20 Best VS Code Themes for Developers in 2026

The best VS Code themes make code easy to distinguish without making the editor tiring to scan. This list covers 20 current theme options across dark, light, muted, vivid, and accessibility-focused styles.

Each third-party entry was checked in the Visual Studio Marketplace for its publisher and exact identifier. Marketplace counts and ratings change frequently, so they are not used as selection criteria. Before installing any extension, confirm that its publisher and identifier match the details below.

Dark themes

GitHub Theme

• Publisher: GitHub
• Identifier: GitHub.github-vscode-theme
• Style: Dark, light, dimmed, and high-contrast variants based on GitHub's palettes.

The GitHub theme family includes GitHub Dark Default, GitHub Light Default, and several dimmed and high-contrast variants. If you spend time reading code on GitHub, this theme makes VS Code feel consistent with the website.

One Dark Pro

• Publisher: binaryify
• Identifier: zhuangtongfa.Material-theme
• Style: Deep navy background with vivid Atom-inspired syntax colors.

Inspired by the default theme in the Atom editor, it uses a deep navy background with vivid syntax colors.

Dracula Theme Official

• Publisher: Dracula Theme
• Identifier: dracula-theme.theme-dracula
• Style: Purple-dark palette with pink and green accents.

Choose Dracula if you want vivid syntax colors on a dark purple background. Its strong accent colors are less subdued than Nord or Catppuccin.

Atom One Dark Theme

• Publisher: Mahmoud Ali
• Identifier: akamud.vscode-theme-onedark
• Style: Dark grey background with blue and orange syntax.

Another Atom-inspired theme, but with a slightly warmer tone than One Dark Pro. Includes companion One Light theme.

Night Owl

• Publisher: sarah.drasner
• Identifier: sdras.night-owl
• Style: Designed for night-time coding with carefully chosen accessible colors.

Created by Sarah Drasner with accessibility in mind. Avoids pure white text on pure black backgrounds. Includes a light variant for daytime use.

Tokyo Night

• Publisher: enkia
• Identifier: enkia.tokyo-night
• Style: Deep midnight blue with soft neon accents.

Inspired by Tokyo at night, it pairs a dark blue background with pastel syntax colors. The palette is softer than the vivid accents in Andromeda or Cobalt2.

Catppuccin

• Publisher: Catppuccin
• Identifier: Catppuccin.catppuccin-vsc
• Style: Pastel-heavy, community-driven palette with four flavor variants.

Catppuccin offers Latte (light), Frappe, Macchiato, and Mocha (dark) flavors. Each uses soft pastel colors that are easy on the eyes during long sessions.

Nord

• Publisher: arcticicestudio
• Identifier: arcticicestudio.nord-visual-studio-code
• Style: Arctic, blue-tinted palette inspired by Scandinavian design.

Nord uses a minimal palette of blues and cool greys. It is one of the most ported themes across editors and terminals. Clean and consistent.

Andromeda

• Publisher: Eliver Lara
• Identifier: EliverLara.andromeda
• Style: Deep space theme with vivid accent colors.

Dark background with bright, saturated syntax colors. It favors clear color separation over a subdued appearance.

Bearded Theme

• Publisher: BeardedBear
• Identifier: BeardedBear.beardedtheme
• Style: Hand-drawn aesthetic with multiple accent color variants.

Comes in several variants with different accent colors: blue, green, purple, and more. The hand-crafted syntax colors feel distinct from most other themes.

Monokai Pro

• Publisher: monokai
• Identifier: monokai.theme-monokai-pro-vscode
• Style: Professional take on the classic Monokai palette.

The extension can be evaluated without payment, but its license requires a purchase for extended use. It includes several filter variants and matching icon themes. Review the current license terms from the Marketplace listing before adopting it.

Shades of Purple

• Publisher: Ahmad Awais
• Identifier: ahmadawais.shades-of-purple
• Style: Bold purple gradient backgrounds with bright syntax.

Unapologetically purple. High contrast, vibrant, and distinctive. Works well for presentations and screenshots.

SynthWave '84

• Publisher: Robb Owen
• Identifier: RobbOwen.synthwave-vscode
• Style: Neon glow effect inspired by 1980s synthwave music visuals.

The normal color theme works without the optional glow. Enabling glow modifies files inside the VS Code installation, can require elevated file permissions, may produce an unsupported-installation warning, and may need to be repeated after an update. Skip glow unless you accept those limitations; do not grant extra permissions solely for a decorative effect.

Light themes

Atom One Light Theme

• Publisher: Mahmoud Ali
• Identifier: akamud.vscode-theme-onelight
• Style: Clean white background with soft grey and blue syntax.

The light companion to Atom One Dark. Bright but not blinding, with gentle pastel syntax colors.

GitHub Light Default

• Publisher: GitHub
• Identifier: GitHub.github-vscode-theme
• Style: A light variant included in the GitHub Theme extension listed above.

If you use GitHub's website in light mode, this theme makes VS Code feel like a natural extension of the site.

Winter is Coming Theme

• Publisher: John Papa
• Identifier: johnpapa.winteriscoming
• Style: Cool blue tones with light and dark variants.

Despite the name, includes both dark and light variants. The light version uses a cool blue-white background that is less harsh than pure white.

High-contrast and specialty

Ayu

• Publisher: teabyii
• Identifier: teabyii.ayu
• Style: Three variants: Light, Mirage (dark), and Dark.

Ayu Mirage is the standout variant: a warm dark theme with muted gold and teal accents. All three variants share the same careful color balance.

Gruvbox Theme

• Publisher: jdinhlife
• Identifier: jdinhlife.gruvbox
• Style: Retro, warm palette based on the classic Vim theme.

Gruvbox uses warm earth tones instead of cool blues and greys. The retro aesthetic is loved by Vim users who moved to VS Code.

Palenight Theme

• Publisher: Olaolu Olawuyi
• Identifier: whizkydee.material-palenight-theme
• Style: Material Design-inspired with a deep purple-grey background.

Bold syntax colors on a dark purple background. High contrast between text and background.

Cobalt2 Theme Official

• Publisher: Wes Bos
• Identifier: wesbos.theme-cobalt2
• Style: Bright blue background with yellow and pink accents.

Instantly recognizable. The bright blue background is unique among themes. Works particularly well in brightly lit rooms.

How to preview and switch themes

Press Ctrl+K Ctrl+T on Windows and Linux, or Cmd+K Cmd+T on macOS. VS Code opens the theme picker with a live preview. Use the arrow keys to cycle through installed themes and press Enter to select one. The editor colors changing during preview confirms the theme loaded.

To install from the picker, select Browse Additional Color Themes and search the Marketplace. These controls and the automatic Windows/macOS color-scheme settings are documented in the official VS Code color themes guide.

Next steps

Pair your new theme with matching file icon themes for a complete look. If you want to make small adjustments to any theme, open settings.json and use workbench.colorCustomizations to override specific colors.