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Dark mode and appearance

Switch between the light porcelain theme and the dark aurora theme, collapse the sidebar, understand the desktop window and the language.

Updated on 06/10/2026 Edit this page Open in the full documentation

Novadesko offers two themes. The light theme, the default, places white cards on a very pale lavender background, known as "porcelain", with an indigo pill for the active sidebar entry. The dark theme, known as "aurora", places frosted panels on a midnight-blue background crossed by violet glows. The desktop and web apps use the Poppins typeface; the theme changes neither your data nor what your colleagues see.

Switching theme

Two paths lead to the same setting.

  1. Open the user menu at the bottom of the sidebar and flip the Dark Mode switch. In the dark theme, the same row is called Light Mode.
  2. Or open User profile, Preferences tab, « Expérience » (experience) block, Theme selector.
Theme selector value Behaviour
Automatic (system) Follows your computer's light or dark mode.
Light Porcelain theme, the default value.
Dark Aurora theme.

The setting is "applied immediately and remembered on this device": there is no save button.

The user menu and the Dark mode switch
  1. Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar.
  2. The user menu opens.
  3. Turn on the Dark mode switch.
The same menu in the dark theme: the row becomes Light mode
  1. The user menu opens.
  2. In the dark theme, the menu row offers to go back to light mode.
  3. Click the switch to go back to the light theme.

Where the setting is kept

The theme is saved on the device, in the app's or browser's storage, not on your account. Set each workstation once. In a browser, clearing the site data restores the light theme. The web app (web.novadesko.com) has its own Dark Mode switch in the user menu, independent of the one in the desktop apps.

The aurora background

In the dark theme, the background remains visible behind the panels, including under forms opened on top of a list. The dashboard's key figure cards and the headers keep their indigo-violet gradient in both themes. There is no separate setting for the aurora: it follows the theme.

The theme choice in the profile preferences
  1. Open the Preferences tab.
  2. The Theme block offers three choices: light, dark or automatic.
  3. Select Dark.
  4. Click the save button to confirm.
The automatic theme, aligned with your system
  1. The Theme block offers three choices: light, dark or automatic.
  2. Select Automatic to follow the setting of your system.
  3. Click the save button to confirm.
The company settings, General information section
  1. The left column lists the sections, grouped by theme.
  2. Click General information to open the section.
  3. The form of the section appears on the right.

The floating sidebar is 266 pixels wide when expanded and 90 pixels when collapsed.

  • The round button in the top right of the panel, with the Collapse or Expand tooltip, collapses or expands it. The choice is remembered on the device.
  • When collapsed, it shows only the icons. Hover over an icon that has a submenu: a flyout opens beside it with the entries, and closes when the mouse leaves it.
  • When expanded, click a group's title (for example the groups in small capitals) to fold it; the state of the groups is remembered too.
  • The two blocks at the bottom open the company menu (Select a shop, « Nouvelle entreprise » (new company), Company settings) and the user menu.
The company block, above the user block
  1. The company block sits just above your name.
  2. Your user block stays at the very bottom of the sidebar.
  3. Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar.

In a window less than 768 pixels wide, the sidebar becomes a drawer and a navigation bar appears at the bottom: Dashboard, Documents, Scanner and a + button with New invoice, « Nouveau Devis » (new estimate), « Nouvelle Dépense » (new expense) and New customer. Between 768 and 1024 pixels, the sidebar is collapsed.

Desktop window

On macOS, the app opens centred, at 90 % of the visible screen, and cannot be shrunk below 1100 × 720 pixels. The floating action bar at the top of the window (gradient handle) slides out on hover: Global search, Notifications, Messages, Agenda, Todo List.

Note

Screenshots of the desktop app are only possible when the "Screen Recording" permission has been granted to the capture tool in macOS settings.

Simplified mode

The « Mode simplifié » (simplified mode) switch, in the user menu and in Preferences, displays a "lighter interface: only the essential features are shown". The padlock next to it indicates that full mode requires a paid subscription. See Plans.

Language

The interface language is changed with the flags in the user menu (Français, Nederlands, English) or in Preferences, Language & Region block. Unlike the theme, it is saved on your account. See Your profile.

See also