# Appearance & themes

Set up the app, editor, terminal, browser, and PDF view for the way you work.

Open **Settings → Appearance**. Choose the tab for the part of the workspace you want to change. Changes take effect locally; they do not alter the formatting of your exported document.

![Settings → Appearance → App. Choose dock placement, background, accent, fonts, and theme here.](https://cdn.oleafly.com/images/screenshots/desktop/docs/settings-appearance-dark-window-v2.png#view=519,89,883,902)

## Dock placement

In the App tab, choose **Left**, **Bottom**, or **Right**. This moves the home-screen dock containing New project, search, tools, and Settings. Try Bottom when you want the library to use the full width between its margins.

## Background pattern

Choose **Dots**, **Grid**, or **None** for the project library background. None gives the shelf a plain background; the document editor keeps its own theme.

## Accent color

Choose a color swatch to change the app's selection and action accents. This changes interface colors; a figure's colors and a document's LaTeX or Typst styles stay under your control in the source.

## Appearance mode

Choose the app's light or dark appearance. The appearance button in the main toolbar is a quicker way to switch while working. Choose the editor theme separately if you prefer a different source palette.

## App font size

Use **App font size** to enlarge or reduce interface labels. Check the sidebar and menus after changing it. For larger source text, use Editor font size instead.

## App font

Choose the font used by the app's interface. This does not change the font compiled into a PDF. Document fonts belong in the template or manuscript source.

## Editor font size

![Settings → Appearance → Editor. Font, theme, Vim, completion, brackets, and cursor controls are in this tab.](https://cdn.oleafly.com/images/screenshots/desktop/docs/settings-editor-dark-window-v2.png#view=519,89,883,902)

Open the **Editor** tab and choose 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, or 20 px. For a screen-sharing demonstration, try 18 px and **Layout → Editor Only** so the toolbar and source remain readable.

## Editor font

Choose a monospace font for source files. Return to the default entry to restore the app's default source font. This setting affects `.tex`, `.typ`, `.md`, and other text files in the editor.

## Editor theme

Select the source syntax-color theme. It can differ from the app theme, so you can keep a dark source pane while using a light interface. Inspect prose, comments, commands, and selected text when choosing a theme.

## Vim mode

Enable **Vim mode** to use Vim keybindings in the source editor. Press `i` to enter Insert mode and Esc to return to Normal mode. Turn it off to return to ordinary editor bindings.

## Auto-complete

Enable **Auto-complete** to show suggestions while you type. With it off, press Ctrl+Space when you want the completion list. See [Autocomplete](/docs/autocomplete/) for citations, commands, paths, and symbols.

## Auto-close brackets

Enable **Auto-close brackets** to insert matching closing brackets and parentheses as you type an opening character. Try typing `(` in a source file: the cursor stays between the pair so you can enter the contents.

## Inline suggestion

Enable **Inline suggestion** to show the likely completion after the cursor. Press Tab to accept a visible suggestion. This is an editor completion control; connecting a model is a separate step under AI Assistant.

## Non-blinking cursor

Enable **Non-blinking cursor** to keep the editor caret solid. This can make the insertion point easier to follow while reading or presenting source code.

## Sticky scroll

Enable **Sticky scroll** to keep the current LaTeX sections and environments at the top of the source pane as you scroll. Use it in a long methods section to retain the surrounding structure without jumping back to the heading.

## Terminal font size

![Settings → Appearance → Terminal. Set text, cursor, startup behavior, and terminal colors here.](https://cdn.oleafly.com/images/screenshots/desktop/docs/settings-terminal-dark-window-v2.png#view=519,89,883,902)

In the **Terminal** tab, choose the size of shell input and output. Increase it before sharing a command demonstration; it does not affect the document editor.

## Terminal font

Choose the terminal's monospace font. Use a font with clear punctuation when reading compiler paths and shell commands.

## Regular font weight

Set the weight used for ordinary terminal text. Compare a few lines of output before choosing a heavier weight, especially on a dark background.

## Bold font weight

Set the weight for terminal output that requests bold text. This can differ from the regular weight so headings and command diagnostics remain distinct.

## Cursor style

Choose the terminal cursor shape from **Cursor style**. The control affects the shell caret, not the editor caret.

## Blink cursor

Enable **Blink cursor** to animate the terminal caret. Turn it off for a steady terminal insertion point.

## Start shell with project

Enable **Start shell with project** to start the shell when you open a project. With it off, the shell starts when you first show the terminal. Use the latter if you rarely need command-line work.

## Terminal color theme

Choose a terminal color theme, or let it follow the app. Open a terminal with a few lines of output to compare command text, errors, and the cursor.

## Terminal background color

Use the background picker under **Terminal colors** to choose the terminal surface. Pair it with a foreground color that remains readable.

## Terminal foreground color

Choose the default text color for terminal output. Programs can still emit their own ANSI colors.

## Terminal cursor color

Choose a cursor color that stands out from both the background and text. This is useful when the shell prompt contains several colors.

## Default search engine

![Settings → Appearance → Browser. Choose a search engine, set the home page, or open Import cookies.](https://cdn.oleafly.com/images/screenshots/desktop/docs/settings-browser-dark-window-v2.png#view=519,89,883,474)

In the **Browser** tab, choose the service used when you type a search query into Oleafly's browser address bar. A complete URL navigates to that address instead.

## Browser home page

Enter the page you want the browser to use as its home. For a research session, this might be a journal portal or your institution's public library page. The browser's own menu can also use the current page as home.

## Browser cookies

The browser settings include [cookie import](/docs/browser/#import-cookies). Choose the source browser and the sites you need rather than importing unrelated browsing state. Imported cookies affect sign-in inside Oleafly's browser.

## PDF dark mode

![Settings → Appearance → PDF Preview. These three switches control default PDF colors, zoom shortcuts, and hover previews.](https://cdn.oleafly.com/images/screenshots/desktop/docs/settings-pdf-dark-window-v2.png#view=519,89,883,436)

In the **PDF** tab, enable **PDF dark mode** to invert preview colors by default. This changes the display, not the exported PDF. You can toggle it for the current view from the PDF toolbar.

## PDF zoom shortcuts

Enable **PDF zoom shortcuts** to route **⌘/Ctrl +**, **⌘/Ctrl -**, and **⌘/Ctrl 0** to the preview instead of the app window. Use the zoom menu to fit a page to width or height.

## Preview PDF on hover

Enable **Preview PDF on hover** to show the most recent compiled page when you hover over a project in the library. Compile a document first so the shelf has a page to display.

## Default home view

![Settings → Appearance → Project. Set the opening layout and file tree behavior, then manage hidden file patterns.](https://cdn.oleafly.com/images/screenshots/desktop/docs/settings-project-dark-window-v2.png#view=519,89,883,902)

Choose whether the library opens as a grid or a list. The grid emphasizes covers and previews; the list makes project names easier to scan.

## Open projects in

Choose the initial source, split, or PDF view. This is the starting arrangement when you enter a project. The [project toolbar](/docs/project-toolbar/) can change it while you work.

## Show file tree on open

Enable this to open the source tree with each project. Turn it off for more writing space, then use the Source Tree button when you need a file.

## Hidden files

Enter a filename or pattern and choose **Add** to hide matching entries from the source tree. For example, hide an auxiliary filename that distracts from the manuscript. Remove its chip to show it again. Hiding a file does not delete it.

## Theme customization

Open **Theme customization**, choose the light or dark mode to edit, and change individual color tokens. The two modes have separate values. Inspect text, selection, panels, and buttons after a change.

### Corner radius

Enter a CSS length such as `8px`, `0.5rem`, or `1em`. Clear the value to use the default. This adjusts the app's component corners.

### Scoped CSS declarations

Enter declarations only, such as a supported custom-property value. The field does not accept complete CSS rules, imports, or URLs. Invalid values are reported instead of applied.

### Import and export a theme

Use the theme's export action to save a reusable theme file. Import a theme file to apply its supported settings. Use the reset control to restore the defaults for the customization surface.

## Try a writing setup

Set the source text to 16 px, enable Sticky scroll, open a long LaTeX document, and choose **Layout → Editor + Preview**. Drag the divider until the source lines are comfortable to read. Compile and choose **Fit to width** in the preview. Save the document's typography in its source; use Appearance for your own reading environment.

## Reset to defaults

Choose **Reset to defaults** at the bottom of Appearance to restore its preferences. Review the confirmation before applying the reset.