The safest good-looking Chrome themes are the ones Google makes itself. Google’s own themes in the Chrome Web Store include Just Black, Slate, Classic Blue and Oceanic, and each listing says “This theme was developed by Google.” Every theme below is free and was checked live in the Chrome Web Store themes gallery. To install one, open its page and select Add to Chrome.
Themes made by Google
- Just Black: the plain dark theme. Google describes it as “Midnight monochrome”.
- Slate: a darker option that Google says “is cool and composed”.
- Black & White: “a timeless combination” with no color.
- High Contrast Colorful: described as “The brightest of the bright. The darkest of the dark.”
- Classic Blue: blue, “Just like the old days”.
- Oceanic: “as deep and mysterious as the sea”.
- Serenity: “A tranquil backdrop for browsing”.
- Rose: “A blush of color for your browser”.
- Banana: “Vivacious and fruity, Banana adds sunshine to your day”.
Popular dark themes from other makers
These come from independent developers and appear in the Web Store’s “Dark & black themes” collection:
- Material Simple Dark Grey: a darker grey theme with a fully dark header bar.
- Into The Black Hole: a true black theme that its maker says suits any display, especially AMOLED screens.
- Slinky Elegant: a theme from the same dark collection that its maker sums up as “Smart. Simple. Beautiful Theme.”
Soft and colorful themes
- Catppuccin Macchiato: a soothing pastel theme.
- Shaded Purple: smooth purple tones.
Change Chrome’s colors without installing anything
Chrome has its own built-in themes and colors, so you don’t need the Web Store for a simple change (Google’s steps). Google says customizing the New Tab page needs a signed-in Google Account and Google as your default search engine.
- Open a new tab.
- At the bottom right, select Customize Chrome.
- Under “Appearance,” select Change theme to pick a background from Google’s gallery or upload your own image. Chrome suggests a matching color, and you can pick a different one.
- To switch between light and dark, choose Light, Dark or Device under “Appearance”.
For dark mode on every device, including phones, see how to turn on dark mode in Chrome.
Install, undo or remove a theme
These are Google’s steps from Download or remove Chrome themes:
- Install: on a theme’s Web Store page, select Add to Chrome. The theme is applied at once. If you don’t like it, select Undo at the top.
- Browse from Chrome: select More (three dots) > Settings, and under “Appearance” select Themes.
- Remove: select More > Settings, and under “Appearance” select Reset to default. You’ll see the classic Chrome look again.
Your theme is saved in your Google Account, so when you sign in to Chrome on another computer you see the same theme. Web Store themes are for Chrome on computers. Google says that if a theme won’t go away with these steps, you could have malware.