You can easily change the background color of web pages on Chrome using an official Chrome extension.
Don’t expect this plugin to give you a rainbow of colors. Its main purpose is to provide a better reading experience on web pages in Chrome.
With this plugin, you can quickly increase contrast, invert colors (white becomes black and black becomes white), and apply other display adjustments in just a click.
According to the extension’s documentation, it simply applies filters to the webpage—so it won’t break or affect how the site works.
Why You Might Need a Background Color Switch in Chrome
There are some obvious reasons.
Many websites may have poor color schemes, or their text-to-background contrast is too low, which makes them difficult to read. While the site may look stylish overall, it can be uncomfortable for readers.
From a user’s perspective, readability is more important than design.
Whenever you struggle to read a webpage, you can instantly change the background color of web pages in Chrome for better visibility.
Google (Ireland) has released an extension specifically for this purpose, called High Contrast.
Let’s see how to use High Contrast to change the background color of web pages on Chrome.
How to Change the Background Color of Web Pages Using High Contrast
- Visit the Chrome Web Store.
- Search for High Contrast.
- You may see multiple extensions with the same name. Make sure you install the correct one by checking the Developer. At present, the official extension can easily be identified as it has the highest number of installs under that name.
- Click the correct result to open its page, then install it by clicking Add to Chrome.
Tip: Before installing, check the overview, privacy practices, and user reviews to understand its benefits and potential drawbacks.
⚠️ Some extensions may request special permissions. Only approve extensions from trusted developers.
Once installed, High Contrast applies the default setting—Inverted Color.
When I tested it with multiple tabs (Google Sheets, High Contrast plugin page, Analytics, Grammarly, etc.), it changed the background color of all pages except its own plugin page, which is expected.
Now let’s explore its settings.
Adjusting High Contrast Extension Settings in Chrome
- Open any webpage in Google Chrome.
- Click the extension icon to the right of the address bar.
- Select High Contrast to open its options.
You’ll see the following styles available:
- Normal
- Increased Contrast
- Grayscale
- Inverted Color
- Inverted Grayscale
- Yellow on Black
You can apply each style to see how it changes the background color of web pages or improves text visibility in Chrome.
How to Apply or Disable Background Color Settings
The best part is that you can apply settings individually to each open tab. That means you don’t have to change the background color of all web pages—only the one you’re viewing.
To disable the current style and return to normal, use the shortcut key Shift + F11.
For example, if you choose the Yellow on Black scheme, pressing Shift + F11 twice will toggle it on and off.
Personally, I find Increased Contrast to be the most useful option.
Uninstalling High Contrast and Restoring Default Colors
The High Contrast extension is a handy way to change the background color of web pages on Chrome, but it has one drawback: it can also invert images on certain websites. For example, I don’t prefer using it on Facebook for this reason.
If you don’t like the plugin, uninstalling it is simple:
- Click the extension icon to the right of the address bar.
- Click the vertical three dots next to High Contrast.
- Select Remove from Chrome.
👉 Before uninstalling, make sure you’ve switched back to normal colors.
Related Post: How to Remove Multiple Tabs Opening on Chrome Start-Up
