DarkAdmin transforms the WordPress admin dashboard into a clean, eye-friendly dark interface. The plugin is purely CSS-based, keeping it fast and non-intrusive. All colors are driven by CSS custom properties, making the theme fully customizable through a dedicated settings page \u2014 no code editing required. An optional Auto Dark Mode feature uses JavaScript to dynamically handle third-party plugin areas not covered by the built-in stylesheet.<\/p>\n\n
Features:\n* One-click enable\/disable\n* Lightweight CSS-based admin theme\n* Works across all admin pages\n* Individual color customization via WordPress Color Picker\n* Custom CSS support using built-in CSS variables\n* Token-based design system for backgrounds, text, borders, buttons and states\n* Auto Dark Mode: automatically darkens bright plugin backgrounds not covered by the stylesheet\n* Preset Themes: choose between Default (WP 6.x) and Modern (WP 7.0) color palettes\n* Per-user Dark Mode access control (Include \/ Exclude) with empty-state UI when no non-admin users exist\n* Excluded Pages: specify admin pages where dark mode should not be applied<\/p>\n\n\n
\/wp-content\/plugins\/darkadmin-dark-mode-for-adminpanel\/<\/code> (or install via the Plugins screen).<\/li>\n- Activate the plugin through the \"Plugins\" screen in WordPress.<\/li>\n
- Go to Settings > DarkAdmin and enable it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
\nDoes this affect the frontend?<\/h3><\/dt>\nNo. It only loads CSS in wp-admin.<\/p><\/dd>\n
Where are the settings?<\/h3><\/dt>\nSettings > DarkAdmin<\/p><\/dd>\n
Can I customize the colors?<\/h3><\/dt>\nYes. The plugin includes multiple color pickers for the complete admin theme and also supports additional custom CSS.<\/p><\/dd>\n
What is Auto Dark Mode?<\/h3><\/dt>\nAn optional second toggle that uses JavaScript to dynamically darken bright backgrounds and lighten dark text from third-party plugins not covered by the built-in stylesheet. Requires Dark Mode to be active.<\/p><\/dd>\n\n<\/dl>\n\n\n
0.2.2<\/h4>\n\n\n- Fixed Plugin Details dialog footer color<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.2.1<\/h4>\n\n\n- Lowered minimum WordPress version requirement from 6.7 to 6.3<\/li>\n
- Dark mode styles for Thickbox modal (plugin details dialog): background, text, links, buttons and close button fully themed via
--adm-*<\/code> variables<\/li>\n- Fixed theme overlay header navigation buttons (
.theme-overlay .theme-header .left<\/code> \/ .right<\/code> \/ .close<\/code>): applied background, color and border: none<\/code> using --adm-*<\/code> variables in both darkadmin-dark.css<\/code> and darkadmin-wp-modern.css<\/code><\/li>\n- Fixed
#contextual-help-back<\/code> button styling: background, border and color now use --adm-*<\/code> tokens in both CSS presets<\/li>\n- Fixed: consolidated duplicate
darkadmin_get_preset_fallbacks()<\/code> definition and inline fallback helper functions in defaults.php<\/code> and enqueue.php<\/code> into single canonical helpers<\/li>\n- Fixed: removed unused
$presets<\/code> variable in enqueue.php<\/code> admin_enqueue_scripts<\/code> callback<\/li>\n- Fixed: misplaced
<!-- .adm-preset-layout --><\/code> HTML comment in settings-page.php<\/code> (was on inner preview panel <\/div><\/code> instead of outer .adm-preset-layout<\/code> <\/div><\/code>)<\/li>\n- Fixed: moved
translators:<\/code> comment outside sprintf()<\/code> onto the line directly above __()<\/code> so PHPCS WordPress.WP.I18n.MissingTranslatorsComment<\/code> detects it correctly (settings-page.php<\/code>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n0.2.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- Raised minimum WordPress version to 6.7<\/li>\n
- Raised minimum PHP version requirement to 8.0 (already required by existing use of str_starts_with, str_contains and named arguments)<\/li>\n
- Added defer loading strategy to darkadmin-settings-js and darkadmin-auto-darken via the strategy argument introduced in WordPress 6.3<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced inline echo '' in settings-page.php with wp_add_inline_script()<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced anonymous arrow function sanitize callbacks in register_setting() with named functions darkadmin_sanitize_bool(), darkadmin_sanitize_user_ids() and darkadmin_sanitize_preset()<\/li>\n
- Fixed: used strict boolean check (true === $value) instead of loose cast in darkadmin_sanitize_bool()<\/li>\n
- Fixed: removed direct $_POST access in darkadmin_sanitize_colors() and darkadmin_sanitize_layout(); preset value now read from $input array<\/li>\n
- Fixed: added shadow_md value validation against a safe CSS pattern in darkadmin_sanitize_layout()<\/li>\n
- Fixed: added late escaping via wp_strip_all_tags() to both wp_add_inline_style() calls for $vars and $custom<\/li>\n
- Fixed: renamed generic JS object names admData and admI18n to darkadminData and darkadminI18n in enqueue.php and settings.js<\/li>\n
- Added i18n string \"Copied!\" to enqueue.php via wp_localize_script (darkadminI18n.copied)<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced hardcoded 'Copied!' string in settings.js initVarCopy() with darkadminI18n.copied for full translateability<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced innerHTML with textContent in initVarCopy() to prevent potential XSS<\/li>\n
- Updated all language files (.pot, de_AT, de_DE, en_US): added Copied! \/ Kopiert! translation, bumped version to 0.1.3, updated timestamps<\/li>\n
- Fixed: added missing @package DarkAdmin tag to darkadmin.php file comment<\/li>\n
- Fixed: add_filter() and add_action() calls in darkadmin.php now comply with WPCS multi-line function call rules (opening parenthesis last on line, one argument per line, closing parenthesis on its own line)<\/li>\n
- Fixed: equals sign alignment for $has_users in settings-page.php (7 spaces expected)<\/li>\n
- Fixed: closing PHP tag not on its own line in settings-page.php ($prev assignment block)<\/li>\n
- Fixed: opening PHP tag not on its own line in settings-page.php ($current_color block)<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced short ternary ?: with explicit isset() check and full ternary for $current_color in settings-page.php<\/li>\n
- Fixed: incorrect indentation in settings-page.php (10 tabs expected, 9 found)<\/li>\n
- Fixed: Yoda conditions for all comparisons in settings-page.php<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced inline control structure with braced block in settings-page.php<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced $_GET['page'] with get_current_screen() in enqueue.php to avoid direct superglobal access<\/li>\n
- Fixed: added current_user_can() capability check at the top of darkadmin_settings_page() in settings-page.php<\/li>\n
- Fixed: added missing darkadmin_layout option cleanup in uninstall.php<\/li>\n
- Fixed: proper UTF-8 umlauts in readme-de.txt (replaced ASCII substitutions with correct characters)<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced escaped HTML entity checkmark with literal UTF-8 character in preset button (settings-page.php)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.1.2<\/h4>\n\n\n- Added dedicated Sidebar color group with three new tokens: Sidebar Background (--adm-sidebar-bg), Sidebar Active Item (--adm-sidebar-active) and Sidebar Text (--adm-sidebar-text)<\/li>\n
- Added sidebar token translations to all language files (de_AT, de_DE, en_US, .pot, .l10n.php)<\/li>\n
- Added layout token system (spacing, radius, shadow) with per-preset defaults and settings UI<\/li>\n
- Unified layout tokens across presets, added layout JS handlers, updated all language files<\/li>\n
- Added .adm-layout-grid CSS: 4-column grid with responsive breakpoints and dark mode overrides<\/li>\n
- Improved color picker swatch display in settings page<\/li>\n
- Fixed translators comment and phpcs:ignore placement in settings-page.php<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced & HTML entity with literal UTF-8 ampersand in i18n strings (settings-page.php)<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced PHP \\u2713 escape with literal UTF-8 checkmark character in admin notice strings<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced ✓ HTML entity with literal UTF-8 checkmark in preset button PHP and all .po files<\/li>\n
- Fixed: replaced ASCII-escaped umlauts with proper UTF-8 characters in all language files, added missing msgids (checkmark Active, em-dash in admin notice)<\/li>\n
- Updated darkadmin-dark.css and darkadmin-wp-modern.css<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.1.1<\/h4>\n\n\n- Fixed uninstall.php: corrected all option names from wrong adm_ prefix to darkadmin_ prefix so options are properly removed on plugin deletion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.1.0<\/h4>\n\n\n- Added support for excluded pages in settings<\/li>\n
- Added user access control (include\/exclude users)<\/li>\n
- Added preset themes (default and modern)<\/li>\n
- Fixed critical JS bugs in preset and reset functionality<\/li>\n
- Fixed missing closing brace in initPaletteIO() importFile block in settings.js<\/li>\n
- Fixed XSS vulnerability in printf output (settings-page.php)<\/li>\n
- Fixed Unicode escapes in language files: replaced \\uXXXX sequences with literal UTF-8 characters<\/li>\n
- Added admI18n JS localization via wp_localize_script for translated UI strings<\/li>\n
- Removed redundant wp-color-picker script enqueue<\/li>\n
- Added .l10n.php language cache files for all locales (de_AT, de_DE, en_US) with ABSPATH protection<\/li>\n
- Added hex validation for JSON palette imports<\/li>\n
- Updated documentation for new features<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.10<\/h4>\n\n\n- Extended Themes section: added dark styling for .theme-browser .theme .theme-name, .theme-overlay .theme-actions, .theme-overlay .theme-tags, .theme-overlay .theme-header .theme-title, .theme-overlay .theme-author, .theme-overlay .theme-version and .theme-overlay .theme-rating .star-rating .star<\/li>\n
- Added Theme Editor \/ Template Side section: dark styling for #templateside > ul, .importer-title and .color-option.selected \/ .color-option:hover<\/li>\n
- Reduced .cm-error background opacity from .15 to .05 for a more subtle error highlight in CodeMirror<\/li>\n
- All changes applied to both darkadmin-dark.css and darkadmin-wp-modern.css<\/li>\n
- Fixed invalid control sequences in all language files (de_AT, de_DE, en_US, .pot): replaced \\uXXXX Unicode escapes with literal UTF-8 characters to resolve msgfmt compilation errors<\/li>\n
- User Access: Include and Exclude options are now greyed out and non-clickable when no non-administrator users exist (disabled radio input + CSS pointer-events: none)<\/li>\n
- User Access: replaced plain text fallback with a styled empty-state block (centered layout, dashed border, large icon)<\/li>\n
- i18n: added missing string \"No non-administrator users found. Create additional users to manage their dark mode access here.\" to .pot, de_AT, de_DE and en_US language files<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.9<\/h4>\n\n\n- Added Preset Themes: choose between Default (WP 6.x classic dark) and Modern (WP 7.0 deep blue, glassmorphism-inspired) color palettes<\/li>\n
- Each preset ships with its own CSS file (darkadmin-dark.css \/ darkadmin-modern.css) loaded dynamically based on the active preset<\/li>\n
- Added adm_preset option with live preset switching on the settings page<\/li>\n
- Added per-user Dark Mode: administrators always have dark mode, non-admin users can be individually enabled via a new User Access card<\/li>\n
- Added live color preview: color picker changes update CSS variables instantly without saving<\/li>\n
- Added Export \/ Import palette as JSON file<\/li>\n
- Added custom CSS sanitizer (adm_sanitize_custom_css) -- preserves valid CSS while stripping dangerous HTML\/PHP tags<\/li>\n
- Added CSS cache-busting based on md5 hash of current color values<\/li>\n
- Refactored plugin into modular includes: defaults.php, user-settings.php, enqueue.php, settings-page.php<\/li>\n
- Added uninstall.php to clean up all options on plugin removal<\/li>\n
- Color pickers now grouped by category (Backgrounds, Surfaces, Borders, Text, Links, Brand, CodeMirror) on the settings page<\/li>\n
- Expanded color tokens from 23 to 34 (new: bg_bar, bg_deep, bg_darker, table_alt, plugin_inactive, border_hover, text_on_primary, link_hover, primary_hover, cm_keyword-cm_bracket)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.8<\/h4>\n\n\n- Fixed invisible text in .widefat tables (update-core.php and similar pages): override WP core rule
.widefat ol, .widefat p, .widefat ul { color: #2c3338 }<\/code> with dark theme color token<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n0.0.7<\/h4>\n\n\n- Added version to darkadmin-dark.css header comment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.6<\/h4>\n\n\n- Updated Text Domain from darkadmin to darkadmin-dark-mode-for-adminpanel to match the wordpress.org plugin slug<\/li>\n
- Updated Plugin URI to https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/darkadmin-dark-mode-for-adminpanel\/<\/li>\n
- Updated all language files (.po, .pot) to new text domain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.5<\/h4>\n\n\n- Rebranded plugin from \"WP Admin Dark Mode\" to \"DarkAdmin - Dark Mode for Adminpanel\"<\/li>\n
- Renamed main plugin file from wp-admin-dark-mode.php to darkadmin.php<\/li>\n
- Renamed CSS file from wp-admin-dark.css to darkadmin-dark.css<\/li>\n
- Updated text domain from wp-admin-dark-mode to darkadmin<\/li>\n
- Updated all language files (de_AT, de_DE, en_US, .pot) to new darkadmin text domain<\/li>\n
- Updated settings menu slug from wp-admin-dark-mode to darkadmin<\/li>\n
- Updated plugin folder reference in readme to \/wp-content\/plugins\/darkadmin\/<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.4<\/h4>\n\n\n- Added Auto Dark Mode option: optional JS-based pass that dynamically darkens bright backgrounds and lightens dark text from unknown plugins using WCAG luminance calculations<\/li>\n
- Auto Dark Mode uses a MutationObserver to also handle AJAX-loaded content<\/li>\n
- Fixed color picker swatch visibility: removed background-color from .wp-color-result in CSS so WP's inline style shows the swatch correctly<\/li>\n
- Updated all translation files (de_AT, de_DE, en_US, .pot) with new Auto Dark Mode strings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.3<\/h4>\n\n\n- Full CSS overhaul with a token-based design system for backgrounds, surfaces, borders, text, links, buttons and semantic states<\/li>\n
- Added new customizable color variables:
surface1<\/code>, surface2<\/code>, surface3<\/code>, text_soft<\/code> and danger<\/code><\/li>\n- Increased the number of adjustable color tokens from 9 to 13<\/li>\n
- Fixed the Add Plugin \/ page title action button styling so text stays readable in dark mode<\/li>\n
- Fixed the WordPress Color Picker button styling by preserving the inline swatch background and styling only the text section<\/li>\n
- Improved spacing, sizing and proportions to better match native WordPress admin UI defaults<\/li>\n
- Extracted the settings page styles into a dedicated assets\/css\/settings.css file<\/li>\n
- Reworked the settings page layout for cleaner spacing and more consistent component styling<\/li>\n
- Improved plugin list styling, row actions, tables, notices, form controls, dashboard elements and navigation tabs<\/li>\n
- Removed unwanted colored shadows \/ blue row highlight artifacts in plugin tables<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.2<\/h4>\n\n\n- Redesigned settings page with card-based layout, page header with status badge and version display<\/li>\n
- Added individual color customization for 9 dark mode colors via WordPress Color Picker<\/li>\n
- Added \"Restore Default Colors\" button to reset all colors to the WordPress sidebar palette<\/li>\n
- Added Custom CSS editor field to inject additional styles after the dark mode stylesheet<\/li>\n
- All dark mode colors are now driven by CSS custom properties (--adm-bg, --adm-card, etc.)<\/li>\n
- Base background color changed to #1d2327 (native WordPress sidebar color)<\/li>\n
- Fully optimized dark mode CSS: Admin Bar, Sidebar, Buttons, Forms, Tables, Notices, Gutenberg, Media, Screen Options, Dashboard Widgets<\/li>\n
- Settings page itself adapts to dark mode when active<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
0.0.1<\/h4>\n\n\n- Initial development release.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","raw_excerpt":"A simple, lightweight Dark Mode plugin for the WordPress Admin Dashboard with full color customization and Auto Dark Mode support.","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin\/292128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/plugin"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292128"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/alexanderwagnerdev"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"plugin_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_section?post=292128"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_tags?post=292128"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_category?post=292128"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_contributors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_contributors?post=292128"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_business_model","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewe.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_business_model?post=292128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}