Woman laying in bed looking at phone dark at nighttime
When enabled, Instagram dark mode dims your screen by turning the background from white to black.
zoranm/Getty Images
  • You can get Instagram dark mode on your iPhone, iPad, or Android by updating your device settings.
  • There's no in-app setting to turn on Instagram dark mode – the app will mirror your device's settings.
  • You'll need at least iOS 13 or Android 10 to enable Instagram dark mode.
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Turning on dark mode changes an app's background to a darker color – usually black instead of white – to reduce the amount of bright white light on your screen. While dark mode isn't actually better for your eyes, it can help your device save battery and it can feel gentler to look at, especially before bed.

Related Article Module: A beginner's guide to Instagram, the wildly popular photo-sharing app with over a billion users

Instagram has dark mode for iPhones or iPads running iOS 13 or higher and Androids running Android 10 or higher. When activated, it changes the backdrop of the app (behind the photos) to black, and all the text to white.

For both iOS and Android, there's no setting to turn on dark mode within the Instagram app itself – rather, you turn on dark mode in your device's system settings and the Instagram app will automatically adjust to match the rest of your device. Here's how to do it.

How to get Instagram dark mode on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone running iOS 13 or higher or iPad running iPadOS 13 or higher.

2. Scroll down and tap Display & Brightness.

Screenshot of Settings app on iPhone
In Settings, select "Display & Brightness."
Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

3. In the Appearance section at the top of the page, you'll see two options: Light and Dark. Tap Dark.

Screenshot of Display & Brightness page on iPhone Settings app
Choose the "Dark" option.
Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

4. Then, open the Instagram app, which should now appear in dark mode.

Screenshot of Instagram app in dark mode
When in dark mode, the Instagram background is black and the text is white.
Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

How to get Instagram dark mode on Android

The exact steps below may differ slightly depending on what kind of Android device you have.

1. Open the Settings app on your Android running Android 10 or higher.

2. Scroll down and tap Display.

3. At the top of the Display page, select Dark to enable dark mode.

4. Open the Instagram app, which should now appear in dark mode.

How to make Twitter appear in dark mode to reduce battery strain on your computer or mobile deviceHow to turn on dark mode on the Facebook Messenger mobile appHow to turn on dark mode in Google Chrome on your computer or mobile deviceHow to turn on Dark Mode on your Mac, to give your computer a sleek new look

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