Dark Reader is an open-source, eye-care browser extension that enables dark mode on every website by dynamically generating dark themes. Developed since 2014 and trusted by over 10 million users worldwide, it provides a highly customizable way to invert colors, adjust brightness, contrast, and sepia settings, effectively reducing eye strain while browsing in low-light environments. The extension is designed to be efficient and user-friendly, allowing users to configure settings globally or for specific domains. It is completely private and does not collect or transmit any user browsing data. The project is maintained by a dedicated team and supported by user contributions, ensuring ongoing development and frequent improvements.

Some of the key features are:

• Dynamic Theme Mode: Deeply analyzes website style sheets, background images, and vector graphics to produce the best visual results with high performance.
• Filter Modes: Provides various theme generation options including standard Filter and Filter+ modes based on CSS and SVG filters for specialized color rendering.
• Custom Site Settings: Allows users to apply unique adjustments for specific websites that override global settings.
• Site Filtering: Offers granular control through ignore lists, allowing users to choose exactly where the extension is active or disabled.
• Developer Tools: Includes a built-in configuration editor for advanced users to suggest fixes for problematic website styling via CSS selectors.
• Accessibility Options: Enables adjustments for text stroke, font selection, and saturation to enhance readability and comfort.
• Privacy Focused: Operates without collecting personal data, browsing history, or injecting any advertisements.
• Global Customization: Provides unified control over brightness, contrast, and sepia levels to match ambient lighting and display hardware.

The extension works by intercepting the visual rendering of web pages as they load in the browser. When activated, it applies custom CSS or SVG filters to shift light-themed elements into a dark color palette. Users interact with the extension via a browser toolbar icon, which opens a popup menu containing all configuration toggles and slider adjustments. These settings are stored locally in the browser's native storage APIs, ensuring that preferences persist across sessions without requiring external cloud synchronization. The extension is compatible with major desktop browsers and also provides dedicated applications for mobile platforms, specifically for iOS and Safari, maintaining a consistent experience across devices.

Some common use cases include:

• Night Browsing: Applying a comfortable dark interface to news websites, forums, or document editors to reduce blue light exposure at night.
• Reducing Eye Strain: Modifying high-contrast white pages to a softer, warmer, or darker color scheme during extended reading or research sessions.
• Theme Consistency: Creating a uniform dark browsing environment even when websites do not provide a native dark mode feature.
• Customizing Readability: Using the font and stroke adjustments to improve the legibility of text on websites with poor typography design.
• Debugging Web Styles: Utilizing the developer tools to refine how a specific website renders under dark mode for a better user experience.