Windows 11 supports dark mode, but there has always been an inconsistency between new apps and older ones. All the old dialog boxes and applets do not conform to the dark scheme and look out of place. The Run dialog box is among the list, but soon, it will adapt to dark mode.
Microsoft released a new Beta channel build yesterday that mentions this new change. If you use the dark mode on Windows 11 and press the Win + R key or open the Run dialog box by any other means, you’ll find that it now blends with the dark theme. The top border is pitch black, while the rest is slightly greyish to make everything easy on the eyes.
It’s a small accessibility change that I appreciate, but there’s a lot of ground to cover. The Control panel and its applets do not blend with dark mode, and even the File Explorer Properties and other windows appear white in dark mode.
So, you cannot enter system-wide dark mode even after enabling it from settings. But at least, now you have one less tool to worry about. Note that it’s in gradual rollout phase and might show up a few days later after installing the KB5067103 update.
Windows 11 was all about a new, polished UI, but after four years, things are still a work in progress. Maybe Windows 10’s retirement will give them some breathing room, and they will ensure complete dark mode next year. The new Beta build also has some Copilot+ PC exclusives.
Agentic action in Settings
The Settings app will show more agentic actions on the Recommended page. It’ll list the most recently changed settings with a button to change their state. For example, if you recently enabled Do Not Disturb mode, it will show an agentic action button to quickly turn the feature on/off.
Agentic action simply means a one-click option to change a setting/enable a feature, you would otherwise have to manually find.
Similarly, Agentic actions will also appear in the Settings app search bar. If you type something like ‘enable dark mode,’ the search results will display the relevant options, along with a button to change the setting. You don’t need to first open the relevant page and then change the settings from there. Essentially, it’ll transform lengthy steps into a one-click solution.
Visiting a feature’s setting page is frustrating. If I want to change the display scaling, I must first open the system, go to display, and then scroll to adjust it. With agentic action, I can immediately change the scale after I search for it.
The Settings app doesn’t support multiple windows, which results in a lot of back and forth between pages, and you may feel lost at times.
A multi-window support would be better, but the agentic actions can help you change settings quickly. However, these features are exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, and the regular 25H2 user will have to settle for the usual single-window approach.
