---
layout: docs
title: Color modes
description: Bootstrap now supports color modes, or themes, as of v5.3.0. Explore our default light color mode and the new dark mode, or create your own using our styles as your template.
group: customize
toc: true
added: "5.3"
---
## Dark mode
**Bootstrap now supports color modes, starting with dark mode!** With v5.3.0 you can implement your own color mode toggler (see below for an example from Bootstrap's docs) and apply the different color modes as you see fit. We support a light mode (default) and now dark mode. Color modes can be toggled globally on the `` element, or on specific components and elements, thanks to the `data-bs-theme` attribute.
Alternatively, you can also switch to a media query implementation thanks to our color mode mixin—see [the usage section for details](#usage). Heads up though—this eliminates your ability to change themes on a per-component basis as shown below.
## Example
For example, to change the color mode of a dropdown menu, add `data-bs-theme="light"` or `data-bs-theme="dark"` to the parent `.dropdown`. Now, no matter the global color mode, these dropdowns will display with the specified theme value.
{{< example class="d-flex justify-content-between" >}}
{{< /example >}}
## How it works
- As shown above, color mode styles are controlled by the `data-bs-theme` attribute. This attribute can be applied to the `` element, or to any other element or Bootstrap component. If applied to the `` element, it will apply to everything. If applied to a component or element, it will be scoped to that specific component or element.
- For each color mode you wish to support, you'll need to add new overrides for the shared global CSS variables. We do this already in our `_root.scss` stylesheet for dark mode, with light mode being the default values. In writing color mode specific styles, use the mixin:
```scss
// Color mode variables in _root.scss
@include color-mode(dark) {
// CSS variable overrides here...
}
```
- We use a custom `_variables-dark.scss` to power those shared global CSS variable overrides for dark mode. This file isn't required for your own custom color modes, but it's required for our dark mode for two reasons. First, it's better to have a single place to reset global colors. Second, some Sass variables had to be redelcared for background images embedded in our CSS for accordions, form components, and more.
## Nesting color modes
Use `data-bs-theme` on a nested element to change the color mode for a group of elements or components. In the example below, we have an outer dark mode with a nested light mode. You'll notice components naturally adapt their appearance, but you may need to add some utilities along the way to utilize the styles specific to each color mode.
For example, despite using `data-bs-theme="dark"` on a random `
`, the `
` has no `background-color` as it's set on the ``. As such, if you want the `color` and `background-color` to adapt, you'll need to add `.text-body` and `.bg-body`.
{{< example class="p-0" >}}
This should be shown in a dark theme at all times.
{{< /example >}}
## Sass usage
Our new dark mode option is available to use for all users of Bootstrap, but it's controlled via data attributes instead of media queries and does not automatically toggle your project's color mode. You can disable our dark mode entirely via Sass by changing `@enable-dark-mode` to `false`.
We use a custom Sass mixin, `color-mode()`, to help you control _how_ color modes are applied. By default, we use a `data` attribute approach, allowing you to create more user-friendly experiences where your visitors can choose to have an automatic dark mode or control their preference (like in our own docs here). This is also an easy and scalable way to add different themes and more custom color modes beyond light and dark.
In case you want to use media queries and only make color modes automatic, you can change the mixin's default type via Sass variable. Consider the following snippet and it's compiled CSS output.
```scss
@color-mode-type: data !default;
@include color-mode(dark) {
.element {
color: var(--bs-primary-text);
background-color: var(--bs-primary-bg-subtle);
}
}
```
Outputs to:
```css
[data-bs-theme=dark] .element {
color: var(--bs-primary-text);
background-color: var(--bs-primary-bg-subtle);
}
```
And when setting to `media-query`:
```scss
@color-mode-type: media-query;
@include color-mode(dark) {
.element {
color: var(--bs-primary-text);
background-color: var(--bs-primary-bg-subtle);
}
}
```
Outputs to:
```css
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
.element {
color: var(--bs-primary-text);
background-color: var(--bs-primary-bg-subtle);
}
}
```
## Custom color modes
While the primary use case for color modes is light and dark mode, custom color modes are also possible. Create your own `data-bs-theme` selector with a custom value as the name of your color mode, then modify our Sass and CSS variables as needed. We opted to create a separate `_variables-dark.scss` stylesheet to house Bootstrap's dark mode specific Sass variables, but that's not required for you.
For example, you can create a "blue theme" with the selector `data-bs-theme="blue"`. In your custom Sass or CSS file, add the new selector and override any global or component CSS variables as needed. If you're using Sass, you can also use Sass's functions within your CSS variable overrides.
{{< scss-docs name="custom-color-mode" file="site/assets/scss/_content.scss" >}}
Example blue theme
Some paragraph text to show how the blue theme might look with written copy.
```
## JavaScript
To allow visitors or users to toggle color modes, you'll need to create a toggle element to control the `data-bs-theme` attribute on the root element, ``. We've built a toggler in our documentation that initially defers to a user's current system color mode, but provides an option to override that and pick a specific color mode.
Here's a look at the JavaScript that powers it. Feel free to inspect our own documentation navbar to see how it's implemented using HTML and CSS from our own components. Note that if you decide to use media queries for your color modes, your JavaScript may need to be modified or removed if you prefer an implicit control.
{{< example lang="js" show_preview="false" >}}
{{< js.inline >}}
{{- readFile (path.Join "site/assets/js/color-modes/index.js") -}}
{{< /js.inline >}}
{{< /example >}}