Is there a dark mode?
Executive summary
Yes — many sites and products now offer a dark mode, and Windows 11’s December 2025 updates specifically target File Explorer dark‑mode consistency while also introducing a short‑lived visual regression in an optional preview (KB5070311) that caused a white flash; Microsoft issued the December cumulative (KB5072033) to address those regressions and improve dark‑mode consistency [1] [2] [3] [4]. Multiple outlets report the preview’s intent was to extend dark styling across legacy dialogs but that some users saw a bright white flash when using Dark mode until the follow‑up cumulative arrived [5] [6].
1. What “dark mode” means now: design parity and user control
Dark mode has shifted from a cosmetic toggle to a platform goal of consistent UI theming: vendors are moving legacy dialogs and Explorer surfaces to match system Dark mode so the experience is uniform across apps and prompts (Windows preview aimed to “finish a long‑promised dark‑mode polish” for File Explorer and dialogs) [1] [2]. Some sites and services are rolling their own dark themes too — for example, Envato Elements announced Dark Mode is live for browsing comfort [7]. Site authors also report adding toggles that respect user media preference and provide an explicit switch stored in localStorage for forced dark or light modes [3].
2. Windows 11 December 1 preview: the promise and the regression
Microsoft’s December 1, 2025 preview (KB5070311) explicitly tried to extend dark mode to more File Explorer dialogs and polish the system UI, but it introduced a high‑visibility bug where File Explorer could briefly flash a full white window when Dark mode was active; Microsoft listed these as known issues in the preview notes [5] [2]. Coverage from community forums and tech sites advised most users — and IT fleets — to wait for the cumulative update rather than installing the optional preview, because the flash and other edge issues affected a subset of hardware/driver combinations [6] [8].
3. Microsoft’s December cumulative: fixes and improvements
Microsoft shipped the December Patch Tuesday cumulative (KB5072033) on December 9, 2025 as a mandatory rollup that combined security patches and quality fixes and “improves” File Explorer dark mode consistency, addressing the white‑flash regression introduced by the earlier preview [4] [9] [10]. Reporting frames KB5072033 as the follow‑up that stabilized the dark‑mode polish while bundling other fixes and security patches [4] [10].
4. Tradeoffs of touching legacy UI paint paths
Multiple sources frame this episode as the predictable engineering tension: modernizing legacy dialog painting to support Dark mode improves long‑term UX but risks brittle regressions that only surface on specific hardware or driver stacks; the preview’s white flash illustrates that risk [2] [5]. Forums and analysts recommended cautious deployment and pilot testing, especially in managed environments, until the cumulative showed stable telemetry [6] [11].
5. Practical guidance for users and admins today
If you want consistent Dark mode in Windows 11, the December cumulative (KB5072033) is the safer, supported path and is reported to make dark UI more consistent [4] [10]. For users sensitive to brightness changes, avoid optional preview packages (KB5070311) that were known to cause the white flash; if you already installed them, rollback or switch to Light mode until the cumulative is applied [2] [6]. For websites or personal projects, consider providing both automatic (media preference) and explicit user toggles (localStorage) so people can force dark mode regardless of system settings — that approach was described by a site author who implemented a footer icon to toggle default/forced states [3].
6. Conflicting narratives and remaining unknowns
Reporting converges on the same facts — preview aimed to fix dark mode, preview introduced white flash, cumulative fixed it — but perspectives diverge on severity and rollout timing: enthusiast outlets emphasized the risk of the preview and urged waiting, while cumulative‑focused writeups stressed the final patch’s improvements [6] [10]. Available sources do not mention long‑term telemetry numbers, the exact percentage of affected machines, or whether any hardware vendors supplied driver updates tied to the fix — those specifics are not found in current reporting (not found in current reporting).
7. Bottom line
Dark mode is widely available and being extended to formerly inconsistent places (File Explorer dialogs, site themes), but rolling these changes through legacy UI can cause regressions; the Windows preview (KB5070311) demonstrated the danger, and Microsoft’s December cumulative (KB5072033) is the corrective release that restores a more consistent dark experience [1] [2] [4].