's an additional burden on Web Devs and that translates directly into cost which has to be eaten by someone. And I sure as heck am not eating it.

Respectfully, if you're happy with implementing Dark Mode as an afterthought, the 5 minute approach will probably suffice. If, however, you do things properly, you need to consider the aesthetics/UX of the site as a whole and make all the same considerations you would when designing the default aesthetics/UX.

Maybe if the site is extremely basic with 95% of it black text on white background, you'd get away with it. The issue is that if users start to expect all sites to work with Dark Mode, you create a huge problem.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kangastu Avatar
90 months ago
I think the Mac / iOS specialist sites (MacRumors / 9to5mac etc) and third party manufacturers that specialise in Apple stuff (twelve south, etc) may do this, but as a web dev myself I second twistedpixel8’s comments - unless it becomes a global “dark mode” standard, uptake of this is going to be slow to non existent.

Love the idea and the direction.

Side note: I hope this points to iOS13 having a dark mode!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zeekyr Avatar
90 months ago
I've been looking for something like this to go with dark mode on my 2017 MBP running Mojave. Is this something that the end user can do right now? If so, can you link a tutorial? I used to do web development myself, so I'm comfortable with CSS.
I'm using these two addons to achieve this affect:

https://darkreader.org

No CSS editing is needed for that one.

https://cascadea.app

This one lets you customize the CSS of any website further. For example, I used this addon to invert the NYT logo, because Dark Reader didn't automatically do that. It lets you tweak and customize things even more.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pakaku Avatar
90 months ago
There are websites out there that already offer a dark theme you can switch on or off. I doubt it would be that difficult to automate that switch if the theme is in place already, and I wonder if the complainers here really should be ignoring a feature many people would find useful.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Apple John Ternus 2019

Will John Ternus Really Be Apple's Next CEO?

Friday December 5, 2025 9:01 am PST by
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge. Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...