By Jason Snell

September 28, 2018 2:52 PM PT

HazeOver makes Dark Mode that much darker

Note: This story has not been updated for several years.

The biggest problem with Dark Mode in macOS Mojave is that not every app has gotten the message. Some apps—especially ones that display web content—are going to be unflaggingly black-on-white, and it’s glaring and awful in Dark Mode.

There are a few workarounds. I’ve been pointed to a Safari extension that lets you override the design on specific sites, though I haven’t tried it myself. (I wish Apple would’ve just built this feature in itself.)

There’s one utility that I have tried out, though, that might help people who have crossed over to the dark side. It’s Maxim Ananov’s HazeOver, a $1 app that automatically darkens all of your background windows. It’s got a slew of options, including just how opaque it makes each window, and you can adjust behavior based on which app you’re using.

If you’ve got bright windows that are distracting you in Dark Mode—or heck, even in normal mode—HazeOver’s worth a try. It won’t make white windows any less bright when they’re in the foreground, but at least they’ll be easier to ignore when they’re in the background. And even your dark background windows will get darker, which might help your concentration.

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