Color Scheme Configuration
WezTerm provides extensive color customization options, including built-in color schemes, custom palettes, and dynamic color configuration.
Using Built-in Color Schemes
WezTerm includes hundreds of pre-configured color schemes. You can select one using the color_scheme option:
local wezterm = require 'wezterm'
local config = wezterm.config_builder()
config.color_scheme = 'Dracula'
return config
The name of a built-in color scheme. When set, this overrides the colors configuration.
Popular Color Schemes
config.color_scheme = 'Dracula'
-- or
config.color_scheme = 'Catppuccin Mocha'
-- or
config.color_scheme = 'Tokyo Night'
-- or
config.color_scheme = 'Nord'
Listing Available Color Schemes
You can list all available color schemes using:
Or programmatically in Lua:
local wezterm = require 'wezterm'
for name, scheme in pairs(wezterm.color.get_builtin_schemes()) do
wezterm.log_info('Color scheme: ' .. name)
end
Custom Color Palettes
You can define your own color palette using the colors configuration option:
config.colors = {
-- The default text color
foreground = '#d4d4d4',
-- The default background color
background = '#1e1e1e',
-- Overrides the cell background color when the current cell is occupied by the cursor
cursor_bg = '#52ad70',
-- Overrides the text color when the current cell is occupied by the cursor
cursor_fg = '#1e1e1e',
-- Specifies the border color of the cursor when the cursor style is set to Block
cursor_border = '#52ad70',
-- The foreground color of selected text
selection_fg = '#1e1e1e',
-- The background color of selected text
selection_bg = '#3a3d41',
-- The color of the scrollbar "thumb"; the portion that represents the current viewport
scrollbar_thumb = '#3a3d41',
-- The color of the split lines between panes
split = '#444444',
-- ANSI color palette (colors 0-7)
ansi = {
'#1e1e1e', -- black
'#f48771', -- red
'#a1cd5e', -- green
'#e4c877', -- yellow
'#6ab0f3', -- blue
'#f47590', -- magenta
'#00bcd4', -- cyan
'#d4d4d4', -- white
},
-- Bright ANSI colors (colors 8-15)
brights = {
'#8b8b8b', -- bright black
'#f48771', -- bright red
'#a1cd5e', -- bright green
'#e4c877', -- bright yellow
'#6ab0f3', -- bright blue
'#f47590', -- bright magenta
'#00bcd4', -- bright cyan
'#ffffff', -- bright white
},
}
Color Palette Structure
A table defining the color palette for the terminal.
The default text color in hex format (e.g., #d4d4d4).
The default background color in hex format.
The cursor background color.
The cursor foreground/text color.
The cursor border color (when using block cursor).
The text color for selected text.
The background color for selected text.
An array of 8 colors for the standard ANSI palette (colors 0-7).
An array of 8 colors for the bright ANSI palette (colors 8-15).
Indexed Colors
You can also define indexed colors for the 256-color palette:
config.colors = {
-- ... other colors ...
indexed = {
[16] = '#1a1a1a',
[17] = '#2a2a2a',
[52] = '#fbdada', -- Used by diff tools
[88] = '#f6b6b6',
},
}
A table mapping color indices (16-255) to hex color values.
Indices 0-15 should be specified using ansi and brights arrays, not the indexed table.
Tab Bar Colors
Customize the appearance of the tab bar:
config.colors = {
tab_bar = {
-- The color of the strip that goes along the top of the window
background = '#0b0022',
-- The active tab is the one that has focus in the window
active_tab = {
bg_color = '#2b2042',
fg_color = '#c0c0c0',
intensity = 'Normal',
underline = 'None',
italic = false,
strikethrough = false,
},
-- Inactive tabs are the tabs that do not have focus
inactive_tab = {
bg_color = '#1b1032',
fg_color = '#808080',
},
-- You can configure some additional styling when the mouse pointer
-- moves over inactive tabs
inactive_tab_hover = {
bg_color = '#3b3052',
fg_color = '#909090',
italic = true,
},
-- The new tab button that let you create new tabs
new_tab = {
bg_color = '#1b1032',
fg_color = '#808080',
},
-- When hovering over the new tab button
new_tab_hover = {
bg_color = '#3b3052',
fg_color = '#909090',
italic = true,
},
},
}
Configuration for tab bar appearance.
Dynamic Color Schemes
You can change color schemes dynamically based on system appearance or time of day:
Based on System Appearance
local wezterm = require 'wezterm'
local config = wezterm.config_builder()
function scheme_for_appearance(appearance)
if appearance:find('Dark') then
return 'Dracula'
else
return 'GitHub Light'
end
end
if wezterm.gui then
config.color_scheme = scheme_for_appearance(wezterm.gui.get_appearance())
end
return config
Based on Time of Day
local wezterm = require 'wezterm'
local config = wezterm.config_builder()
function scheme_for_time()
local hour = tonumber(os.date('%H'))
if hour < 8 or hour >= 20 then
return 'Tokyo Night'
else
return 'GitHub Light'
end
end
config.color_scheme = scheme_for_time()
return config
Foreground Text Adjustments
You can adjust the foreground text colors using HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness) transformations:
config.foreground_text_hsb = {
hue = 1.0, -- multiplier, 1.0 = no change
saturation = 1.0, -- multiplier, 1.0 = no change
brightness = 1.0, -- multiplier, 1.0 = no change
}
foreground_text_hsb
table
default:"{hue=1.0, saturation=1.0, brightness=1.0}"
HSB transformation applied to foreground text colors.
config.foreground_text_hsb = {
hue = 1.0,
saturation = 1.0,
brightness = 1.2, -- 20% brighter
}
Bold Text Brightening
bold_brightens_ansi_colors
string
default:"BrightAndBold"
Controls whether bold text is rendered using bright colors. Valid values are:
BrightAndBold: Use bright colors for bold textBrightOnly: Use bright colors but don’t render as boldNo: Don’t use bright colors for bold text
config.bold_brightens_ansi_colors = 'BrightAndBold'
Custom Color Scheme Files
You can define color schemes in separate files and load them:
Creating a Color Scheme File
Create a file ~/.config/wezterm/colors/mytheme.toml:
[colors]
foreground = "#d4d4d4"
background = "#1e1e1e"
cursor_bg = "#52ad70"
cursor_border = "#52ad70"
cursor_fg = "#1e1e1e"
selection_bg = "#3a3d41"
selection_fg = "#1e1e1e"
ansi = ["#1e1e1e", "#f48771", "#a1cd5e", "#e4c877", "#6ab0f3", "#f47590", "#00bcd4", "#d4d4d4"]
brights = ["#8b8b8b", "#f48771", "#a1cd5e", "#e4c877", "#6ab0f3", "#f47590", "#00bcd4", "#ffffff"]
[metadata]
name = "My Custom Theme"
author = "Your Name"
Loading Custom Color Schemes
config.color_scheme_dirs = { '~/.config/wezterm/colors' }
config.color_scheme = 'My Custom Theme'
Additional directories to search for color scheme files (TOML format).
Quick Select and Copy Mode Colors
Customize colors for WezTerm’s quick select and copy mode features:
config.colors = {
-- Quick select labels (like vim-easymotion)
quick_select_label_bg = { Color = '#fb4934' },
quick_select_label_fg = { Color = '#ebdbb2' },
quick_select_match_bg = { Color = '#b8bb26' },
quick_select_match_fg = { Color = '#3c3836' },
-- Copy mode colors
copy_mode_active_highlight_bg = { Color = '#fabd2f' },
copy_mode_active_highlight_fg = { Color = '#282828' },
copy_mode_inactive_highlight_bg = { Color = '#d65d0e' },
copy_mode_inactive_highlight_fg = { Color = '#ebdbb2' },
}
When setting a color_scheme, it will override any values you set in the colors table. If you want to customize specific colors while using a base scheme, you need to get the scheme first and modify it.
Modifying Built-in Color Schemes
local wezterm = require 'wezterm'
local config = wezterm.config_builder()
-- Get the built-in color scheme
local scheme = wezterm.color.get_builtin_schemes()['Dracula']
-- Modify specific colors
scheme.background = '#1a1a1a'
scheme.tab_bar.background = '#1a1a1a'
-- Add it as a custom scheme
config.color_schemes = {
['Dracula Modified'] = scheme,
}
config.color_scheme = 'Dracula Modified'
return config
See Also