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How to Customize Cursor Theme

Introduction​

Cursor is built on VS Code and supports various theme customization options. This guide will walk you through different ways to customize Cursor's appearance according to your preferences.

Methods to Change Theme​

1. Using Command Palette​

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS)
  2. Type "Theme"
  3. Choose "Preferences: Color Theme"
  4. Select from available themes

2. Through Settings​

  1. Go to File > Preferences > Settings
  2. Search for "theme"
  3. Look for "Workbench: Color Theme"
  4. Choose your preferred theme from the dropdown

3. Using Keyboard Shortcuts​

  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+K Ctrl+T
  • macOS: Cmd+K Cmd+T

Available Theme Options​

Built-in Themes​

  • Dark+ (default dark theme)
  • Light+ (default light theme)
  • High Contrast
  • Monokai
  • Solarized Dark
  • Solarized Light

Installing Additional Themes​

  1. Open Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X)
  2. Search for "theme"
  3. Browse and install themes you like
  4. Restart Cursor if necessary

Customizing Specific Elements​

Editor Colors​

You can customize specific editor elements in settings.json:

{
  "workbench.colorCustomizations": {
    "editor.background": "#1E1E1E",
    "editor.foreground": "#D4D4D4",
    "editorLineNumber.foreground": "#858585"
  }
}

Code Syntax Colors​

Customize syntax highlighting:

{
  "editor.tokenColorCustomizations": {
    "comments": "#6A9955",
    "strings": "#CE9178",
    "keywords": "#569CD6"
  }
}

Importing VS Code Themes​

  1. Find the theme you want to use in VS Code Marketplace
  2. Install the same theme in Cursor via Extensions
  3. Apply the theme using Command Palette

System Color Scheme Integration​

  • Cursor can follow the system color scheme
  • Enable/disable in settings: "window.autoDetectColorScheme"

Best Practices​

  1. Backup theme settings before making major changes
  2. Test theme with different file types you regularly use
  3. Consider contrast and readability for long coding sessions
  4. Use themes that effectively distinguish between your programming languages

Troubleshooting​

  • If theme doesn't apply, try restarting Cursor
  • Check for theme extension updates
  • If using custom colors, verify settings.json format
  • If theme doesn't read correctly, clear VS Code cache
{
  "window.autoDetectColorScheme": true,
  "workbench.preferredDarkColorTheme": "Dark+",
  "workbench.preferredLightColorTheme": "Light+",
  "workbench.colorTheme": "Dark+"
}

Resources​