Dark Mode Gaps in Google Cloud Console | Generated by AI
Question: Why does the Google Cloud Console have a dark theme, but the tutorial or side panel remains in light mode and doesn’t support dark mode?
Answer:
The Google Cloud Console supports dark mode natively as of early 2026 (it became generally available recently). You can enable it via:
- Open the Google Cloud Console.
- Click the Settings and utilities icon (gear/cog) in the toolbar.
- Select Appearance from the menu.
- Choose Dark, Light, or Same as device (to match your OS theme).
The main console interface—including navigation, headers, and most panels—should switch to dark mode properly.
However, the tutorial pane (the guided walkthrough or contextual help panel that often appears on the side/right when starting a new feature or following a codelab-like guide in the console) sometimes stays in light mode even when the rest of the console is dark. This is a known inconsistency in some Google Cloud interfaces:
- Certain overlaid or embedded help/tutorial components (like side drawers, onboarding wizards, or inline documentation panels) are not yet fully themed to respect the console’s dark mode setting.
- This behavior has been reported in similar Google products (e.g., side panels in other services occasionally not syncing themes perfectly).
- The main console UI is fully dark-mode compatible, but auxiliary elements like tutorials or specific legacy/iframe-based help content may default to light mode for readability or development reasons.
Possible workarounds:
- Try refreshing the page or closing/reopening the tutorial pane after switching themes.
- If it’s persistent, it may be a temporary limitation—Google has been actively improving dark mode coverage across services (e.g., recent updates to Vertex AI, Cloud Shell Editor, etc., show better support).
- For better eye comfort in tutorials, you can use browser extensions like Dark Reader (though it may break some interactive console elements, so use cautiously).
- Check the official docs for any updates, as theme consistency is still being refined.
If this issue continues or affects a specific tutorial, consider providing feedback directly in the console (via the “?” help menu → Send feedback) to help Google prioritize fixes.
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