Color schemes for Windows Command Prompt

default.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Default color scheme
; for Windows command prompt.

; Values stored as 00-BB-GG-RR
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console]
; BLACK DGRAY
"ColorTable00"=dword:00000000
"ColorTable08"=dword:00808080
; BLUE LBLUE
"ColorTable01"=dword:00800000
"ColorTable09"=dword:00ff0000
; GREEN LGREEN
"ColorTable02"=dword:00008000
"ColorTable10"=dword:0000ff00
; CYAN LCYAN
"ColorTable03"=dword:00808000
"ColorTable11"=dword:00ffff00
; RED LRED
"ColorTable04"=dword:00000080
"ColorTable12"=dword:000000ff
; MAGENTA LMAGENTA
"ColorTable05"=dword:00800080
"ColorTable13"=dword:00ff00ff
; YELLOW LYELLOW
"ColorTable06"=dword:00008080
"ColorTable14"=dword:0000ffff
; LGRAY WHITE
"ColorTable07"=dword:00c0c0c0
"ColorTable15"=dword:00ffffff

monokai.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Monokai color theme. Based on Sublime Text 2
; for Windows command prompt.

; Values stored as 00-BB-GG-RR
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console]
; BLACK   DGRAY
"ColorTable00"=dword:00222827
"ColorTable08"=dword:00414746
; BLUE    LBLUE
"ColorTable01"=dword:00a64c1d
"ColorTable09"=dword:00ef9566
; GREEN   LGREEN
"ColorTable02"=dword:0000995d
"ColorTable10"=dword:002ee2a6
; CYAN    LCYAN
"ColorTable03"=dword:00746a31
"ColorTable11"=dword:00efd966
; RED     LRED
"ColorTable04"=dword:002900b0
"ColorTable12"=dword:007226f9
; MAGENTA LMAGENTA
"ColorTable05"=dword:00b63865
"ColorTable13"=dword:00ff81ae
; YELLOW  LYELLOW
"ColorTable06"=dword:001f97fd
"ColorTable14"=dword:0074dbe6
; LGRAY   WHITE
"ColorTable07"=dword:008a908f
"ColorTable15"=dword:00f2f8f8

pastel.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Low-contrast, pastel color scheme
; for Windows command prompt.

; Values stored as 00-BB-GG-RR
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console]
; BLACK DGRAY
"ColorTable00"=dword:00222222
"ColorTable08"=dword:00454545
; BLUE LBLUE
"ColorTable01"=dword:00a69a7c
"ColorTable09"=dword:00bfad8f
; GREEN LGREEN
"ColorTable02"=dword:00557e6c
"ColorTable10"=dword:007db37d
; CYAN LCYAN
"ColorTable03"=dword:00a18e4c
"ColorTable11"=dword:00d0c16b
; RED LRED
"ColorTable04"=dword:0041569e
"ColorTable12"=dword:006d89cc
; MAGENTA LMAGENTA
"ColorTable05"=dword:009d6d95
"ColorTable13"=dword:00cb8fc1
; YELLOW LYELLOW
"ColorTable06"=dword:002bafca
"ColorTable14"=dword:0056b5bf
; LGRAY WHITE
"ColorTable07"=dword:00808080
"ColorTable15"=dword:00cdcdcd

zenburn.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Zenburn is a low-contrast color scheme
; for Windows command prompt.
; See : http://slinky.imukuppi.org/zenburnpage/

; Values stored as 00-BB-GG-RR
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console]
; BLACK DGRAY
"ColorTable00"=dword:003f3f3f
"ColorTable08"=dword:008080c0
; BLUE LBLUE
"ColorTable01"=dword:00af6464
"ColorTable09"=dword:00ffafaf
; GREEN LGREEN
"ColorTable02"=dword:00008000
"ColorTable10"=dword:007f9f7f
; CYAN LCYAN
"ColorTable03"=dword:00808000
"ColorTable11"=dword:00d3d08c
; RED LRED
"ColorTable04"=dword:00232333
"ColorTable12"=dword:007071e3
; MAGENTA LMAGENTA
"ColorTable05"=dword:00aa50aa
"ColorTable13"=dword:00c880c8
; YELLOW LYELLOW
"ColorTable06"=dword:0000dcdc
"ColorTable14"=dword:00afdff0
; LGRAY WHITE
"ColorTable07"=dword:00ccdcdc
"ColorTable15"=dword:00ffffff

Hi, How do i install it for the command prompt on windows.

@saviour123 All you need to do is just download the file locally and double-click to run it.

This is pretty good, it's very hard to customize the windows console. my favorite of these themes is zenburn.

Outstanding! Thanks so much. Great to run Bash on Windows 10 with the sublime monokai colour scheme :)

@karthikraman, I'm attempting to get these colors to appear in Bash on Windows 10, but despite running the registry files provided here, the color schemes are ignored by Bash. They work in good ol' cmd, but no luck so far for seeing them in Bash. How'd you do it? (The following picture was taken after I ran monokai.reg, and rebooted.)

^ Change the key from [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console] to [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console\Command Prompt] or directly to [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console%SystemRoot%_system32_bash.exe]

I have had trouble getting the colors to stick in Bash. It doesn't seem to work with either of the three keys suggested here. Any other tips?

purag, I couldn't find the registry location for these settings, but if you launch bash from the start menu and then change the colours, the next time you launch from the start menu it will have the correct colours. Delete all your other shortcuts (and pinned taskbar shortcuts) and recreate them, they should then inherit the colours.

It seems the properties are stored in the shortcut.
Here is the bash/ubuntu shortcut: C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Bash on Ubuntu on Windows.lnk
These settings override the default settings from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console.
If you create a new shortcut you should have the default settings again.
This is the command: C:\Windows\System32\bash.exe ~
The icon is here: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\lxss\bash.ico

You can also switch to bash from command prompt by using the command bash (same window)

what is the meaning of colorTables in the program? can u please explain.

@r03 had the right solution. Once you have things working in a Command Prompt by importing HKCU\Console, unpinning the BASH shortcut from my taskbar and then repining it solved my "colors aren't changing" problem.

I've downloaded the files and tried the monokai one and it works in git bash but not the command prompt... I have my own custom colours which I've been using, could these be overriding those in the registry?

...in answer to my own question, for some reason by accessing the prompt via Win + 'cmd' + Enter, it kept my colours, but by doing Win+R 'cmd' + Enter, it used the colours from the registry. wierd.

@JSmith2412 Open the "Win+ 'cmd'" Shortcut location, open the location of that shortcut ( the real, one and only, cmd.exe ), and make a shortcut of that original cmd and replace it with the one you found previously. Now the themes should match, however way you open it :)

The "Win + 'cmd'" shortcut is using the properties of the cmd.exe before it's colors were changed, so you gonna replace it with the update version.

@r03

It seems the properties are stored in the shortcut.

You saved me,
I was trying to reset my configs and deleting entries from regeditor helped on nothing, until I deleted my shortcuts

Thanks a lot

amazing work ! thank you so much , perfect you make my day!

Thanks a lot for these. For reference, here is a great blog post on how Windows Console Host settings work in general: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/06/20/understanding-windows-console-host-settings/

Thank you!

Thanks to this, I was able to customize cmd at will https://gist.github.com/bashkos/4a2e16aa259f16353c040896b42242f5

@stkb 👍

There is now a Microsoft tool that makes this WAY easier.
https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/tree/master/src/tools/ColorTool

It comes with a 8 themes, or you can get a couple hundred more here:
https://github.com/mbadolato/iTerm2-Color-Schemes/tree/master/schemes

(Just an FYI for those who read the comments before trying this.)

How to reset all these color changes..?? Please help me

@lakshits11 The first one listed (default.reg) should reset the colors to default. (If not, you need to provide a bit of an explanation of what you've done.)