IntelliJ IDEA 2023.3 Help

Colors and fonts

As a developer, you work with a lot of text resources: the source code in the editor, search results, debugger information, console input and output, and so on. Color and font styles are used to format this text and help you better understand it at a glance.

IntelliJ IDEA lets you choose between configurable color schemes that define colors and fonts used in IDE text.

Default color schemes for Java

You can use a predefined color scheme or customize it to your liking. It is also possible to share schemes.

Select a color scheme

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme.

  2. Use the Scheme list to select a color scheme.

    Select the color scheme

By default, there are the following predefined color schemes:

  • Classic Light: designed for the macOS Light and Windows 10 Light interface themes

  • Darcula: designed for the Darcula interface theme

  • High Contrast: designed for the High contrast interface theme (recommended for users with sight deficiency)

  • IntelliJ Light: designed for the IntelliJ Light interface theme

  • Light: designed for the Light and Light with Light Header interface themes in the new UI

  • Dark: designed for the Dark interface theme in the new UI

  • Darcula Contrast: high-contrast scheme designed for the Darcula interface theme

Customize a color scheme

You can customize a predefined color scheme, but it is recommended that you create a duplicate for your custom color and font settings:

Duplicate a color scheme

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme.

  2. Select a color scheme, click the Settings icon, and then click Duplicate.

    Duplicate a color scheme
  3. (Optional) To rename your custom scheme, click the Settings icon and select Rename.

To define color and font settings, open the Editor | Color Scheme page of the IDE settings  Ctrl+Alt+S.

Language Defaults section under Color Scheme settings

The settings under Editor | Color Scheme are separated into sections. For example, the General section defines basic editor colors, such as the gutter, line numbers, errors, warnings, popups, hints, and so on. The Language Defaults section contains common syntax highlighting settings, which are applied to all supported programming languages by default.

In most cases, it is sufficient to configure Language Defaults and make adjustments for specific languages if necessary. To change inherited color settings for an element, clear the Inherit values from checkbox.

Edit font and color settings

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme.

    The settings under Editor | Color Scheme are grouped in sections.

  2. Expand the Color Scheme node and select the required section.

  3. Change the settings in the right-hand pane.

    You can change font style, add effects, and modify color settings. To change the colors, click the field with color code. The color picker popup opens allowing you to choose the color as you like.

    For example, you can change the unused code highlighting:

    Changing the unused code highlighting color

Semantic highlighting

By default, the color scheme defines syntax highlighting for reserved words and other symbols in your source code: operators, keywords, suggestions, string literals, and so on. If you have a function or method with many parameters and local variables, it may be hard to distinguish them from one another at a glance. You can use semantic highlighting to assign a different color to each parameter and local variable.

Enable semantic highlighting

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme | Language Defaults | Semantic highlighting.

  2. Select the Semantic highlighting checkbox and customize the color ranges if necessary.

Semantic highlighting

This will enable semantic highlighting for all languages that inherit this setting from Language Defaults. To enable it for a specific language instead (for example, Java), go to the Editor | Color Scheme | Java | Semantic highlighting page of the IDE settings  Ctrl+Alt+S, clear the Inherit values from checkbox, and select the Semantic highlighting checkbox.

Share color schemes

If you are used to a specific color scheme, you can export it from one installation and import it to another one. You can also share color schemes with other developers. If necessary, you can import your favorite color settings from Eclipse.

Export a color scheme as XML

IntelliJ IDEA can save your color scheme settings as an XML file with the .icls extension. You can then import the file to another installation.

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme.

  2. From the Scheme list, select a color scheme, click The Settings icon, then click Export and select IntelliJ IDEA color scheme (.icls).

  3. Specify the name and location of the file and save it.

Export a color scheme as a plugin

The plugin can be uploaded to the plugin repository for others to install. This format has several benefits over an XML file, including metadata, feedback, download statistics, and versioning (when you upload a new version of the plugin, users will be notified about it).

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme.

  2. From the Scheme list, select a color scheme, click The Settings icon, then click Export and select Color scheme plugin .jar.

  3. In the Create Color Scheme Plugin dialog, specify the version details and vendor information. Then click OK.

Import a color scheme

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme.

  2. From the Scheme list, select a color scheme, click The Settings icon, then click Import Scheme.

Fonts

Customize the default editor font

This font will be used and inherited in all color schemes by default.

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Font.

  2. Select the font from the Font list.

The Font settings page

For more information, refer to Font settings.

Customize the color scheme font

Set a different font for your current scheme if necessary.

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme | Color Scheme Font.

  2. Select the Use color scheme font instead of the default checkbox.

The Color Scheme Font settings page

For more information, refer to Color Scheme.

Customize the console font

By default, the text in the console uses the same font as the color scheme. To use a different font in the console:

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Editor | Color Scheme | Console Font.

  2. Select the Use console font instead of the default checkbox.

Install a new custom font

IntelliJ IDEA can use any font that is available in your operating system or in the Java runtime that is used to run IntelliJ IDEA. If you want to add another font, you need to install it in your OS, and IntelliJ IDEA will discover it after a restart.

  1. Download the desired TTF font package and unzip it to extract font files (.ttf ). For the font to work correctly, it should have at least 4 files: Normal, Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic.

  2. Depending on your operating system, do one of the following:

    Select all font files, right-click the selection and choose Install.

    Select all font files, double-click the selection to open the Font Book preview, then click Install Font at the bottom.

    Unpack fonts to ~/.local/share/fonts for the current user or to /usr/share/fonts to install fonts system-wide, and then run fc-cache -f -v.

  3. Restart IntelliJ IDEA and then select the installed font on the Editor | Font page of the IDE settings  Ctrl+Alt+S.

Productivity tips

See the color scheme settings for the current symbol

  • Place the caret at the desired symbol, press Ctrl+Shift+A, find the Jump to Colors and Fonts action, and execute it.

This will open the relevant color scheme settings for the symbol under the caret.

See which fonts are currently used in the editor

  • Press Ctrl+Shift+A, find the Show Fonts Used by Editor action, and execute it.

This will open the Fonts Used in Editor dialog with a list of fonts.

Use the quick switcher

  1. Press Ctrl+` or select View | Quick Switch Scheme from the main menu.

  2. In the Switch popup, select Editor Color Scheme, and then select the desired color scheme.

Last modified: 15 March 2024