The dark mode phenomenon continues to spread its inky fingers through websites and apps on all platforms – and Facebook is not immune. The Messenger component of social network might be most readily associated with the iOS and Android apps as well as the Facebook website, and it's easy to forget that there's actually a Windows 10 Facebook Messenger app available that allows for easy messaging on the desktop.
More than this, Facebook is also running a beta program for the Messenger desktop app, trying out new features and options on those eager to use the very latest version of the tool. For anyone with the beta installed, there's a nice treat available now: dark mode.
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In fact, the Facebook Messenger beta app includes a number of theming options. You'll find the new options by clicking the 'Settings' button (the gear icon) to the upper left of the app window, and then heading to the 'Appearance' section. Click the drop-down menu and you'll find four options to choose from.
Select Light mode, and nothing will change – Messenger will retain its white background. But if you want to dial down the brightness, you have two choices. Select Dark if you really enjoy darker tones, or opt for Gray for something dark but subtle.
There's also the 'Mirror system preferences' option, which makes Messenger respect the app theme settings you've set in Windows.
Paint it black
Dark mode isn't the only option you'll find in the beta version of the app. It also allows for easy file-sharing thanks to the fact you can simply drag and drop files onto the Messenger window. Other options include the ability to delete sent messages, and to hide chats.
You can download the latest beta version of Facebook Messenger (opens in new tab) for Windows 10 from the Microsoft Store.
