How to Change the Theme in Cursor

You can change Cursor's editor colors from the Command Palette or with the same theme shortcut used by VS Code. Cursor inherits VS Code's theming system, so it supports built-in light, dark, and high-contrast themes as well as compatible theme extensions.

Change the color theme

1. Open Cursor.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS.
3. Type theme.
4. Select Preferences: Color Theme.
5. Move through the list to preview themes, then select one to apply it.

The direct shortcut is Ctrl+K, then Ctrl+T on Windows/Linux, or Cmd+K, then Cmd+T on macOS. Press the keys as a sequence rather than all four at once.

Change file and interface icons

Color themes, file icons, and product icons are separate settings. Open the Command Palette and search for:

• Preferences: File Icon Theme to change icons in Explorer.
• Preferences: Product Icon Theme to change interface icons.

Install another theme

1. Open Extensions with Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X.
2. Search for the theme name.
3. Check the publisher, installation count, permissions, and recent update history.
4. Select Install, then open Preferences: Color Theme and choose it.

Cursor is based on the VS Code codebase, but extension availability is not guaranteed to be identical. If a theme is missing, look for it in Cursor's Extensions view and avoid downloading an unverified package from a random website. TipsMake also explains how malicious editor extensions can impersonate legitimate ones.

Follow the operating-system theme automatically

Open Settings JSON and add preferred light and dark themes using their exact installed names:

{
  "window.autoDetectColorScheme": true,
  "workbench.preferredDarkColorTheme": "Cursor Dark",
  "workbench.preferredLightColorTheme": "Light Modern"
}

Cursor then follows the operating system's light/dark choice. Automatic switching depends on the OS changing its own color scheme; it is not a separate time scheduler inside Cursor.

Dark or light theme?

Choose for your environment rather than following a universal rule. A light theme can be easier to read in a bright room because it matches the surrounding light. A dark theme can reduce glare in a dim room, but very low contrast may make punctuation and comments harder to distinguish.

For long sessions, prioritize readable contrast, a comfortable font size, and moderate screen brightness. High-contrast themes are useful when ordinary syntax colors blur together. If text looks sharp at first but becomes tiring, try a different contrast level before changing the entire color scheme.

Move a theme from VS Code

Cursor's VS Code import can transfer themes, extensions, settings, and keybindings. Open Cursor Settings with Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+J, go to General > Account, and use the VS Code Import control. For moving between Cursor installations, export and import an editor profile if cloud synchronization is not available in your version.

Cursor's official theme documentation lists the supported workflow.