Themes and appearance
You can change how the dashboard looks: light or dark, the background behind everything, and whether panels are frosted glass. You can also build your own animated background and share it.
Light, dark or auto
Select the theme menu in the top header (or in the launcher's top bar). Pick Light, Dark or Auto — Auto follows your device's setting.
Each mode lists a few suggested backgrounds; select one to apply it. More… opens the full background picker.
The same three choices are under Account Settings → Appearance → Color mode.
Change the background
Open the picker from More… in the theme menu, or from the avatar menu → Change Background.
| Tab | What is there |
|---|---|
| My Themes | Backgrounds you made or forked, with how many of your slots are used |
| Community | Themes other people made that were approved for everyone |
| Templates | Ready-made themes. Select one to apply it, or ⑂ to fork one and edit your copy |
| Swatches | Plain color backgrounds, and Your Custom Colors |
On Swatches, choose a background and accent color of your own. ✨ Enhance adjusts the accent so text stays readable — for dark mode, light mode, or both.
Slots
Every custom theme you keep uses one slot. When they are all used, ⚡ Buy Slot unlocks another for Jolt. The price is on the button and rises with each slot you buy. Delete a theme you no longer use to free its slot.
| Slots you start with | 1 |
| Price of the next slot | 50 Jolt for each slot you already have — your 2nd slot costs 50, your 3rd 100 — never more than 500 Jolt |
| Most slots you can have | 50 |
If you do not have enough Jolt, the message tells you how much the next slot costs.
Build your own theme
Select ＋ Create in the picker, or Account Settings → Appearance → Open editor, to open the theme editor. A theme is a scene of image layers that move at different speeds as you move the cursor, giving a sense of depth.
In the editor:
- Layers — add images as layers, set how far back each one sits and how much it moves, and give elements one of the built-in animations.
- Scene — the base color, the accent color for buttons and badges (with Enhance), how strongly the scene follows the cursor, and color filters for each mode.
- Toolbar — preview in Dark or Light, Preview UI to see sample cards over your scene, toggle Blur and Parallax, and Preview only (or press Tab) to hide the editor and see the scene alone.
Save with Save. The drop-down next to it offers Save & Apply and Save, Apply & Exit.
Images you upload for a theme are stored in My Files.
Share it with the community
A saved draft shows Submit for Review in the editor's toolbar.
- Finish and save your theme.
- Select Submit for Review.
- Wait for a Theme Approved or Theme Not Approved notification under Achievement.
An approved theme appears on the Community tab for everyone, and can earn you up to 1,000 Jolt. Where you allow it, others can fork it into a theme of their own.
Visual blur
Visual blur gives panels a frosted-glass look over the background. Turn it on or off with Visual Blur in the avatar menu, or Account Settings → Appearance → Visual blur.
Blur uses extra graphics power. If the dashboard feels slow on an older laptop or phone, turn it off.
Next steps
- Account settings — the Appearance tab and My Files
- Zeal and Jolt — paying for extra slots
- Notifications — where review results arrive