How do I force dark mode on specific apps on Mac?

macOS does not offer a native per-app appearance setting. However, some apps include their own appearance toggle in their preferences (for example, Safari, Slack, and many Electron apps). For apps without this option, there is no built-in way to force a different appearance from the system setting.

Dark Mode Not Working on Mac? Here's How to Fix It

Fix 1: Toggle the Appearance setting

The fastest fix. This forces macOS to re-evaluate its appearance state and often unsticks a frozen switch.

Open System Settings.
Go to Appearance.
Switch to Light.
Wait a few seconds.
Switch back to Auto.

This works because the toggle forces macOS to recalculate whether it should be in light or dark mode right now, based on the current time and your location. If Auto was stuck, this nudge is usually enough to get it moving again.

Tip

If you want dark mode right now regardless of the time, select Dark instead of Auto. Auto only switches at sunrise and sunset.

Fix 2: Check Location Services

macOS Auto appearance needs your location to calculate sunrise and sunset times. If Location Services are disabled, macOS falls back to a rough estimate of 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM, which drifts significantly from actual solar times depending on the season and where you live.

Open System Settings.
Go to Privacy & Security.
Click Location Services.
Make sure Location Services is turned on.
Scroll down and confirm System Services has location access.

Good to know

You don't need to grant location access to every app. The key is that System Services (at the bottom of the Location Services list) has access. That's what macOS uses for appearance switching.

Fix 3: Reset Location Services

Sometimes the cached location data goes stale, especially if you've travelled or changed networks. Toggling Location Services off and back on forces a refresh.

Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
Toggle Location Services off.
Wait 10 seconds.
Toggle Location Services back on.

After re-enabling, give macOS a minute to acquire a fresh location. Then toggle your Appearance setting (Fix 1) to force a re-evaluation.

Fix 4: Check Date & Time settings

macOS calculates sunrise and sunset from your date, time, and timezone. If any of these are wrong, the switching times will be off, and your Mac might stay in the wrong mode for hours.

Open System Settings.
Go to General > Date & Time.
Make sure "Set time and date automatically" is enabled.
Confirm your timezone is correct.

Watch out

If you use a VPN, your Mac may detect the wrong timezone automatically. Check this setting after connecting to or disconnecting from a VPN.

Fix 5: Restart the appearance daemon

If the quick fixes haven't worked, the system process that handles appearance switching may be hung. You can restart it from Terminal without rebooting your entire Mac.

Open Terminal (search for it in Spotlight, or find it in Applications > Utilities).
Type the following command and press Enter:

killall SystemUIServer

This restarts the SystemUIServer process, which manages the menu bar and appearance switching. Your menu bar will briefly flicker and reappear. After it restarts, toggle your Appearance setting in System Settings to trigger a fresh evaluation.

Fix 6: Delete appearance preferences

If the issue is a corrupted preference file, you can clear the stored appearance settings and start fresh. This is more aggressive than the previous fixes.

Open Terminal.
Run this command to remove the auto-switching preference:

defaults delete NSGlobalDomain AppleInterfaceStyleSwitchesAutomatically

Run this command to remove the current interface style:

defaults delete NSGlobalDomain AppleInterfaceStyle

Open System Settings > Appearance and set your preference again.

Heads up

This resets your appearance to the macOS default (Light). You'll need to re-select Auto or Dark in System Settings afterwards. It won't affect any other settings.

Fix 7: Check for conflicting apps

Third-party apps that control your Mac's appearance can conflict with the built-in Auto switching. If another app is setting your appearance on its own schedule, macOS Auto may lose the battle.

Check your menu bar for any appearance-related utilities.
Open System Settings > General > Login Items.
Look for apps that might control appearance (dark mode togglers, scheduling utilities, colour temperature apps).
Temporarily disable any suspects and test whether macOS Auto works on its own.

Good to know

Common culprits include older versions of f.lux, NightOwl (which was compromised with proxy network code and should be removed), and various menu bar utilities. If you find a conflicting app, you'll need to choose one method of controlling your appearance and disable the others.

Fix 8: Use a dedicated scheduling app

If the built-in Auto keeps breaking, especially after sleep/wake cycles, the most reliable long-term fix is to bypass the macOS Auto mechanism entirely. A dedicated app uses its own timer system rather than depending on the daemon that's failing.

Solace is a macOS menu bar app built specifically for this. It handles appearance switching with its own timer-based scheduling and proper wake-from-sleep handling. When your Mac wakes up, Solace immediately checks the current time against your schedule and switches if needed, rather than waiting for macOS to figure it out.

Beyond fixing the reliability problem, it also adds features that macOS Auto doesn't have:

Custom schedule times. Switch at 7 PM instead of sunset, or any time you choose.
Weather-aware switching. If it's dark and overcast at 3 PM, Solace can switch to dark mode early.
Wallpaper sync. Set different wallpapers for light and dark mode. They change automatically.
Evening warmth. Gradually reduce your screen's colour temperature as night approaches.
Zero data collection. Your location is processed entirely on your device.

Tip

If you use Solace, set your macOS Appearance to either Light or Dark (not Auto). Let Solace handle the switching. Running both can cause them to fight over control. For more on scheduling options, see How to Schedule Dark Mode on Mac.

Why does this keep happening?

macOS Auto appearance relies on a background daemon that evaluates your location and the current time to decide whether to switch. This daemon sometimes fails to re-evaluate after sleep/wake cycles, leaving your Mac stuck in whichever mode it was in before it went to sleep.

The problem has been reported across macOS Sonoma and Sequoia on Apple Support forums and Reddit. It appears to be related to how macOS handles the transition from sleep to active state. The appearance daemon doesn't always receive the wake notification promptly, or it receives it but doesn't recalculate.

Apple hasn't fully resolved it across these releases. Each macOS update improves things slightly, but the fundamental architecture of the switching mechanism hasn't changed. Third-party schedulers work around this by running their own timers and explicitly checking the schedule on every wake event.

Frequently asked questions

Why does dark mode get stuck after my Mac wakes up?

This is a known macOS bug. The appearance daemon that handles automatic switching sometimes fails to re-evaluate after a sleep/wake cycle. The issue has been reported across macOS Sonoma and Sequoia. Toggling the Appearance setting in System Settings usually unsticks it, but if it keeps happening, a third-party scheduling app can bypass the built-in mechanism entirely.

Does dark mode drain more battery on Mac?

On most Macs, no. OLED displays can save power in dark mode because black pixels are truly off, but the vast majority of Macs use LCD panels where the backlight stays on regardless of what's displayed. Dark mode won't meaningfully affect battery life on an LCD Mac. It's purely an ergonomic and aesthetic preference.

How do I force dark mode on specific apps?

macOS does not offer a native per-app appearance setting. However, some apps include their own appearance toggle in their preferences. Safari, Slack, and many Electron-based apps let you override the system setting from within the app. For apps without this option, there is no built-in way to force a different appearance from the system setting.

Can I schedule dark mode at a specific time on Mac?

Not natively. The built-in Auto setting only switches at sunrise and sunset based on your location. For custom scheduling, you can use Automator with Calendar events, Shortcuts with a helper app like Shortery, or a dedicated utility like Solace that supports both custom times and solar-based scheduling. See our full guide to scheduling dark mode on Mac for a detailed comparison of all four methods.

Will a macOS update fix the dark mode switching bug?

It's possible, but the issue has persisted across multiple macOS releases including Sonoma and Sequoia. Apple may address it in a future update, but there is no guarantee or timeline. If you need reliable automatic switching now, a third-party scheduler provides a dependable workaround by using its own timer-based system rather than relying on the macOS appearance daemon.

Tired of dark mode breaking? Solace — $4.99

Reliable appearance switching that survives sleep, wake, and macOS updates. Custom schedules, weather-aware switching, and zero data collection.

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