# Dark mode for Ignition 8.3 Designer **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** ignition83, designer\ **Created:** [September 1, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965 "2026-09-01T20:56:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sam.donche](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/sam.donche/32/86269_2.png) [@sam.donche](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/sam.donche)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 9:07am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/21 "2026-09-18T09:07:25Z")
Dark mode now works inside Vision, and I'm looking for Vision developers to test it. In the previous version the module switched itself off as soon as you opened a Vision window, because a window saved from a dark Designer picked up classes a Vision client cannot load. Since the latest version that is fixed at the serialiser. Please use [version 0.4.1](https://github.com/Mustry-Solutions/ignition-designer-dark-mode-module/releases/tag/v0.4.1). If you have bugs post it here or create a [github issue](https://github.com/Mustry-Solutions/ignition-designer-dark-mode-module/issues). One known limitation: the Vision canvas renders in dark colours in the Designer wherever components use the look-and-feel defaults; the client is always light. Nothing is written into the window by that. ---
**Author:** ![sam.donche](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/sam.donche/32/86269_2.png) [@sam.donche](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/sam.donche)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/23 "2026-09-28T13:38:34Z")
**[Version 0.6.0](https://github.com/Mustry-Solutions/ignition-designer-dark-mode-module/releases/latest)** adds support for **Ignition 8.1.33+**. Thanks to @ott.andrew33, it also supports **Maker Edition**. The licence text has changed so the gateway will ask you to accept it again when upgrading. Download the file for your gateway: - `designer-dark-mode-8.3.modl`for 8.3 - `designer-dark-mode-8.1.modl`for 8.1.33+ ---
**Author:** ![john.mullins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/john.mullins/32/87416_2.png) [@john.mullins](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/john.mullins)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/24 "2026-09-29T16:45:04Z")
Copy and Paste key shortcuts seem to be broken for objects in the Project Browser when Dark Mode is enabled. I tried copying and pasting a Named Query as well as a Script and neither worked with key shortcuts. I had to Right Click Copy & Paste. I am using Designer Launcher v1.3.7 and Gateway v8.3.7, for reference. Additionally, our company currently does a lot of Vision projects, so I will try to get some feedback for you on Vision compatibility. ---
**Author:** ![sam.donche](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/sam.donche/32/86269_2.png) [@sam.donche](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/sam.donche)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2026, 7:16am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/25 "2026-09-30T07:16:04Z")
@john.mullins Thank you for your feedback. I have verified and fixed the bug in [version 0.6.1](https://github.com/Mustry-Solutions/ignition-designer-dark-mode-module/releases/latest). It works on my Mac. Can you verify it on your end? Vision feedback would be very welcome. Thanks for testing it! ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Deardorff](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/ryan_deardorff/32/63815_2.png) [@Ryan\_Deardorff](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Ryan_Deardorff)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/26 "2026-10-20T16:26:27Z")
> [@jrusso](#): > > Still just surprised it's not an official feature I'm sure it's because both the Designer and Vision components are built using Swing, and so any change to the LaF would affect Vision. I think they should task Claude with translating the Designer into JavaFX, which is capable of embedding Swing components. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/27 "2026-10-20T16:47:53Z")
I recall a discussion at ICC (Carl?) where a side comment pointed out that JavaFX has other problems that disqualified it for both the designer and Workstation. I didn't catch the details, sorry, but maybe someone will pipe up? ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/28 "2026-10-20T16:53:18Z")
Whatever those problems are aside, Swing isn't the issue here. Swing is fine. The answer to "why can't we..." in the Designer is often "because Vision...". A lot could be different if Vision wasn't in the picture. ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/29 "2026-10-20T16:58:18Z")
Amusingly, Perspective Workstation was originally implemented in JavaFX entirely and we swapped it to Swing at some point because it was causing various issues. JavaFX is not any kind of free lunch. Migrating hundreds of thousands of lines of Swing code we've built up over two decades into a new GUI system sounds like an absolute nightmare, no matter how much Claude we throw at the process. ---
**Author:** ![travisaggiebrown](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/travisaggiebrown/32/85824_2.png) [@travisaggiebrown](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/travisaggiebrown)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/30 "2026-10-20T17:08:42Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/2/9/29cbf2337c9370d11a7f3f2cf4980f216f10c5fc.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Carl.Gould](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/carl.gould/32/7262_2.png) [@Carl.Gould](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Carl.Gould)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/31 "2026-10-25T17:48:00Z")
Disagree. I would argue that it is our "love for Vision" that prevents us from doing this FlatLaf swap ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![stefano.russoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@stefano.russoni](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/stefano.russoni)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 7:56am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/32 "2026-10-27T07:56:25Z")
I really like this module, but unfortunately for my ignition versione (8.3.10) cause problems and a lot of error in the console. I decided to uninstall the module, hope one day will work correctly. I tested with windows 11 ---
**Author:** ![sam.donche](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/sam.donche/32/86269_2.png) [@sam.donche](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/sam.donche)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 8:13am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/33 "2026-10-27T08:13:53Z")
Can you tell me what errors and problems you have? I will look into the issues if I know where to look. Can you share the following: 1. Which module version? (Tools → About Designer Dark Mode, or the .modl file name) 2. The file `C:\Users\\.ignition\designer-dark-mode.log`. It starts with a block about your setup and records what the module did. 3. The first error or two from the Output Console, with the full stack trace. 4. What you had open when the errors started: Vision windows, Perspective views, a specific editor? 5. Do you also have the dark mode script from the Exchange installed? ---
**Author:** ![justinedwards.jle](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/justinedwards.jle/32/37854_2.png) [@justinedwards.jle](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/justinedwards.jle)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 8:03am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/34 "2026-10-30T08:03:02Z")
> [@sam.donche](#): > > 1. Do you also have the dark mode script from the Exchange installed What would that have to do with it? The exchange script doesn't touch the look and feel. ---
**Author:** ![sam.donche](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/sam.donche/32/86269_2.png) [@sam.donche](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/sam.donche)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 8:17am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965/35 "2026-10-30T08:17:34Z")
I'm not entirely sure if it would cause issues. I have not tested enough what would happen if both were installed. It certainly not an accussation. I would just like to dig into stefano's issues and rule out that possibility. [Previous page](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/dark-mode-for-ignition-8-3-designer/116965.md?page=1)