How to: Change fonts, colors, and themes in Visual Studio
Applies to: 
Visual Studio 
Visual Studio for Mac
Note
This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here
Change the color theme
Here's how to change the color theme of the IDE frame and the tool windows in Visual Studio.
Change fonts and text size
You can change the font and text size for all the IDE frame and tool windows, or for only certain windows or text elements. You can also change the font and text size in the editor, too.
To change the font and text size in the IDE
To change the font and text size in the editor
For more information about how to change fonts and colors for accessibility, see the Set accessibility options section of this page. And, for details about all the user interface (UI) elements where you can change font and color schemes, see the Fonts and Colors, Environment, Options Dialog Box page.
Set language-specific editor options
You can make a variety of changes to the code editor to suit your programming language of choice. For example, you can change brace formatting in C# to appear inline or on a new line, and more. To learn how to customize the code editor, see Set language-specific editor options.
Set accessibility options
Use Windows high contrast
Use either of the following procedures to toggle the Windows high contrast option:
In Windows or in any Microsoft application, press the Left Alt+Left Shift+PrtScn keys.
In Windows, choose Start > Settings > Ease of Access. Then, under the Vision section in Windows 10 and later, choose High contrast.
Warning
The Windows high contrast setting affects all applications and UI on the computer.
Use Visual Studio extra contrast
Use the following procedures to toggle the Visual Studio extra contrast option:
On the menu bar in Visual Studio, choose Tools > Options, and then, in the options list, choose Environment > General.
In the Color theme drop-down list, choose the Blue (Extra Contrast) theme, and then choose OK.
Tip
If there is an accessibility option for colors or fonts that you think might be useful but isn't currently available in Visual Studio, please let us know by selecting Suggest a feature in the Visual Studio Developer Community. For more information about this forum and how it works, see the Suggest a feature page.
More accessibility features in Visual Studio
Visual Studio also includes features to help people who have limited dexterity to write. For example, Visual Studio supports Dvorak keyboard layouts, which make the most frequently typed characters more accessible.
You can also customize the default keyboard shortcuts available with Visual Studio. For more information, see the following pages:
- Identify and customize keyboard shortcuts
- How to use the keyboard exclusively
- Keyboard shortcuts in Visual Studio
Visual Studio also includes auto-completion for methods and parameters; for more information, see IntelliSense in Visual Studio.
Tip
To learn more about recent accessibility updates, see the Accessibility improvements in Visual Studio 2017 version 15.3 blog post.
There are more ways to customize Visual Studio to be more accessible to you. For example, you can change the behavior of pop-up windows, text-based tool windows, toolbar buttons, margin indicators, and more.
Note
The dialog boxes and menu commands you see might differ from those described here, which can vary depending on your active settings or edition. To change your settings, choose Import and Export Settings on the Tools menu. For more information, see Reset settings.
Change the behavior of pop-up windows
Visual Studio displays pop-up windows in the editor. These pop-up windows include information that makes coding easier, such as parameters to complete a function or statement. The pop-up windows can also be helpful if you have difficulty typing. However, some users might find that they interfere with focus in the code editor, which can be problematic.
Here's how to turn off the pop-up windows:
From the Tools menu, choose Options.
Choose Text Editor > All Languages > General.
Clear the Auto list members and Parameter information checkboxes.
You can rearrange the windows in the integrated development environment (IDE) to best suit the way you work. You can dock, float, hide, or automatically hide each tool window. For more information about how to change window layouts, see Customize window layouts.
Change the settings of text-based tool windows
You can change the settings for text-based tool windows, such as the Command window, Immediate window, and Output window by using Tools > Options > Environment > Fonts and Colors.
When you select [All Text Tool Windows] in the Show settings for drop-down list, the default setting is listed as Default in the Item foreground and Item background drop-down lists. Choose the Custom button to change these settings.
You can also change the settings for how text is displayed in the editor. Here's how.
From the Tools menu, choose Options.
Choose Environment > Fonts and Colors.
Select an option on the Show settings for drop-down menu.
To change the font size for text in an editor, choose Text Editor.
To change the font size for text in text-based tool windows, choose [All Text Tool Windows].
To change the font size for ToolTip text in an editor, choose Editor Tooltip.
To change the font size for text in statement completion pop-ups, choose Statement Completion.
From Display items, select Plain Text.
In Font, select a new font type.
In Size, select a new font size.
Tip
To reset the text size for text-based tool windows and editors, choose Use Defaults.
Choose OK.
Change the colors for text, margin indicators, white space, and code elements
You can choose to change the default colors for text, margin indicators, white space, and code elements in the editor. Here's how.
From the Tools menu, choose Options.
In the Environment folder, choose Fonts and Colors.
In Show settings for, choose Text Editor.
From Display items, select an item whose display you need to change, such as Plain Text, Indicator Margin, Visible White Space, HTML Attribute Name, or XML Attribute.
Select display settings from the following options: Item foreground, Item background, and Bold.
Choose OK.
Tip
To use high contrast colors for all application windows on your operating system, press Left Alt+Left Shift+PrtScn. If Visual Studio is open, close and then reopen it to fully implement high contrast colors.
Add text to toolbar buttons or modify the text
To improve toolbar usability and accessibility, you can add text to toolbar buttons.
To assign text to toolbar buttons
From the Tools menu, choose Customize.
In the Customize dialog box, select the Commands tab.
Select Toolbar, and then choose the toolbar name that contains the button you intend to display text for.
In the list, select the command you intend to change.
Choose Modify Selection.
Choose Image and Text.
To modify the displayed text in a button
Re-select Modify Selection.
Adjacent to In Name, insert provide a new caption for the selected button.
Accessibility support
For more information about features, products, and services that make Windows more accessible for people with disabilities, see Accessibility products and services from Microsoft. And, for more information about how to obtain more accessible formats of documentation for Microsoft products, see the Documentation in alternative formats section of the Accessibility products and services from Microsoft page.
The accessibility information included on this page might apply only to users who license Microsoft products in the United States. If you obtained this product outside of the United States, visit the Microsoft Accessibility website for a list of Microsoft support services telephone numbers and addresses. You can contact your subsidiary to find out whether the type of products and services described on this page are available in your area. Information about accessibility is also available in other languages.