How to implement a dark mode toggle on an HTML website?
Jul 16, 2025 am 04:42 AMTo add a dark mode toggle to an HTML website, create a button in HTML, define dark mode styles in CSS using a class, and use JavaScript to toggle the class and optionally save user preference with localStorage. 1. Add a button element with an ID for toggling. 2. Define default and dark mode styles using CSS classes. 3. Use JavaScript to switch the dark mode class on click. 4. Optionally store the theme preference in localStorage. 5. Update the button text or appearance to reflect the current mode.
Adding a dark mode toggle to an HTML website isn’t as hard as it might sound. You don’t need a ton of JavaScript or CSS frameworks — just a few lines of code and a bit of logic.

Here’s how you can do it in a simple, effective way that works across modern browsers.

Basic HTML structure for the toggle
You’ll want a button somewhere on your page that users can click to switch between light and dark modes. It doesn’t have to be fancy — a simple <button></button>
element will work fine.
<button id="darkModeToggle">Toggle Dark Mode</button>
Place this where it makes sense in your layout — usually near the top or bottom of the page. You could also use an icon if you prefer something more visual.

Setting up the CSS for dark mode
The key is to define styles under a specific class (like .dark-mode
) that overrides the default light styles. This keeps everything organized and easy to manage.
Here’s a basic example:
/* Default (light mode) styles */ body { background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; } /* Dark mode styles */ .dark-mode { background-color: #121212; color: #ffffff; }
You can expand this with additional elements like links, buttons, or even entire components styled differently for dark mode.
Adding JavaScript to toggle the mode
Now comes the interactive part — making the button actually switch the theme. We’ll use JavaScript to add or remove the .dark-mode
class from the <body>
when the button is clicked.
document.getElementById('darkModeToggle').addEventListener('click', function () { document.body.classList.toggle('dark-mode'); });
This script listens for a click on the button and toggles the dark-mode
class on the body. If it's there, it gets removed; if not, it gets added.
If you want to save the user’s preference so it stays after they refresh the page, you can store it in localStorage
:
const toggleButton = document.getElementById('darkModeToggle'); // Apply saved preference on load if (localStorage.getItem('theme') === 'dark') { document.body.classList.add('dark-mode'); } toggleButton.addEventListener('click', function () { document.body.classList.toggle('dark-mode'); // Save current state to localStorage if (document.body.classList.contains('dark-mode')) { localStorage.setItem('theme', 'dark'); } else { localStorage.setItem('theme', 'light'); } });
This small addition improves user experience by remembering their choice across sessions.
Optional: Add visual feedback to the toggle
It helps to let users know which mode they’re in. You can change the button text or background depending on the current theme.
For example:
toggleButton.textContent = document.body.classList.contains('dark-mode') ? 'Light Mode' : 'Dark Mode';
Or wrap it in a function that updates the button label whenever the mode changes.
You could also use icons or colors to indicate the current mode — just make sure it’s clear and accessible.
That’s basically it. With a little HTML, some CSS, and a bit of JavaScript, you’ve got a working dark mode toggle. It’s not complicated, but it does require attention to detail — especially around saving preferences and updating UI elements.
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