If you’re also wondering why the light theme changed to black, it could be for a couple of reasons: either the dark mode (black theme) is enabled in Word, or you’re using a high-contrast theme on Windows. The straightforward solution is to disable the dark mode in MS Word. The process is easy for all platforms (Windows, Mac, and mobile), which I will explain step by step. Secondly, you need to change the high-contrast themes on Windows. Simply select the white theme, and you will be good to go.
1. Change the Office Theme to White
If you enable the black theme by yourself, then it’s clear that your documents will appear black. However, if you’ve opened MS Word after some time and found your documents in dark mode, it could be because Word was updated and selected the black theme automatically. Anyway, changing the black theme to white requires no hard-and-fast logic and can be done by anyone. I’ll mention the steps for each platform below.
On Windows
Note: If you’ve opened a document, then look for Account in the File tab.
On Mac
On Mobile
You can also select System Default if you use a white theme on your smartphone.
2. Change High Contrast Windows Themes
High-contrast Windows themes are an alternative to dark mode. Not many people enable them, but if you have, it will be the reason for your doc files turning black. You can disable these themes in 3 simple steps as follows:
3. Disable Dark Mode on your Device
Enabling dark mode on Windows, Mac, and mobile will give a black theme to every app that supports it. And this obviously includes MS Word. So, if you’re wondering why my Word document is black, the reason can very well be this. Now follow the steps below to disable dark mode on these platforms.
On Windows
On Mac
On Mobile
(Found on multiple sites and checked it myself)
4. Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration in MS Office
Hardware graphics acceleration is one of the primary reasons why MS Word freezes or doesn’t run properly sometimes. Similarly, it can be the culprit behind your .docx file going black. Enabling this option works fine for high-end computers, but it is not recommended for average systems. So, here’s how to disable hardware graphics acceleration:
