Wikipedia, one of the most visited websites worldwide, currently doesn’t offer a built-in dark mode. This creates problems like eye strain for night-time readers, higher energy usage on OLED screens, accessibility challenges for light-sensitive users, and an outdated experience compared to other modern websites.

How a Dark Mode Could Work

A native dark mode for Wikipedia could invert the color scheme to dark backgrounds with light text while ensuring readability remains high. One approach might involve:

• Modifying Wikipedia’s existing CSS to use a dark palette
• Adding a toggle in the interface for manual switching
• Detecting system-level dark mode preferences automatically
• Ensuring tables, infoboxes, and mathematical formulas remain clear

This would benefit users who read at night, those sensitive to bright screens, mobile users (for battery savings), and anyone spending long sessions reading articles.

Comparing with Current Solutions

While some workarounds exist, they have limitations:

• Browser extensions (like Dark Reader) apply dark mode to all sites but can be inconsistent with Wikipedia’s design
• Mobile apps offer dark mode, but the web version lacks it
• Custom CSS requires technical knowledge to set up

A native implementation would work seamlessly across devices without extra plugins, while maintaining Wikipedia’s accessibility standards.

Possible Next Steps

One way to test this idea could start with a simple browser extension or user script that modifies Wikipedia’s appearance. Feedback from the Wikipedia community could then guide a full implementation as an official feature—making the option visible in user settings while respecting system preferences.