YouTube is testing a new Dark Mode that can be enabled by following some simple instructions. It"s not clear how long the mode has been available as an option but its possible to switch on in Chrome, Firefox and possibly most other modern browsers despite what other news sites have been saying about the latest version of Chrome being a requirement.
Enabling YouTube"s dark mode is simple enough, here are the instructions:
- Chrome users: Press ctrl + shift + i to open the developer sidebar while you"re on the YouTube home page and press the console tab. Firefox users: Press ctrl + shift + i and type allow pasting.
- Paste document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=fPQ4jCL6EiE" and press enter.
- Refresh YouTube and click your profile image (or the three dots) in the upper right and select Dark Mode.
You may have already seen the new YouTube layout before but you should be aware that the hack above will give you the dark theme and give you the new layout which introduces larger buttons among other things.
With the introduction of this feature many third party user scripts that have been developed for add-ons such as Greasemonkey and Tampermonkey will no longer be needed, night owls will now be able to use YouTube without their eyes aching from the light theme that was up until now the only official option.
Source: MacRumors