Turn Off the Lights is a browser extension that darkens everything on a web page except the video you are watching, like dimming the lights in a cinema. It works on YouTube and most other video sites, and has around one million users on the Chrome Web Store with a 4.6 rating as of September 2026. This guide shows how to install it, how to use it day to day, and which of its many options are worth switching on.
What the extension does
- Fades the page around the video to dark with one click on the lamp icon.
- Can dim automatically as soon as a video starts playing.
- Adds an ambient glow around the video that follows its colours, similar to TVs with backlighting.
- Includes a night mode that turns bright websites dark for easier reading in the evening.
- Works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari, so you can keep the same habit across browsers.
How to install Turn Off the Lights in Chrome
- Open extension’s Chrome Web Store page.
- Click Add to Chrome, then Add extension.
- Pin the grey lamp icon from the puzzle-piece menu so it is always in the toolbar.
- Open a video and click the lamp. Click anywhere on the dark area, or the lamp again, to bring the page back.
Settings worth changing
| Setting | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic dimming | Darkens the page when a video plays | Anyone who watches a lot of YouTube |
| Opacity | How dark the dimmed area gets | Watching in a bright room |
| Atmosphere lighting | Coloured glow around the video | Films and music videos |
| Night mode | Dark theme for any website | Reading late at night |
| Keyboard shortcut | Toggle without clicking the icon | Keeping your hands on the keyboard |
Open the options page by right-clicking the lamp and choosing Options. The list of settings is long, so start with the few above and leave the rest until you miss something.
Does it work on sites other than YouTube?
Yes. The extension finds standard web video players on most sites, including Vimeo and many news and streaming pages. Some services use players that it cannot detect; in that case the whole page dims evenly, and you can use night mode instead.
Is Turn Off the Lights safe?
It needs access to the pages you visit in order to dim them, which is normal for this kind of tool. It has been maintained by the same independent developer for more than a decade, is updated regularly, and has a large, long-standing user base. As with any extension, remove it if you stop using it.
Tips for a better viewing setup
- In a dark room, lower the opacity a little; a fully black background makes a bright video look harsher.
- Add sites where you do not want dimming, such as video-call pages, to the extension’s exclusion list.
- Combine it with YouTube’s own theatre mode (press T) and dark theme for the biggest picture with the least glare.
- If you want to keep working while the video plays, picture-in-picture is the better tool: it keeps the video in a small window over your other apps.
Similar extensions for watching YouTube
If you like tidying up YouTube, see our guides to looping YouTube videos and picture-in-picture, and our list of free YouTube extensions.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes, the extension is free to install and use.
Why does the page stay dark?
Click anywhere on the dark area or press the lamp icon again. If automatic dimming is on, the page dims again the next time a video starts.
Does it slow down Chrome?
Not noticeably for most people. If you use the ambient lighting effect on an older laptop, turning it off saves some processor time.
Turn Off the Lights is a small change that makes watching video in a browser feel calmer. Install it, switch on automatic dimming, and adjust the darkness to your room.