As featured in
Built-in Option
How to Enable Perplexity's Own Dark Mode
Perplexity includes a built-in dark mode. Here is how to turn it on — then see below for a more customizable alternative.
On desktop (perplexity.ai)
Open Perplexity
Go to perplexity.ai in your browser and sign in to your account.
Open All Settings
Click your avatar in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar and choose All Settings.
Set Theme to Dark
Under Preferences → Theme, choose Dark — or pick System to follow your device appearance.
On iPhone & Android
Open app settings
In the Perplexity app, tap your profile or account icon.
Choose Dark
Tap Appearance or Theme and select Dark — or System Default to follow your phone.
Limitation: Perplexity's dark theme is a single fixed look with no custom colors or schedule. Turn Off the Lights lets you pick your own dark colors and automate switching on Perplexity and every other site.
Official instructions: Customizing your appearance settings — Perplexity Help Center.
We verified these steps on perplexity.ai and the Perplexity app on iPhone and Android in October 2026. Last updated: .
Side-by-Side
Perplexity's Built-in Dark Mode vs Turn Off the Lights
Both options give you a dark Perplexity — the difference is how much control you keep over it.
| Feature | Perplexity Built-in | Turn Off the Lights |
|---|---|---|
| Dark theme on Perplexity | ✅ Yes — via All Settings → Theme | ✅ Yes — via Night Mode |
| Custom colors | ❌ One fixed dark palette | ✅ Background, text, links and buttons — all adjustable |
| Automatic schedule | ⚠️ Follows system theme only | ✅ Sunrise/sunset or custom hours |
| Works on other websites | ❌ Perplexity only | ✅ Same dark theme on every site you visit |
| OLED true black | ⚠️ One fixed dark-grey palette | ✅ Optional true black for OLED battery savings |
| Mobile | ✅ Perplexity app Appearance → Dark | ⚠️ Desktop browsers, plus Safari on iOS and Samsung Internet on Android |
| Price | ✅ Free | ✅ Free & open source |
Extension Features
Everything You Need for the Best Perplexity Dark Mode
Turn Off the Lights is not just a simple dark theme for Perplexity. It is a complete browser enhancement built to give you full control over how every website looks in the dark.
Consistent Perplexity Dark Theme
Apply a uniform dark theme to perplexity.ai with your chosen colors — not just the fixed default theme.
Auto-Schedule Day/Night Switch
Set sunrise/sunset switching or custom hours. Your dark theme turns on and off automatically without any manual intervention.
One Theme for All Websites
The same dark theme applies to every website — Perplexity, Instagram Web, Messenger, YouTube, Reddit, and beyond.
Choose Your Own Dark Colors
Pick background, text, link, button, and border colors independently. True black for OLED or warm dark for reading comfort.
Smart Detection
Turn Off the Lights detects when Perplexity has already applied its own dark mode and can skip double-layering automatically.
No Perplexity Data Access
The extension applies visual changes only. It does not read, store, or transmit any Perplexity content or account data.
How It Works
Enable Perplexity Dark Mode in Under 30 Seconds
Turn Off the Lights is available in every major browser store and takes less than 30 seconds to install. Its dark-theme feature is called Night Mode: enable it once in Options and it applies your own chosen colors to Perplexity and any other website — unlike Perplexity's fixed built-in theme.
Install Turn Off the Lights
Add the free extension from Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, Edge Add-ons, or Opera Add-ons.
Open perplexity.ai
Navigate to perplexity.ai in your browser with the extension installed.
Enable Night Mode
Open Options → Night Mode tab and toggle the Night Mode switch on.
Set Schedule & Colors
Choose custom dark colors and set an automatic day/night schedule so night mode on Perplexity switches without any manual effort.
Browser Support
One Perplexity Dark Mode Extension. Every Browser.
Turn Off the Lights is available across all major desktop browsers. Install it in one browser and your Night Mode settings sync automatically to others.
⬇ Install Free — Night Mode for Perplexity
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Perplexity Dark Mode
Perplexity has a built-in dark mode in its settings. For a fully customizable alternative with custom colors and auto-scheduling, install Turn Off the Lights and enable Night Mode in Options.
Yes — perplexity.ai offers Light, Dark and System themes under your avatar → All Settings → Preferences → Theme. For custom colors and an automatic schedule, use the free Turn Off the Lights extension.
Perplexity's dark mode has fixed colors and requires manual toggling. Turn Off the Lights offers custom colors, automatic scheduling, and the same dark theme on every other website you visit.
The Perplexity mobile app has its own theme setting — tap your profile icon, then Appearance/Theme → Dark. Turn Off the Lights is a browser extension for desktop browsers.
On OLED screens, true black pixels use less power. A true-black custom theme from Turn Off the Lights Night Mode saves more than any fixed dark-grey theme.
Reload the page, then check your avatar → All Settings → Preferences → Theme → Dark. If dark mode is missing or too limited, the Turn Off the Lights extension applies a dark theme to Perplexity in any desktop browser.
Why Turn Off the Lights
A Perplexity Dark Mode You Can Trust
The table above shows what Turn Off the Lights adds on top of Perplexity's built-in dark mode. What a feature list can't show is why millions of users trust it on every website they visit — including perplexity.ai.
Open Source, Private, and Free — Always
Turn Off the Lights collects no personal data, displays no advertising, and charges nothing. The extension is fully open-source under the GNU General Public License Version 2 (GPLv2), with its complete source code available on GitHub for anyone to inspect. It has been in continuous development since 2009 and remains one of the most trusted browser extensions available, with millions of active users across all major browsers. Stefan Van Damme is the solo developer and has maintained the extension with monthly updates for over 15 years.
Respects Perplexity's Own Settings
Smart detection notices when perplexity.ai has already applied its built-in dark theme and skips double-layering, so the two never conflict. Prefer Perplexity's native theme on this one site? Night Mode lets you exclude any domain with per-site rules while keeping your dark theme everywhere else.
Dark Mode Guides
More Dark Mode Guides
Get the same dark experience on your other favorite websites and browsers: