How to Change the Theme on Messenger (Phone and Computer)

A chat theme is one of those small touches that makes Messenger feel like yours. Families give the group chat a bright gradient, friends pick a theme that suits a shared joke, and I know small business owners who colour-code chats with clients so they never reply in the wrong window.

It only takes a few taps, but there's one thing worth knowing before you choose: a theme isn't private to you. Here's how to change it on your phone and computer, who sees it, and how it differs from dark mode, all based on Meta's own Messenger help pages.

Change the Messenger theme on your phone

Meta describes the app route as going into your chat settings and tapping Theme. In practice that looks like this:

1. Open the Messenger app and go into the chat you'd like to change.
2. Tap the person's name, or the group name, at the top of the chat to open the chat settings.
3. Tap Theme.
4. Scroll through the options and tap the one you like. The chat updates straight away.

Labels move about a little between app versions and between iPhone and Android, so if you don't see Theme straight away, look for it near the top of the chat settings, close to nicknames and emoji.

Change the Messenger theme on a computer

Messenger's help centre gives these steps for a computer:

1. Open the conversation from your Chats list.
2. Click Options.
3. Click Customise chat.
4. Click Change theme and pick a new one.
5. Click Select to apply it.

Some versions spell it Customize chat. Either way, it's the menu where the chat's look and emoji live.

Who sees the Messenger theme you choose

This is the bit that surprises people. A Messenger theme belongs to the chat, not to your own app. Messenger's help says that when you choose a theme or colour for a chat, the chat is set to that theme across Messenger and messages on Facebook.

• In a one-to-one chat, the other person sees the new theme too.
• In a group chat, everyone in the group sees it.
• If someone else changes it later, the new theme replaces yours for everybody.

So before you pick a joke theme for a work chat, picture your client opening it. For chats with customers, I'd stick to a calm colour or the default look.

Messenger themes with word effects

Some themes come with word effects. Messenger's help explains these are animations that everyone in the chat sees when certain words are used in a message. They're fun in a family chat and a little distracting in a busy group.

If a word effect starts to grate, the help centre says it can be removed, so you don't have to give up the whole theme to stop the animation. Look in the same chat settings where you picked the theme.

Messenger themes, colours and gradients compared

Messenger lets you pick themes, colours and gradients for your chats. Here's how I'd think about the choices:

Option	What it changes
Theme	The chat's look, sometimes with a background and word effects
Colour	The colour of the chat bubbles, without extra decoration
Gradient	A blend of colours instead of a single shade
Default	Messenger's standard look, if you'd like to undo a change

If you change your mind, go back to Theme in the same chat settings and choose the default option. You can swap as often as you like.

Changing the Messenger theme vs turning on dark mode

People often mix these up. A chat theme changes one conversation for everyone in it. Dark mode is a separate Messenger setting that changes how the whole app looks on your own device, and Messenger's help covers it in its own article.

• Want a darker screen at night? Use dark mode. Nobody else is affected.
• Want one chat to look different? Use a theme. Everyone in that chat sees it.

While you're personalising a chat, you might also like to give people friendlier names in it. My guide to changing nicknames on Messenger covers that, and it sits in the same chat settings.

Using Messenger themes for business chats

If you manage customer messages through Messenger, themes can help you stay organised, as long as you remember the customer sees them too. A few ideas:

• Keep client chats on a neutral colour so they look professional on the other person's phone.
• Use a distinctive theme for internal team groups, so you can tell at a glance you're not talking to a customer.
• Avoid themes with lots of word effects in chats where you share links or important details.

If a chat is private enough that you'd rather nobody picked up your phone and read it, a theme won't help. Look at locking your Messenger chats instead.

If you can't change the theme on Messenger

• Your app is out of date. Update Messenger from your app store and try again; my guide on updating Messenger shows how.
• You're in the wrong menu. Themes sit in the chat's own settings, not in your main Messenger settings.
• The theme keeps changing back. Someone else in the chat may have picked a different one, since the theme is shared by the whole chat.
• You're on a very old device or browser. Try the Messenger app on your phone, where the Theme option sits in the chat settings.

Related guides live in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change the theme on Messenger?

Open the chat, tap the person's or group's name at the top, tap Theme and choose one. On a computer, open the chat, click Options, then Customise chat, then Change theme, and click Select.

Does the other person see my Messenger theme?

Yes. Messenger's help says a theme you choose applies to that chat across Messenger and messages on Facebook, so everyone in the chat sees it.

Can I set one theme for all my Messenger chats?

Themes are set chat by chat. If you'd like the whole app darker on your own device, use dark mode, which is a separate setting.

What are word effects in Messenger themes?

Some themes include animations that everyone in the chat sees when certain words are used. Messenger's help says you can remove word effects.

How do I go back to the normal Messenger look?

Open the chat settings, tap Theme again and choose the default option.