Why Is Microsoft Word Black? (Try These 5 Fixes)

There may be many reasons why your Microsoft Word may be black. If you don’t like the way it looks, you may want to try and change it back to its default settings. 

So, if you’re reading this article, it’s likely because you need some help turning your Microsoft Word back from black to white. Luckily, this article will help you to do just that, as it has 5 things you can try to fix it.

Why Is Microsoft Word Black in [currentyear]?

There are many reasons why Microsoft Word may be black on your PC in [currentyear]. For instance, you may have Dark Mode turned on, you may have high contrast themes or hardware graphics turned on, and you may just need to turn off or adjust these settings to turn it back to normal.

Keep reading if you would like help to try to fix Microsoft Word and change the color from black to the normal default setting!

1. Try Disabling Dark Mode on Word

Microsoft Word has a few different options to choose from in order to change how it looks. 

MS Word has a default theme that consists of a white page with black text and various colored icons. 

No doubt it can be a shock if your Word document suddenly turns completely opposite colors and becomes mostly black with white lettering. 

The reason that this may have happened is that you have likely changed the theme to dark mode.

Microsoft created dark mode in order to help reduce eyestrain, especially in low light. 

However, if it’s not for you, you can easily change it back to the default theme or one of the other alternatives.

To go back to the default theme and turn off dark mode in Word, first click on “File” in the ribbon menu. Next, click on “Account” at the bottom of the “File” menu.

Under the heading “Office Theme,” click the dropdown arrow and select “Colorful” to return Word to the default theme.

Otherwise, you can choose any other theme that you see fit. 

Once you have chosen your preferred color, the theme will change and you can continue what you were doing. 

2. Try Turning Off High Contrast Themes on Windows 11

Another thing that might be happening if your Word document still appears to be black is you might be using high-contrast themes on Windows 11. 

In order to solve this issue, follow these simple steps:

1. Press Windows + I to open your Settings app.
2. Click “Accessibility” and then select “Contrast Themes.”
3. Click the bot to extend the dropdown menu.
4. Select “None.”
5. Last, click “Apply” to save the change.

3. Try Turning Off Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Microsoft Office

If either of those didn’t work, you might want to try turning off Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Microsoft Office. You can do this by following these steps:

1. Click “File” while you are in a Word document.
2. Then, click “Options.”
3. Next hit “Advanced.”
4. You will then want to scroll down on the right side of your screen until you find “Display.”
5. From there, you will need to check “Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration.”
6. Click “OK.”
7. Now all you need to do is restart the system.

4. Try Changing Your Page Color

Your problem may even be as simple as just changing the page color of your document. 

This won’t change the color of the interface, but you can still get a black page, even after switching to a different theme.

This is how you can easily fix it:

1. Launch the “Word” application.
2. Go to the “Design” tab. 
3. Click “Page Color” 
4. Select “No Color Option” or a different color of your choosing.

5. Try Turning Off Dark Mode on Your Device

If you have tried all of the above options and your problem still isn’t resolved, it may be because Dark Mode is enabled on your entire device. 

To take it off of Dark Mode, you will want to follow the directions below depending on your device:

Windows

1. Press Windows + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to “Personalization” > Colors.
3. Select the “Light” option.

Mac

1. Click the “Apple” icon in the top left corner of your screen.
2. Navigate to “System Preferences” > General.
3. Choose the “Light” option next to the “Appearance” field.

To know more, you can also read our posts on Microsoft MVP, Microsoft Movie Maker, and Microsoft Blend.

Conclusion 

There are many reasons why Microsoft Word may be black on your device. You could have Dark Mode, high contrast themes, or hardware graphics enabled. It could even be as simple as changing the color of your document.

Whatever the issue may be, I hope this article helped you in figuring out how to fix it in a simple way.