The interface theme defines the appearance of windows, dialogs, buttons, and all visual elements of the user interface. By default, CLion uses the Darcula theme, unless you changed it during the first run.
note
The interface theme is not the same as the color scheme, which defines the colors, fonts, and syntax highlight for various text resources: the source code, search results, and so on.
Change the UI theme
In the Settings dialog (CtrlAlt0S), select Appearance & Behavior | Appearance.
Select the UI theme from the Theme list:
IntelliJ Light: Traditional light theme for IntelliJ-based IDEs
macOS Light or Windows 10 Light: OS-specific light theme available as a bundled plugin
Darcula: Default dark theme
High contrast: Theme designed for users with color vision deficiency
Select Sync with OS to let CLion detect the current system settings and use the default dark or light theme accordingly. If your OS is set up to auto-switch between day and night modes, the IDE will automatically toggle between light and dark themes too.
It is also possible to create your own UI themes for CLion and customize the built-in themes. For more information, refer to IntelliJ Platform SDK Documentation.
Productivity tips
Use the quick switcher
Press Ctrl0` or select View | Quick Switch Scheme from the main menu.
In the Switch popup, select Theme, and then select the desired interface theme.
