Fact checked by In this article, we explore the 20 best vscode themes in 2024.
Developed by Microsoft, Visual Studio Code is a free code editor renowned for its versatility, ease of use, and extensibility.
And with more than 70% of developers from web development to data science using vscode, it’s by far the most popular code editor in mainstream use right now.
One of vscode’s hidden powers lies in the ecosystem of vscode themes you can download and install from the vs code marketplace.
Think of this like an app store for vscode themes!
Sure, vscode looks okay out of the box, but why not inject some personality and potentially productivity-boosting styling into your coding?
Well, we’ve got your back, as we’ve found the 20 best vscode themes you need to check out in 2024, including dark, light, colorful, and minimalist themes.
So, if you’re ready, let’s check out these vscode themes to add your personality to your coding environment!
What Are VSCode Themes?
VS Code themes are pre-designed color schemes and styles that modify the appearance of your code editor’s user interface, including the text editor, sidebar, status bar, and other elements.
VSCode themes are popular among developers for several reasons, including easier-to-read code, reduced eye strain due to specific colors and contrast (essential when working long hours), and the ability to customize the look and feel of your code editor.
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What Are the Different Types of VS Code Themes
At the base level, we can divide the best VS Code themes into three broad categories.
- Dark Themes: These are designed with darker colors and backgrounds, making it easier for developers to work for longer periods without experiencing eye strain.
- Light Themes: These use brighter colors for the background and text, providing a more lively workspace. They can be useful, especially when working in a brightly lit environment.
- Theme packages: These are collections of themes with light and dark options. Sometimes, they can be automatically switched based on system preferences.
Whatever your personal style, you should be able to find the perfect theme to fine-tune your VSCode environment, boost your productivity, and level up your developer experience.
And while we're on the subject of greater productivity, we'd also recommend installing an AI coding assistant extension to supercharge VSCode.
Best VSCode Theme Packages
Maybe you want the option to switch between a light and dark vscode appearance without having to find even more new themes for your code environment?
If that appeals to you, you have to check out these vscode theme packages!
1. GitHub Theme
Main feature: Mimics the look and feel of GitHub’s UI
Number of installs: 8.1M+
This vscode theme was created and published by GitHub and mimics the look and feel of GitHub's interface. It comes in seven variations: light and dark default, light and dark high contrast, light and dark colorblind, and dark dimmed. It’s also customizable.
2. Winter is Coming
Main feature: Inspired by the Game of Thrones TV show
Number of installs: 2.1M+
Winter is Coming is a dark vscode theme package inspired by the popular TV show, Game of Thrones. It features a dark gray background with icy blue and white colors for syntax highlighting. It also comes in three variations: dark default, dark with italics, and light.
3. Night Owl/Light Owl
Main feature: Dark and light options with distinctive designs.
Number of installs: 1.8M+
Night Owl is a dark vscode theme with a distinctive design, featuring a dark blue background with bright and contrasting colors. Light Owl is a light theme that complements Night Owl, featuring a bright white background with soft colors. Together, these two themes provide a seamless transition between light and dark modes.
4. Ayu
Main feature: Comes in 3 variations and is customizable
Number of installs: 1.7M+
Ayu is a popular theme for VS Code that comes in three versions: light, dark, and mirage. The light version has a bright white background with muted colors, while the dark version uses a dark gray background and vibrant colors. Finally, the mirage version features a light gray background with a desaturated color palette, providing a unique and subtle look.
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5. Noctis
Main feature: Comes in nine different variations
Number of installs: 780K+
This theme package for VS Code comes in 9 different variations, and it has a modern design with stylish fonts. Whatever your style or preference, you will likely find a variant appealing to you.
6. Slack Theme
Main feature: Based on Slack’s UI
Number of installs: 315K+
This vscode theme package mimics the look and feel of Slack's UI. If you are a fan of Slack, you will enjoy working with this theme inside VS Code. It also comes in seven different variations, with dark, light, and shades in between.
7. Tokyo Night
Main feature: Inspired by the neon night lights of Tokyo
Number of installs: 850K+
A dark vscode theme inspired by the neon lights of Tokyo at night, featuring a dark background with vibrant colors. It also has two other variants, the Tokyo night storm with dark blue background and the Tokyo night light with a dim gray background.
Best VSCode Dark Themes
If you know you want a dark-styled coding environment, check out this selection of dark vscode themes!
8. One Dark Pro
Main feature: Colorful syntax highlighting
Number of installs: 7M+
This is a popular dark vscode theme known for its sleek and modern design. It’s easy on the eyes, making it a good choice for long coding sessions. It also uses vivacious colors for different elements, which makes it easy to read code.
9. Dracula Official
Main feature: Available for other code editors as well as VS Code
Number of installs: 5M+
This VSCode theme has a dark purple-ish background with high-contrast colors for text. Dracula Official is also available for various other editors and applications, making it easy to have a consistent design across different platforms.
10. Monokai Pro
Main feature: Comes with unique file and folder icons
Number of installs: 2M+
Monokai Pro has a deep grayish background and pixel-perfect file icons that make it easy to distinguish between different elements. Monokai Pro is also customizable, allowing you to tweak the colors and settings.
11. One Monokai
Main feature: Dark theme with desaturated colors
Number of installs: 1.6M+
A variant of the Monokai Pro theme, this variant features a more muted and desaturated color palette. Its design is minimalistic and sleek, with a soft dark background. It’s a good choice for those who prefer a dark theme without bright colors.
12. Cobalt2
Main feature: Bright colors and customizable
Number of installs: 1.1M+
This vscode theme has a navy blue background with bright colors, plus the design is modern and stylish. Cobalt2 is also customizable, allowing users to adjust the colors and settings to their liking.
13. Bluloco Dark Theme
Main feature: Dark theme with a modern look
Number of installs: 225K+
This VSCode theme has a dark gray background with soft-light colors for the text. Its modern and minimal design provides a welcoming alternative to more traditional dark themes.
14. Shades of Purple
Main feature: Uses different shades of purple
Number of installs: 1.4M+
With a dark purple background and various shades of purple for syntax highlighting, this vscode theme has become a favorite among developers. So, if purple is your favorite color, you should definitely check this VS Code theme out!
Best Light Themes for VS Code
Perhaps you prefer the bright styling of a light-colored coding environment? In that case, check out these light vscode themes.
I always find these to be super nostalgic, and they remind me of some of the first IDEs and text editors that I used when starting my coding journey.
15. Atom One Light
Main feature: Clean and minimal design
Number of installs: 860K+
This is a popular light theme for VS Code based on the Atom code editor (which has since been sunsetted, RIP), featuring a bright white background and providing a clean and distraction-free interface. Atom One Light is also customizable, so you can tweak it to suit your preference.
16. Bluloco Light Theme
Main feature: Light version of Bluloco Dark Theme
Number of installs: 295K+
This is the light version of the Bluloco dark theme, and it uses a light gray background with multiple soft colors for the text. It also has a modern and clean design, along with a unique feature in the form of cool files and folder icons that are bundled with it.
17. Snazzy Light
Main feature: Modern and colorful light theme
Number of installs: 90K+
Snazzy Light has a modern and stylish look and feel, and the text's colors are bright and lively. It also has some cool-looking icons for files and folders. Another unique feature of this VS Code theme is the spacing between text, making it easy to read code.
18. Brackets Light Pro
Main feature: Clean and minimalistic light theme
Number of installs: 75K+
This is a clean and modern light theme for VS Code, featuring a light gray background with soft colors for syntax highlighting. It has a simple and elegant design, providing a distraction-free workspace.
19. Hop Light
Main feature: Minimal and clutter-free design
Number of installs: 95K+
Even though it’s a light theme, hop light has a dim tone, making it less strenuous on the eyes due to its plain and dim white background. The design is also minimal and clutter-free.
20. Blue Light
Main feature: Has default and italic options
Number of installs: 25K+
This is another customizable light theme for VS Code with two versions, default and italic. The colors complement each other well, making the text stand out; plus, it comes with specialized file icons and uses simple arrows for folder icons.
How Do I Make VSCode More Attractive?
If you've made it this far, you should already know the answer to this question! With vscode themes, of course!
That said, if you're new to the idea of choosing and installing VS Code themes, try to follow these best practices when trying to make your coding environment more attractive:
- Stick to the official marketplace: VS Code has a built-in marketplace to download your favorite themes, which is easy and safe to use.
- Check number of downloads: Before downloading, check the number of installs and reviews., as themes with higher numbers are more likely to be well-designed.
- Preview before installing: Many themes come with a preview, which is great for testing them out before installing them.
- Consider your environment: If you work at night or in a dimly lit room, a dark theme may be better for your eyes, while a lighter theme might be better for a bright environment.
- Customize to your liking: Many themes are customizableble, so adjust the colors, fonts, and more to find the perfect balance between visual appeal and functionality.
How to Install Themes in Visual Studio Code
If you’re unsure how to download and install your favorite VS Code themes, just follow the steps below.
- Open VS Code and click on the "Extensions" icon on the left-hand side of the window (or use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + Shift + X" on Windows or "Cmd + Shift + X" on Mac).
- In the search bar at the top of the Extensions panel, type in "themes" and press enter.
- Browse through the list of available themes and click on the one you want to install.
- Click on the "Install" button to install it.
- To activate an installed theme, click on the gear(settings) icon in the bottom left corner of the window and select "Color Theme" from the menu. Then, select your desired theme from the list of available options.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it! The 20 best vscode themes for personalizing your coding environment in 2024.
I really love these vscode themes for enhancing my coding experience and ultimately improving my workflow.
Whether you want to try out a light, dark, colorful, or minimalist vscode theme or even something in between, the vscode marketplace has vscode themes for you!
In the end, whichever vscode themes you choose to try out, have fun and happy coding!
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which VS Code Theme Is Best?
The best VSCode theme 2024 varies from person to person. Some prefer dark themes like One Dark Pro and Dracula Official to help reduce eye strain, while others like light themes like Bluloco and Brackets light because of the vibrant interface.
2. What Is the Best Color Theme for VS Code?
The best VSCode color theme depends on your preferences, as each of the VSCode color themes has unique features. For example, some prefer dark themes with soft, dull colors like Firefly, but others prefer light themes with bright and vibrant colors like Snazzy Light. You could also choose a theme package to switch between dark and light.
3. What Is the Best VS Code Dark Theme?
Based on the number of downloads, One Dark Pro and Dracula Official are among the best Visual Studio Code themes, but we’d encourage you to check out each theme we’ve covered above to find the right fit for you.
4. How Do I Make VS Code Look Cool?
You can use many themes to make VS Code look more visually appealing, including Winter is Coming, Tokyo Night, Dracula Official, and Snazzy Light. But honestly, any of the themes we’ve covered above will make VS Code look cool, so check them all out and pick the one you find the coolest!
References
1. Stack Overflow. Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2023: Most Popular Technologies - Integrated Development Environment [Internet]. Stack Overflow; [date unknown; cited 2024 Jan 15]. Available from: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2023/#section-most-popular-technologies-integrated-development-environment
2. Friedman, N. Sunsetting Atom [Internet]. GitHub Blog; 2022 Jun 8 [cited 2024 Jan 15]. Available from: https://github.blog/2022-06-08-sunsetting-atom/
