How do I save my custom modifications of the Default theme into a new theme? I don’t want to change much other than a few fonts and colours.
Unfortunately, you cannot save the Default Theme to file in the menu Window > Themes.
Best Load the White theme, update the fonts and colors, and save that as your new Theme.
But, if all you change is fonts, you can also save your Preferences in the File > Options > Manage menu…
2 Likes
I’d love to change the fonts in the Index Cards and in the Outliner too. Are you saying it doesn’t need to be a theme?
There is some advantage to saving font and colour tweaks to a theme file instead of a full preferences file—like all of the other settings being saved and restored. This can come back to bite you if you’re aren’t thinking about it, like maybe the backup folder you use right now isn’t the one you’ll be using next year, but you go and apply this “theme” which changes everything in the software back to this point in time, instead of just the fonts.
1 Like
I’m on Windows ATM and I really like the new Aptos font. It’d look good as an index card and outliner font (not really a fan of Segoe UI for them). Can I just change those and save the modified “Default” as a new theme or not?
It kind of feels like you’re asking a question that was already answered, above, so I think maybe I do not understand the question.
I can only reiterate the advice to use the user-created White theme, which matches the basic look of the software, make your font changes, and then save an updated theme file from that, with the “Manage” button in the lower left.
“Default” isn’t a theme, it is by and large the native Windows/Qt interface.
2 Likes
Oh so I can’t directly mess with it.
Got it. I’ll try to find the White theme.
1 Like
See the link I added. 
1 Like
Thanks!
Now how do I import the theme? It came as a .zip and changing the extension doesn’t help.
From the posting:
You need to change the .zip to .scrtheme for the dialogue box to recognise it.
I’ve since fixed this problem with the forum, and it allows scrtheme uploads.
1 Like
Probably unzip to a scrtheme-file and load that Theme.
1 Like
I downloaded it and saved it as a .scrtheme file. Let’s see if it works 
Well, it sort of works but the colors are off and the buttons look like a Qt5 app.
I’d really appreciate it, @AntoniDol, if you could walk me through how to create a theme from Scratch. Even if it means handcoding everything on Notepad ++ and saving that as a .scrtheme file.
Well, everything I know about Themes is acumulated in my book about Scrivener Themes.
Essentially, unzip the scrtheme-file (yes, it is a Zip-file) to get to four files, a Palette, a Stylesheet, Theme Prefs, and a small Manifest Xml-file.
Edit the palette for colors, and the QSS for colors and properties of screen elements. Most fonts are set as Preferences and can be saved as Theme-prefs into the Theme.
Zip again, rename to scrtheme, and load Theme from file. Restart Scrivener to show the changes. Rinse and Repeat…
I use MS Code for code coloring and suggestions in QSS-files, and 7-Zip. You can buy the TropicalNight Theme with a 50% discount coupon from the book and copy and edit all code from that Theme into your own Theme…
Hope this helps
3 Likes
Thanks for the tips. I see this option here:
If I make all my changes and save to file, will I get a .scrtheme?
No, a Prefs file you can include in your Theme.
1 Like
The command you want (for that) is at the bottom, “Save Theme to File”. That is what you can use to save themes you’ve modified the settings for, as it will save all of the core theme files as well as your settings.
Otherwise, yes if you just want the settings, the Appearance section stuff, in a file, then the “theme options” command is what you want.
1 Like
Oh, got it.
So let’s say I change the fonts + the target colours + a few other things and save that. Are these just preferences?
Essentially you are never editing a theme file directly. While a theme might set some preferences, you can always change them after you apply the theme (and thus applying the theme again, as downloaded, would change the settings back). Those are your settings, nothing to do with themes at that point.
In my experience, if you make settings changes to change how a theme sets things up, it is better to save it as a new .scrtheme file and use that when switching, rather than the downloaded version.
The theme options file works, but it’s awkward. You apply the theme, and then go and apply the override to the theme, and maybe restart again. Or just get it all at once in one theme.
Sorry this is so confusing; it’s not actually supposed to be this arcane; there is a whole ticket on it.
1 Like
L&L should just have made a .scrtheme builder, TBH.
1 Like