BT Dark Mode Documentation

A comfortable dark theme for your WordPress admin dashboard. Toggle it on from the admin bar and reduce eye strain instantly.

Overview

BT Dark Mode adds a sleek dark theme to the WordPress admin dashboard. It replaces the default light admin color scheme with a dark palette that is easier on the eyes, especially during long editing sessions or late-night work.

The plugin is free, zero-config, and works out of the box. Each user on your site can independently toggle dark mode on or off, so it never forces a preference on the entire team.

Installation

Download the .zip file from the Boulley Technology catalog or install it directly from the WordPress plugin directory. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins › Add New › Upload Plugin, select the ZIP file, and click Install Now.

Once installed, click Activate. Dark mode is ready to use immediately — no settings page to configure.

BT Dark Mode requires WordPress 5.0 or higher and PHP 7.4+.

How to Use

After activation, a moon icon appears in the WordPress admin bar (the top toolbar). Click it to enable dark mode. The icon switches to a sun when dark mode is active — click it again to return to the default light theme.

Your preference is saved per user. If you toggle dark mode on, it stays on across page loads and browser sessions until you turn it off. Other users on the same site are not affected — each person controls their own toggle independently.

Note: The toggle icon appears in the admin bar for all logged-in users with access to the WordPress dashboard, including Editors, Authors, and Contributors.

The dark theme covers the entire admin area: the sidebar menu, the main content area, the admin bar, settings pages, the post editor, and meta boxes. It uses a carefully chosen color palette to maintain readability and contrast across all standard WordPress admin screens.

FAQ

Does BT Dark Mode affect the frontend of my site?

No. BT Dark Mode only applies to the WordPress admin dashboard. Your site's frontend appearance is completely unchanged. Visitors will never see or be affected by the dark theme.

Is the dark mode preference per-user?

Yes. Each WordPress user has their own independent toggle. If an admin enables dark mode, editors and other users will still see the default light theme unless they enable it themselves. Preferences are stored as user meta in the database.

Is it compatible with page builders like Elementor or Gutenberg?

BT Dark Mode styles the standard WordPress admin interface. The Gutenberg block editor is fully supported. Third-party page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Divi have their own editor interfaces that load outside the normal admin styles, so they are generally unaffected. The dark theme applies to the WordPress admin screens around those editors.