Microsoft made the dark mode experience more consistent with the latest update, KB5070311, released to Windows 11 users, but it also introduced an unexpected issue.
A Dark Mode Crisis is brewing
The update finally enabled the long-missing dark mode feature, particularly when copying, moving, or deleting files and folders within File Explorer. Now, users see a consistent dark interface when performing these operations in File Explorer.
However, this improvement causes users to encounter a briefly annoying white screen flash when opening File Explorer. Microsoft explicitly acknowledged this in the update’s “known issues” list.
The company stated, “After installing KB5070311, you may encounter issues opening File Explorer in dark mode,” and noted that a blank white screen may appear briefly before files and folders are loaded. This brief white screen is particularly distracting for users using dark mode.
Microsoft stated that work is ongoing to resolve the issue. For users who don’t want to wait for an official fix, there’s a temporary workaround. Using Windhawk mode, you can revert File Explorer’s dark mode to its normal state without being affected by this issue.
Experts and users are questioning how such a bug escaped Microsoft’s testing processes. The company had promised to deliver a more consistent dark mode experience in Windows 11 overall.
The Run dialog in Windows 11 will also receive dark mode support in the near future. Dark mode improvements are also expected for other system elements, such as progress bars, graph views, confirmation and error dialogs.
