User interface themes
Last modified: 09 June 2023The interface theme defines the appearance of windows, dialogs, buttons, and all visual elements of the user interface.
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/Preferences dialog (Ctrl+Alt+S), select Appearance & Behavior | Appearance.
Select the UI theme from the Theme list:
There are a number of themes that you can choose depending on your taste and experience with other IDEs. If JetBrains Rider is your first IDE, we suggest one of the following themes:
Rider Light: Default light theme
Rider Dark: Default dark theme
High contrast: Theme designed for users with color vision deficiency
Select Sync with OS to let JetBrains Rider 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.
You can install a custom theme from the JetBrains Plugin Repository as described in Managing plugins.
It is also possible to create your own UI themes for JetBrains Rider and customize the built-in themes. For more information, see IntelliJ Platform SDK Documentation.
Productivity tips
Use the quick switcher
Press N/A or select View | Quick Switch Scheme form the main menu.
In the Switch popup, select Theme, and then select the desired interface theme.
Create shortcuts
You can map the Theme action to your preferred key combination.