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A browser extension/add-on that applies a better dark theme to Microsoft Outlook and removes ads

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jerboa88/dark-mode-for-outlook

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Dark Mode for Outlook

Project type Language View on the Chrome Web Store View on the Firefox Add-ons Page View on the Edge Add-ons Page View on the Opera Add-ons Page Repository size Project license

A browser extension/add-on that applies a better dark theme to Microsoft Outlook and removes ads. Available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera, with partial support for Firefox mobile!


Important

Google is removing support for Manifest v2 extensions under the guise of improving security/privacy/performance for users of their browser. Ironically, this will affect your ability to use extensions like ad-blockers and tracker blockers that enhance your experience and keep you safe online.

This extension should not be affected, and I will add Manifest v3 support to it at some point.

That being said, if you are currently using Google Chrome, I strongly recommend switching to another browser that respects your privacy and is not run by the world's largest advertising company. I would recommend:

  • Firefox or Librewolf, if you want a powerful, free, open-source browser
  • Brave, if you want a similar experience to Chrome without all the negatives

Installation

Simple

The extension can be installed for your browser here:

Chrome logo Chrome
Firefox logo Firefox
Edge logo Edge
Opera logo Opera

Notes:

  • It can also be installed on Brave, Vivaldi, and other Chromium-based browsers from the Chrome Web Store (or by sideloading).
  • Installing add-ons for Firefox mobile is complicated at the moment, since Android's new Geckoview-based browser does not officially support all add-ons yet. If you still want to use this add-on on Firefox mobile, refer to this page for more information.

Advanced

If you wish to build yourself, you can download the repository, run npm install to install dependencies, and build the project with npm start. Make sure you have npm and Node.js v10.0.0 or greater installed (how?). If you have any issues running the build script, you can perform all the steps in that script manually.

Next, the build directory or zip file can be loaded into your browser of choice: Chrome / Firefox / Edge / Opera

Usage

Just install the extension and you should be good to go! Styles are automatically applied to any page on the following domains:

  • http(s)://outlook.live.com/
  • http(s)://outlook.office.com/
  • http(s)://outlook.office365.com/
  • http(s)://support.office.live.com/

Enable Outlook's built-in dark mode if you are able to do so, as this will ensure styles are applied correctly.

Options

Compose Pane Styling

Whether to forcefully enable dark mode styling for the compose pane. Only enable this if you want the compose pane to be dark when your version of Outlook does not have a built-in dark mode. Outlook does not like us messing with these styles so this will likely be buggy. Consider leaving this unchecked and writing emails with the default white background instead.

If you are able to turn on Outlook's built-in dark mode, there is no point in enabling this option. Use the 'View with a dark background' button under the compose pane to toggle the background color.

Custom Domains

If your Outlook exchange server is running on a custom domain (ex. https://mail.yourcompany.com/owa), you can add it here so that the dark mode is applied for any page on this domain. This is still an experimental feature so styles may not be applied correctly. If you encounter any issues, please create a bug report.

Multiple domains can be added and styles will be added to any page starting with the given URL, so this doesn't need to be super specific. For example, if you add the domain mail.yourcompany.com/owa, styles will be applied to https://mail.yourcompany.com/owa/inbox or http://mail.yourcompany.com/owa/mail?id=someId, but not https://mail.yourcompany.com/ or http://otherstuff.yourcompany.com/owa/.

This feature is optional. The necessary permissions are requested when you add a custom domain.

Privacy

This extension does not collect or transmit any personal information. Please see below for an explanation of the permissions required by this extension.

Required Permissions

Access to any site on the following domains is required so we can apply custom styles:

  • "http(s)://outlook.live.com/"
  • "http(s)://outlook.office.com/"
  • "http(s)://outlook.office365.com/"
  • "http(s)://support.office.live.com/"

Access to storage is required so we can save extension settings.

Optional permissions

These permissions are requested only when they are needed:

  • "tabs": Access to open tabs is required if you are using the Custom Domains feature. This is so we can check if any open tabs match the custom domains you specified
  • "http(s)://*/": Access to 'any site' is required if you are using the Custom Domains feature. This is so we can apply styles to any domain you specify. Note that the extension does not have access to all sites. It will only request permissions for the specific custom domains you add

Reporting Issues

Translations needed! If you know another language and want to help out, please see CONTRIBUTING.md for more details.

If you encounter any problems while using the extension, please create an issue here or create a pull request yourself to fix the issue (see Contributing).

I try to fix the extension as soon as possible when Outlook makes breaking changes, but keep in mind it may take some time for me to fit the work into my schedule and make all the necessary changes. Thanks for your patience 🙂.

Screenshots

Desktop site
Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3 Screenshot 4

Contributing

Contributions, issues, and forks are welcome. Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for more details.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. This project includes various resources which carry their own copyright notices and license terms. See LICENSE-THIRD-PARTY.md for more details.

Outlook is a trademark of Microsoft and this project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft in any way.