Hello everyone. I love sitting on iNaturalist in the evenings but i find the bright colors can really hurt my eyes after some time. I have been wishing for a dark mode but since I don’t think there is one at this time I made a dark mode via Stylus for myself, but I figured I could publish it so that other iNatters can use it as well.
To get it you just have to install the extension for chrome/firefox called “Stylus” and then install the theme called “iNat Dark”.
If this is not ok to post in the forum or if there is an official dark mode coming feel free to take this post down.
The dark mode is a work in progress so it is not perfect yet but it should work on most pages
I am new to the forum so this topic can also serve as my hello
To get ahead of this, I have read the previous discussions on dark mode for iNaturalist. I am familiar with the request from February 2019 as well as the more recent discussion from September 2024.
Many websites and apps now offer a dark mode feature for people who prefer it. It is even possible to automatically detect your device settings and match whether you are in light or dark mode. Ironically, even the iNat Forum implements this:
I am unsure why the forum has this feature and the main website does not, but I suspect it has to do with open and closed requests. It seems that when the issue was first raised in 2019, several people provided alternatives in the form of browser extensions, which developers found satisfactory, and closed the topic. That thread was later invoked, as if it were legal precedent, when the issue of dark mode was raised again in 2024. That argument rings hollow to me and I think iNat dark mode warrants more serious consideration.
Accessibility should be one of iNaturalist’s goals as a site dedicated to citizen science.
Dark mode is a part of digital accessibility. For many, it is simply more comfortable to use versus light mode. For people with vision impairments, dark mode is one way of increasing contrast and reducing bright lights. (I have read some disputes over whether dark mode helps people with astigmatism, but the feature can usually be toggled on or off).
Browser extensions fall flat. I have tried multiple, and they all break websites in one way or another. At best, it is necessary to adjust a myriad of settings for each website to which a dark mode extension is applied. The most user-friendly dark mode experience is always site-implemented, in my opinion.
In 2025, most apps and community websites feature a dark mode. It’s long past time for iNaturalist to do the same.
The iNat Forum already has dark mode and has had it since 2022.It was pointed out by suntooth below that dark mode on the iNat Forum is a default part of the existing software; it is not something that iNat developers added.
Unknowns
Is there a backlog of features to be implemented? If so, how long before dark mode would be brought to the top of the list?
Would it be costly to implement a dark mode feature? I do not think it would impose an additional burden once added. However, I would be willing to put my money where my mouth is, and make an additional donation, or go up to monthly donations, to see this implemented. Perhaps others may feel the same?
I am very curious to hear other people’s thoughts on this. Thank you!
I very much agree that iNat should have dark mode, but I imagine the reason the forum has dark mode is because of the software it runs on (which is not controlled by iNat) adding dark mode, so that’s not really good to compare against.
You can simply add the extension dark reader and it completely fixes the problem, that is how I use and enjoy dark mode for inat. I know you mentioned browser extensions fall flat, but I have had specific good results and now breakage with the Dark Reader one. Link: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dark-reader/eimadpbcbfnmbkopoojfekhnkhdbieeh
It’s definitely the best browser extension for this. I’m running it now and it’s ok. I am having difficulty expressing what I don’t like about it. I sometimes edit for Wikipedia, and ca. 7 years ago I created a CSS to run a dark mode (Wikipedia allows users to upload and run their own CSS to modify the site appearance). It only worked sort of well, and only appeared if I was logged in. After a while, Wikipedia implemented their own automatic dark mode and it was exactly how I had wished my CSS had looked.
@ ccoslor I’m glad you brought this up because up until now I hadn’t even realized that dark mode was an option on the forum.
Given that light sensitivity is common in neurodivergent people, and the high percentage of neurodivergent users of iNat, I imagine that many would be happy to have that option. My sensitivity isn’t too bad so I can cope with the website as it is, but it is a relief when the option for dark mode is available.
Yes, I certainly count myself among the neurodivergent users. I think it would be a popular feature! I don’t think most users also use the forum here but maybe I should post something about this on the Neurodivergent Naturalists project.
That’s probably also why relying on a browser extension is distasteful to me—not for any rational reason, but just because it bothers me that I would need to install extra software if I’m using the website on another computer.
The browser extension mentioned above, Dark Reader, does work well though, and works in Firefox and Chrome, should light sensitivity get the better of you.
But also, it needs to be said that the project admin has recently stepped back due to harassment and other issues with moderation, which is such a bummer. My impression has always been that iNaturalist is a haven for many people and is mostly free of the sort of mudslinging and infighting I see on other social media platforms. But after reading this admin’s experience I am thinking twice about it.
It does work well! I just had to make myself use it.
The only problems I have noticed with Dark Reader are cosmetic; nothing is actually broken. I’ll include some images (and please allow me to apologize in advance, because the size of these nitpicks rival the Planck length).
The Research Grade/Needs ID flags at the top of observations aren’t shaded correctly. The area behind the text is dark, while the tail of the flag is still bright.
I’m curious if others have tried using the iNat Dark theme created by @yymir for the extension Stylus?
There is a concerning bit of language within the extension about how Firefox blocks the domain. Not sure what it’s all about and I’m not going to unblock a site until I understand.
Wow, just trying out Dark Reader now and it’s working pretty well. I don’t think iNat will be redesigning the site any time soon, but when we do it’s possible we can address this. Curious, are there any glaring issues when using Dark Reader?
Dark reader mostly works well, but some things it messes it up pretty badly. Here’s an example of browsing taxon images where it’s dark-moding the wrong thing.
