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Enable GNOME Dark Mode from the Terminal (gsettings)

Toggle GNOME's system-wide dark preference with gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme prefer-dark.

LinuxdesktopgsettingsthemesettingsLow risk
Run `gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme prefer-dark` to switch GNOME to dark mode.

01Command

Command
$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme prefer-dark

02What it does

This is the same key the GNOME Settings Appearance panel writes, so the change is instant and survives reboots. Apps that support the freedesktop dark-style preference (GTK4/libadwaita, Firefox, recent Electron apps) follow immediately; older GTK3 apps may need their theme set to a -dark variant as well. Verify with `gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme`, and `prefer-light` restores the light style.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
RequirementsGNOME 42+ for the color-scheme key. GTK3 apps may also need `gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme 'Yaru-dark'` (Ubuntu) to follow. KDE: use `plasma-apply-colorscheme BreezeDark` instead.
!Warning: This only affects GNOME and GTK apps — KDE users should use `plasma-apply-colorscheme BreezeDark`, and Qt apps outside KDE may ignore the setting entirely.

04Undo

Undo
$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme default

05Sources

  • gsettings(1) - Linux manual page
    Ubuntu Manpages · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: gsettings get/set reads and writes GSettings keys such as org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme, whose values include default, prefer-dark and prefer-light.

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: System & Settings