The Papirus Development Team provides theme updates that can be installed to force a dark interface.
: The stable version of wxWidgets used by FileZilla has historically lacked native dark mode support for standard Win32 applications.
Since FileZilla has not released a native "Dark Mode" update for Windows (it still uses the default system gray/white colors), the "update" you are looking for involves manually applying a theme patch or using Windows system settings to force a darker appearance.
FileZilla stores many of its settings in an XML file, which you can manually edit to achieve a custom color scheme. filezilla dark theme upd
This means that to change FileZilla's look, you're essentially supposed to change your OS theme. While this is a streamlined design choice, it's also the source of much user frustration and confusion, as it lacks the flexibility of an in-app toggle. As a result, users have developed several workarounds to achieve a personalized dark mode.
FileZilla, one of the most popular FTP clients, has finally introduced an official dark theme. No more eye strain during late-night file transfers. This update brings a modern, fully dark interface that matches your OS preference or can be manually enabled.
to force 3rd-party Windows themes, which can affect FileZilla, though this is considered an advanced and potentially unstable method. Recommended Alternatives with Native Dark Mode The Papirus Development Team provides theme updates that
FileZilla does not have a dedicated internal setting to toggle a "Dark Mode" on Windows; it is a that primarily relies on the operating system's color schemes. While newer versions on macOS and Linux have improved support, Windows users generally must use system-wide accessibility or third-party workarounds to achieve a dark interface. Current State & Official Support
While this darkens the window borders and some context menus, it often leaves the main file panes white. To fix this, users often turn to High Contrast themes under Accessibility settings, though this can drastically change the look of every other app on your system. Method 2: Using Custom Icon Themes (The "Visual Fix")
The project lead (botg) has long maintained that theming is the responsibility of the operating system, not the application. The stance is: if you want FileZilla to be dark, you should set your OS theme to dark, and the app will follow. FileZilla Forums FileZilla stores many of its settings in an
FileZilla Dark Theme Update: How to Enable Dark Mode Across All Operating Systems
While developers maintain that native dark mode is not a priority compared to security and compatibility updates, the pressure for a native theme update is increasing in 2026.
The progress bar zipped across the screen. Downloading update...
Since FileZilla reads the standard system metrics colors dictated by Windows, turning the standard UI dark requires adjusting specific system-level configurations.