The interface theme defines the appearance of windows, dialogs, buttons, and all visual elements of the user interface. By default, PhpStorm 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 (Ctrl+Alt+S), 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 PhpStorm detect the current system settings and use the default dark or light theme accordingly.
It is also possible to create your own UI themes for PhpStorm and customize the built-in themes. For more information, see IntelliJ Platform SDK Documentation.
Productivity tips
Use the quick switcher
Press Ctrl+` or select View | Quick Switch Scheme form the menu.
In the Switch popup, select Theme, and then select the desired interface theme.