02AI dark mode for YouTube
Dark mode for YouTube that keeps faces lit.
DarkTube dims YouTube's glare while on-device AI keeps faces and people naturally lit — none of the flat, washed-out look of a normal dark filter. Free, no account, 100% on your device.
No account, no sign-up — and the AI runs entirely on your device.
(01)Features
Dark mode that actually understands the video.
AI dark mode that spares faces
Google's MediaPipe segmentation runs on every frame, so backgrounds dim while faces and people stay at natural brightness — none of the washed-out look of a plain dark filter.
Liquid-glass protection zones
Shift-drag anywhere on the video to keep a region fully bright. The zone is a real liquid-glass pane — a refracting rim around a clear center — so captions and overlays never get dimmed.
A toggle right in the player
A control sits in YouTube's own player bar: it glows when dark mode is on and shows a slash when off. Flip it without leaving the video, or use the toolbar popup.
The AI runs on your device
All segmentation runs locally in WebAssembly. DarkTube makes zero network requests, needs no account, and stores only a single on/off preference.
Easier on the eyes, deeper on OLED
Built for late-night viewing and OLED screens — backgrounds go genuinely dark to cut glare and eye strain while the picture stays readable.
Knows when to step aside
DarkTube detects DRM-protected videos and cleanly disables itself there, then re-enables on standard content — so playback is never broken or blacked out.
(02)How it works
Comfortable viewing in three steps.
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1
Install and open YouTube
Add DarkTube AI, then go to any YouTube video. There is nothing to configure and no sign-in.
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2
Toggle dark mode
Click the toggle in the player (or the toolbar icon). The background dims instantly while people stay lit.
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3
Protect what matters
Shift-drag on the video to keep captions, charts, or any region fully bright. Your on/off choice is remembered next time.
(03)Privacy
Nothing you watch ever leaves your device.
- Zero network requests — all AI runs locally in WebAssembly. No servers, no telemetry, no remote code.
- No accounts and no tracking. DarkTube never records what you watch.
- The only thing stored is a single on/off preference, kept in local browser storage on your device.
- Least-privilege permissions: it runs only on youtube.com, and only to dim the page you are watching.
(04)FAQ
Questions, answered.
Does DarkTube send my data anywhere?
No. All processing happens locally in your browser using WebAssembly. DarkTube makes zero network requests and stores only a single on/off preference on your device.
How is this different from YouTube's built-in dark mode?
YouTube's dark mode only darkens the page around the video. DarkTube dims the video itself — and its AI keeps faces and people naturally lit, instead of the flat, washed-out look you get from inverting the whole frame.
Do I need an account or subscription?
No. DarkTube AI is free, with no account, sign-up, or login. Install it and it works.
Does it work offline?
Yes — the AI runs entirely on your device, so it keeps working with no internet connection (you still need YouTube itself to load the video).
What are protection zones?
Hold Shift and drag on the video to draw a rectangle that stays fully bright — handy for captions, diagrams, or anything you don't want dimmed. It renders as a liquid-glass pane and can be moved, resized, or closed.
Which browsers are supported?
Chrome and other Chromium browsers (Edge, Brave, Arc) on Manifest V3. Firefox and Safari aren't supported.
Does it work on every video?
It works on standard YouTube videos. DRM-protected content (some movies and rentals) is detected automatically and skipped, so playback is never broken.