Framer offers an intuitive and powerful platform for creating modern websites and prototypes—especially when it comes to implementing responsive UI features like theme switching between light and dark modes. However, there are times when this feature becomes unresponsive or simply stops working. Whether you’re a designer using Framer for the first time or a seasoned developer encountering unexpected bugs, this article will provide comprehensive guidance to identify and fix the issue.

TL;DR

If your Framer theme switcher isn’t responding, check to ensure that the theme logic is correctly implemented and linked to a state variable. Make sure your components are designed to respond to theme context switches. Common culprits include incorrect use of effects, forgetting to wrap parts of the site in a ThemeProvider, or browser caching. By following a structured checklist, you can generally get the switch working in a few steps.

Why Theme Switching Breaks in Framer

Theme switching involves dynamically changing styles or CSS variables based on a toggle or system preference. In Framer, this can be handled via React state management and context. Here are some of the most common reasons it stops working:

  • Incorrect state management – State controlling the theme isn’t updating properly.
  • Missing or misused ThemeProvider – The app or components aren’t wrapped correctly.
  • Caching issues – Old styles or scripts may be retained by the browser.
  • Component design issues – Certain components are coded in a way that doesn’t respond to theme changes.

Steps to Fix a Broken Theme Toggle in Framer

1. Confirm You’re Using a Supported Version of Framer

The first step may sound obvious, but always make sure you’re using an up-to-date version of Framer. Older versions may contain bugs that affect theme switching behavior. Head over to the Framer dashboard and confirm if an update is available.

2. Double-Check Your Theme Context Provider

Framer uses React under the hood, and context APIs are often used to manage themes. If you’re using a custom theme context, confirm that you’ve properly set this up. For most implementations, you should have something like this in your root component:


<ThemeProvider value={currentTheme}>
  <App />
</ThemeProvider>

If your components are outside of this provider, theme changes won’t propagate to them. Make sure every theme-aware component you use is nested within the ThemeProvider.

3. Check Your Theme Toggle Logic

The logic controlling theme switching is often based on a toggle button that changes a state variable. Here’s an example:


const [theme, setTheme] = useState('light');

const toggleTheme = () => {
  setTheme(theme === 'light' ? 'dark' : 'light');
};

This function should be connected to a button or switch component. Make sure your state updates are firing by adding a simple console.log(theme) to the toggle. If the state doesn’t change, the issue likely lies in how the event is being handled.

4. Make Sure Your CSS or Styles Respond to Theme Changes

Even if the state changes correctly, your components must be set up to respond accordingly. You can use class-based toggling or CSS variables tied to the theme context. Here’s how you might structure the logic:


<div className={`page-wrapper ${theme}`}>
  ...
</div>

Then in your CSS or styled-components:


.page-wrapper.light {
  background-color: white;
  color: black;
}

.page-wrapper.dark {
  background-color: black;
  color: white;
}

If your styles don’t change with the theme state, inspect the DOM to see if class names are updating as they should.

5. Use a Global State Library If Needed

In more complex projects, context variables might not be sufficient or convenient for theme control. If you’re struggling with prop drilling or nested components losing state, consider using global state libraries like:

  • Redux
  • Zustand
  • Recoil

Zustand, for example, offers a minimal API to manage global states, including themes. Here’s how a global toggle might look:


const useThemeStore = create((set) => ({
  theme: 'light',
  toggleTheme: () => set(state => ({ theme: state.theme === 'light' ? 'dark' : 'light' }))
}));

6. Watch Out for External Component Libraries

If your Framer project incorporates third-party components, ensure they are designed to support theme changes. Some libraries like Material-UI or Chakra UI have built-in theme support that may interfere with your custom implementation unless configured properly.

In such cases, read the documentation for those libraries and look for instructions on integrating with dark/light mode toggling. You might need to use their theme providers instead of—or in addition to—your custom solution.

7. Clear Browser Cache and Hard Reload

Sometimes, no coding error is to blame. Your site might simply be showing a cached version. To test this:

  • On Chrome, use Ctrl + Shift + R (or Cmd + Shift + R on Mac) to do a hard reload.
  • You can also open Dev Tools and right-click the refresh button to find the “Empty Cache and Hard Reload” option.

Advanced Tips for Persistent Issues

Use Media Queries for System-Level Theme Detection

You can enhance the UX further by detecting the user’s system theme preference. This is done using the window.matchMedia API:


useEffect(() => {
  const prefersDark = window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)');
  setTheme(prefersDark.matches ? 'dark' : 'light');

  prefersDark.addEventListener('change', (event) => {
    setTheme(event.matches ? 'dark' : 'light');
  });
}, []);

This ensures that your site automatically adopts the user’s preferred theme even before they toggle anything manually.

Debug with Dev Tools and Framer Preview

The built-in preview in Framer can sometimes behave differently from deployment. Always cross-check your app’s behavior in both environments. Additionally, use Chrome Dev Tools to inspect how class names and styles change upon theme switching.

Final Thoughts

Having a broken theme switch can feel frustrating, especially in an otherwise polished Framer site. But rest assured, most issues come down to logical or structural oversights—misconfigured states, provider mismatches, or stale caches. By systematically narrowing down the issue using the methods outlined above, you can restore full theme toggling capability to your project.

And don’t forget—Framer’s rich documentation and helpful community forums can often shed light on edge-case scenarios or recent app changes. Happy theming!