Native dark mode for webpages in the Codex built-in browser
What variant of Codex are you using?
Codex App for macOS, built-in browser
What feature would you like to see?
Add a native Darken webpages option to the Codex App's built-in browser, separate from the app UI theme.
The current dark theme applies to the Codex interface, but web content remains bright. The built-in browser does not expose a supported way to install ordinary browser extensions such as Night Eye, so long browser sessions can cause avoidable eye strain.
Suggested setting: Settings > Browser > Darken webpages
- Off
- Automatic, following the app or system theme
- Always on
- Per-site exceptions
The setting should persist across tabs, reloads, subpages, and cross-site navigation. It should preserve images, charts, contrast, accessibility, and page functionality.
Please include robust handling for complex web apps such as Google Sheets. A CSS-only workaround cannot reliably darken canvas-rendered areas, so native browser-level support is needed.
Additional information
Platform: macOS
Surface: Codex App built-in browser
I tested a custom CDP/CSS workaround. It worked on ordinary pages but failed the key use case: rendering Google Sheets comfortably in the dark, including canvas-rendered spreadsheet areas. Unsupported launchers or custom extensions are too fragile for a basic accessibility and visual-comfort feature.
Related private /feedback submission, sent without logs:019f9636-d6ce-7902-afb4-60b4f2e84798
1 Comment
Cross-platform behavior appears to be inconsistent. In #35489, a Windows 11 user running Codex 26.721.41059 reports that all websites are forcibly darkened when the application uses a dark theme.
On macOS, the opposite still occurs in Codex 26.810.41047: the app is using its dark theme and the built-in browser reports
prefers-color-scheme: dark, yet light webpages remain light. For example,example.comstill renders withrgb(238, 238, 238)background and black text.This inconsistency reinforces the need for an explicit, cross-platform browser setting rather than implicit platform-dependent behavior: Off / Automatic / Always on, ideally with per-site exceptions. It would solve both the Windows user’s forced-dark problem and the macOS user’s forced-light problem.