Summary :
Do you want to switch between light and dark modes automatically? MiniTool Solution offers you the way to run Windows 10 auto night mode and switch from dark mode to light mode every day at a specific time.
With plenty of personalization settings, Windows 10 offers users two color modes:
- Light mode makes apps and desktop elements such as Start menu and taskbar display with a lighter color scheme. It is wonderful during daytime.
- Dark mode applies a darker color for desktop and apps, which works well in low-light environments.
You can turn on light mode or use Windows 10 dark mode in Windows Settings. However, if you want to switch between light and dark modes automatically according to the time of a day, you need to take advantages of Task Scheduler and PowerShell.
Let’s see how to do it!
How do you make the best use of Windows 10? Here you will find the best tips and tricks for Windows 10.
First Move: Set Windows 10 Auto Night Mode
To switch from the light to dark system mode on schedule automatically, you can create a new task in Task Scheduler with the following steps.
Step 1: Press Win + S to open Search, and then search for Task Scheduler. Click the Task Scheduler App from the results.
Tip: This step is to separate your task from system tasks and make it easier to manage tasks.
Step 4: Double-click Task Scheduler Library to expand it.
Step 6: Click General tab.
- In Name field, type a descriptive name for the task, such as Windows 10 auto night mode.
- Under Security optionssection, select Run whether user is logged on or not and check Do not store password.
Step 8: In Begin the task field, click the arrow and choose On a schedule to configure the trigger. Under Settings section, Select Daily and then you can set when to switch to the dark mode automatically (for example, 8:00 PM). Click OK when it’s done.
Step 10: In Action field, choose Start a program. Under Settings section, copy and paste the following path: %SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe.
Step 11: In Add arguments (optional) field, copy and paste this PowerShell command:
New-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name SystemUsesLightTheme -Value 0 -Type Dword -Force; New-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name AppsUseLightTheme -Value 0 -Type Dword -Force
Step 12: Click OK to save changes. Then Click Settings tab and check Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed. Click OK to confirm the changes you have made.
Tip: The option “ Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed “ helps to run the task if Task Scheduler misses the schedule when your computer was asleep.
Now Windows 10 auto night mode has been set and it will run every day at the time you specified.
To schedule a scan in Windows Defender Antivirus, you need to use Task Scheduler. And you can find the step-by-step guide in this post.
Second Move: Set Windows 10 Auto Light Mode
To switch between light and dark modes automatically, you can use these steps.
Step 1: Open Task Scheduler. Then right-click MyTask folder and choose Create Task.
Step 2: Specify the settings in General and Trigger tab by taking reference from Step 6–8 above.
Tip: You can name the new task as “ switch from dark mode to light mode” in General tab, and set the Trigger to start at 6:30 AM.
Step 4: Choose Start a program action. Then copy and paste the path to Settings section: %SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe.
Step 5: Copy the following path to Add arguments (optional) field:
New-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name SystemUsesLightTheme -Value 1 -Type Dword -Force; New-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize -Name AppsUseLightTheme -Value 1 -Type Dword -Force
Step 6: Click OK and check the Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed in Settings tab.
Step 7: Click OK to keep the changes.
Now Windows will switch between light and dark modes automatically at the time you set.
When you don’t need this feature any more, you can delete the task you create in Task Scheduler.
With a Windows 10 version 1903, you may encounter the Windows 10 night light not working issue. This post will tell you some methods to fix it.
Originally published at https://www.partitionwizard.com on October 24, 2019.
