If you spend time in the Azure Portal’s using Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer, you know it’s a “lots of screens, lots of tabs, lots of work happening” kind of place. So I’m excited to share a small upgrade that makes a big difference: Dark Mode is now supported in Cosmos DB Data Explorer.

It just works with Azure Portal Dark Mode

If you already have Dark Mode enabled in the Azure Portal, Data Explorer will automatically switch to dark with it. No extra setup, no separate preference buried in a panel somewhere.

If you want to switch on the on demand, you can also use the sun/moon toggle in the Data Explorer header to turn Dark Mode on or off whenever you want.

Full screen Data Explorer note

One thing to be aware of: full screen Data Explorer doesn’t carry over your Azure Portal appearance setting.

So if you’re working in full screen and you switch the Cosmos DB account you’re working on, the appearance may go back to the default. If you prefer Dark Mode there too, you can quickly flip it back using the sun/moon toggle.

Conclusion

Dark Mode isn’t just aesthetic. When you’re debugging a query, scanning items, checking throughput settings, or hopping between containers, reducing glare and visual noise helps you stay in flow. It’s the kind of small improvement that makes Data Explorer feel calmer and easier to work in, especially during long sessions.

If you try it out, We’d love to hear where it feels best for you, query editor, items view, or scale and settings. You can leave us feedback by clicking the smile button in the Data Explorer top menu.

About Azure Cosmos DB

Azure Cosmos DB is a fully managed and serverless NoSQL and vector database for modern app development, including AI applications. With its SLA-backed speed and availability as well as instant dynamic scalability, it is ideal for real-time NoSQL and MongoDB applications that require high performance and distributed computing over massive volumes of NoSQL and vector data.

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