How to switch between light and dark themes on Xbox One based on time of day

You can now configure your Xbox One to automatically switch between light and dark theme during a specific time of day, and here's how to do it.

Xbox One April 2018 update switch themes depending on time of day

On Xbox One, you’ve been able to switch between the dark and light theme for quite some time, but now, it’s possible to set your personalization settings to switch between light and dark themes based on the time day starting with the April 2018 update.

Also, using the new settings, you can specify to automatically transition from the light to the dark theme based on your location’s sunrise and sunset hours.

In this guide, you’ll learn the easy steps to set your Xbox One personalization settings to change themes automatically based on the time of day.

How to switch themes depending time of day on Xbox One

To automatically switch color themes on schedule, use the following steps:

  1. Press the Xbox logo button to open the Guide.

  2. Select the gear button on the far-right.

  3. Click on Settings.

  4. Click on Personalization.

  5. Click on Theme & motion.

    Xbox One Theme & motion option
    Xbox One Theme & motion option
  6. Select the Scheduled option.

    qXbox One theme Scheduled option
    Xbox One theme Scheduled option
  7. Check the Sunrise and sunset times option. (Alternatively, you can choose a range of time when you want the theme to switch.)

    Xbox One theme scheduled settings
    Xbox One theme scheduled settings

Once you’ve completed the steps, the system theme will switch from light to dark or dark to light automatically depending on the schedule you configured.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.