Troubleshooting Dark Mode, the Side Menu and the Phone Layout

Troubleshooting · Updated 2026-10-25

These topics concern how the screens look and where the menus are, not what the data says. Nothing here changes any booking, rate or setting.

Symptom: dark mode looks wrong (hard-to-read text, a white panel, an odd colour)

Likely causes, ranked:

1. The page is a screen that never goes dark. The guest portal (#/guest/...) and Housekeeping Mobile (#/hk) always use their own light look; the Appearance choice does not apply to them. This is expected (Dark mode).
2. Old files in the browser. After an update the browser can mix old and new styles. Hard refresh with Ctrl+F5 (Mac: Cmd+Shift+R), or clear the cache for the site, then open the property again.
3. Colours that come from your own data. Room status colours and room type colours are saved values. Applying a palette in Room Status Setup also sets a readable text colour for each status, but an individual very dark or very pale colour you typed in Property Setup can still look odd in one of the two modes. Change the colour in Room Status Setup or Room Type (the Room Status Setup screen has ready palettes that pick a readable text colour for you).
4. A printout or PDF. Folios, invoices and reports are always printed light; they do not follow the screen.
5. Browser extensions that force dark pages (for example "dark reader" tools) are applied on top of SunPMS and double the effect. Switch the extension off for the site.

If one particular screen is unreadable in dark mode only, switch to Light (moon / sun icon in the top bar), take a screenshot of both modes with the screen name (the address ends with the route, for example #/register) and report it to support.

Symptom: the property opens in the wrong theme (dark when you want light, or the other way round)

The theme is remembered in browser cookies, not in your user record, so it can differ per browser and per computer.

1. The landing portal wins. If you picked Light or Dark on the SunAuth landing page, the property opens in that mode (the choice is shared through the cookie sun_theme). Change it in SunPMS and the new choice is written back, so the next property opens in it too.
2. System follows the device. With System selected, the screen is dark when your computer or phone is in dark mode (many devices switch automatically in the evening). Choose Light or Dark to stop following the device.
3. Cleared cookies. Clearing browser cookies, using a private window or another browser starts again from System.
4. Where to change it. Click the moon / sun icon in the top bar to flip Light and Dark, or open your name in the top bar and choose Light, Dark or System under Appearance. On a phone the icon is inside the account menu.

Symptom: the side menu is collapsed (only icons, no names) or it is missing

1. It is collapsed on purpose. The button Collapse menu (hamburger icon at the top of the side menu) narrows the menu to an icon rail. Click Expand menu to bring the names back. Pointing at the rail also opens it for a moment. Your choice is remembered per browser (cookie sunpms_v2_nav).
2. The window is narrow. Below about 900 pixels the side menu becomes a drawer that stays hidden: click the menu (hamburger) button at the left of the top bar to open it; click the dark area, the close button or a menu item to close it.
3. An item is missing, not just hidden. The menu shows only what the role may use, what the licence includes and what the property settings switch on. Missing items are explained in Button or menu missing and Not licensed. Type part of a name in Find a screen at the top of the menu to check whether the screen exists for you; the command palette (Ctrl+K, Mac Cmd+K) also finds screens, reports and guests.
4. A module group is closed. Groups such as Reception or Billing open and close with a click on their title; the group of the screen you are on opens by itself.
5. Lost & Found and Contact Database are not listed. These two screens have no entry in the side menu in this version. Open #/lost-and-found or #/contacts by typing the address after the #/ in the address bar.

Symptom: on a phone or tablet the screen looks different (cards instead of tables, bottom bar, sideways scrolling)

This is the phone layout, not a fault.

1. Bottom bar. Under 600 pixels the status bar is replaced by a bar with Dashboard, Calendar, Register, Guest Hub and Menu (users without the Dashboard or Guest Hub privilege see Reports or New instead). Menu opens the full side menu; the PMS date and Support are at the foot of that menu.
2. Lists become cards. Wide tables (guest lists, rental tables, audit trail, invoices, imports, OTA lists) show one card per row on a phone. Rotate the phone or use a tablet or computer to see all columns.
3. Date grids scroll sideways. The Calendar, Rate Manager, Restrictions and Rate & Availability Summary keep their date columns; swipe sideways. This is by design.
4. The folio is a short page. On a phone the folio shows the identity header, the sections one under the other and the Balance due bar at the bottom; tap the bar to open Charges & balance.
5. A button is not where the manual says. Some header actions (theme icon, Change property) move into the account menu (tap your initial) on narrow screens. Details: Phone and tablet layout.
6. Zoomed in. Set the browser zoom back to 100 % and rotate the device; a zoomed-in browser window can switch to the phone layout on a computer too.

When to escalate

The layout is broken at normal zoom in a current browser (text cut off, buttons overlapping, nothing clickable). Give the screen address (the part after #/), the browser and version, the window size or device, Light or Dark and a screenshot (How to troubleshoot).

Tips and FAQ

• Q: I switched to dark mode and the landing page changed too. A: Both share one choice. Pick System to let each device decide.
• Q: Does dark mode change my reports or printouts? A: No, only the screen.
• Q: Why did my colleague's PC open the property in the other theme? A: The theme is stored in the browser, not in the user. Set it once on each computer.
• Q: The side menu keeps collapsing. A: Click Expand menu; the choice is kept for a year unless cookies are cleared.