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Installation

Get Shades of Purple up and running in your VS Code editor in under a minute. Choose the installation method that works best for you.

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Install from the marketplace

The easiest way to install Shades of Purple is directly from the VS Code extensions marketplace.
1

Open the extensions sidebar

Click the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar on the side of VS Code, or press:
  • macOS: Cmd+Shift+X
  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+X
2

Search for the theme

Type Shades of Purple Theme in the search box. Look for the theme by Ahmad Awais with the purple icon.
3

Install the theme

Click the Install button. The installation will complete in a few seconds.
4

Reload VS Code

Click Reload to reload your editor and activate the theme.
5

Select the theme

Open the Command Palette and select your theme:
  • macOS: Cmd+K then Cmd+T
  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+K then Ctrl+T
  • Or navigate to: Code/File > Preferences > Color Theme > Shades of Purple
6

Enjoy your new theme

You’re all set! Consider leaving a review if you love the theme.
Over 175 developers have already rated Shades of Purple five stars. Join them →

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Install using command palette

If you prefer using the command palette, you can install Shades of Purple with a quick command.
1

Launch Quick Open

Open the Quick Open dialog:
  • macOS: Cmd+P
  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+P
2

Paste the install command

Type or paste this command:
ext install ahmadawais.shades-of-purple
3

Press Enter

Hit Enter and wait for the installation to complete. Click Install when prompted.
4

Reload VS Code

Click Reload to reload your editor.
5

Activate the theme

Navigate to: Code/File > Preferences > Color Theme > Shades of Purple

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Verify installation

After installation, you should see the Shades of Purple color scheme applied throughout your editor:
  • Purple background with carefully selected shade (#2D2B55)
  • Syntax highlighting with vibrant, high-contrast colors
  • Bold purple accents in the UI elements
  • Comments in a softer purple (#B362FF)
If the colors don’t look quite right, make sure you’ve selected “Shades of Purple” from the Color Theme menu, not “Shades of Purple (Super Dark)” unless you specifically want the darker variant.

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Available theme variants

Shades of Purple comes with two variants:
  1. Shades of Purple - The original, carefully balanced theme
  2. Shades of Purple (Super Dark) - A darker variant currently in BETA
You can switch between variants at any time from the Color Theme menu.

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Troubleshooting

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Theme not appearing in the list

If you don’t see Shades of Purple in your Color Theme menu:
  1. Make sure the extension is fully installed (check the Extensions sidebar)
  2. Try reloading VS Code completely (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P > “Reload Window”)
  3. Check that you’re searching for “Shades of Purple” not “Shade of Purple”

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Colors look different than expected

If the colors don’t match what you see in screenshots:
  1. Verify you’ve selected the correct theme variant
  2. Check if you have other themes or color customizations in your settings.json
  3. Disable any extensions that might modify colors (like “Custom CSS and JS Loader”)
Some extensions may override theme colors. If you experience unexpected colors, try disabling recently installed extensions one by one to identify conflicts.

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Installation fails

If the installation fails:
  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Make sure you’re running a recent version of VS Code (1.15.0 or higher)
  3. Try installing from the VS Code Marketplace website instead

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Next steps

Now that you have Shades of Purple installed:

Quick start guide

Configure your setup for the best experience

Recommended settings

Optimize VS Code for Shades of Purple
Want to learn more about mastering VS Code? Check out VSCode.pro - a comprehensive course covering workflows, extensions, and power user techniques.

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