# 6.1: how to get rid of the dark theme?

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/6-1-how-to-get-rid-of-the-dark-theme/17280
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [November 2, 2025, 1:35am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/6-1-how-to-get-rid-of-the-dark-theme/17280 "2025-11-02T01:35:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 13

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### Author: ![Eastwave](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/eastwave/32/17555_2.png) [@Eastwave](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Eastwave)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/6-1-how-to-get-rid-of-the-dark-theme/17280/13 "2026-03-30T02:03:30Z")

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If ParaView 6.1 launches in dark mode even though your ParaView color theme settings are correct, the issue is that **Qt (the UI framework ParaView is built on) automatically detects Windows dark mode and overrides the app’s theme settings.**

**Solution: Set a Windows Environment Variable**

1. Press `Win + S` and search for **“Edit the system environment variables”** , then click it

2. Click **“Environment Variables…”**

3. Under **User variables** , click **“New…”**

4. Enter the following:

| Variable name | Variable value |
| --- | --- |
| `QT_QPA_PLATFORM` | `windows:darkmode=0` |

1. Click **OK** on all windows

2. Restart ParaView

That’s it! No need to modify the registry or change your Windows theme.

**Why this works**

ParaView stores its color theme in the registry under `HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ParaView\ParaView\6.1`, but Qt6 detects the system dark mode and overrides it automatically. Setting `QT_QPA_PLATFORM=windows:darkmode=0` tells Qt to ignore the system dark mode detection, letting ParaView run in light mode without affecting any other apps or your Windows theme.

> **Note:** This environment variable only affects Qt6-based applications. Your Windows system theme remains unchanged.

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_[View the full topic](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/6-1-how-to-get-rid-of-the-dark-theme/17280)._