QTerminal Custom Color Schemes Guide

Learn how to create your own custom color schemes for QTerminal on Kali Linux (or any system using qtermwidget6).

Overview

Step-by-Step Instructions

1Navigate to the Color Schemes Directory

cd /usr/share/qtermwidget6/color-schemes/

List existing schemes to see what's available:

ls -la

2Copy an Existing Scheme as a Template

The easiest method is to copy an existing scheme and modify it:

sudo cp GreenOnBlack.colorscheme YourNewScheme.colorscheme

3Edit Your New Scheme

Open the file with your preferred text editor:

sudo nano YourNewScheme.colorscheme

Or use any other editor (vim, gedit, mousepad, etc.)

4Modify the Colors

The key sections to change for a simple "ColorOnBlack" theme:

Foreground (main text color):

[Foreground]
Bold=false
Color=50,150,255    <-- Change this RGB value
Transparency=false

ForegroundIntense (bold text color):

[ForegroundIntense]
Bold=true
Color=100,180,255   <-- Change this RGB value
Transparency=false

Description (what appears in the menu):

[General]
Description=Your Scheme Name
Opacity=1

5Apply the New Scheme

In QTerminal:

Go to File → Preferences (or press the menu shortcut)
Under the Appearance section, find Color Scheme
Select your new scheme from the dropdown
Click OK or Apply

Color Scheme File Structure

[Background] Bold=false Color=0,0,0 Transparency=false [BackgroundIntense] Bold=false Color=0,0,0 Transparency=false [Color0] # Black Bold=false Color=0,0,0 Transparency=false [Color0Intense] # Bright Black (Gray) Bold=false Color=104,104,104 Transparency=false [Color1] # Red Bold=false Color=250,75,75 Transparency=false [Color1Intense] # Bright Red Bold=false Color=255,84,84 Transparency=false [Color2] # Green Bold=false Color=24,178,24 Transparency=false [Color2Intense] # Bright Green Bold=false Color=84,255,84 Transparency=false [Color3] # Yellow/Brown Bold=false Color=178,104,24 Transparency=false [Color3Intense] # Bright Yellow Bold=false Color=255,255,84 Transparency=false [Color4] # Blue Bold=false Color=92,167,251 Transparency=false [Color4Intense] # Bright Blue Bold=false Color=84,84,255 Transparency=false [Color5] # Magenta Bold=false Color=225,30,225 Transparency=false [Color5Intense] # Bright Magenta Bold=false Color=255,84,255 Transparency=false [Color6] # Cyan Bold=false Color=24,178,178 Transparency=false [Color6Intense] # Bright Cyan Bold=false Color=84,255,255 Transparency=false [Color7] # White (Light Gray) Bold=false Color=178,178,178 Transparency=false [Color7Intense] # Bright White Bold=false Color=255,255,255 Transparency=false [Foreground] # Default text color Bold=false Color=50,150,255 Transparency=false [ForegroundIntense] # Bold text color Bold=true Color=100,180,255 Transparency=false [General] Description=Blue on Black Opacity=1

Color Reference

Scheme Name	Foreground RGB	Preview
Green on Black	`24,240,24`	Classic terminal green
Red on Black	`255,50,50`	Bright red
Purple on Black	`191,64,255`	Vibrant purple
Blue on Black	`50,150,255`	Sky blue
Cyan on Black	`0,255,255`	Cyan/Aqua
Orange on Black	`255,150,50`	Orange
Pink on Black	`255,105,180`	Hot pink
Amber on Black	`255,176,0`	Retro amber

Scheme Name

Foreground RGB

Preview

Green on Black

24,240,24

Classic terminal green

Red on Black

255,50,50

Bright red

Purple on Black

191,64,255

Vibrant purple

Blue on Black

50,150,255

Sky blue

Cyan on Black

0,255,255

Cyan/Aqua

Orange on Black

255,150,50

Orange

Pink on Black

255,105,180

Hot pink

Amber on Black

255,176,0

Retro amber

Quick One-Liner Method

sudo tee /usr/share/qtermwidget6/color-schemes/CyanOnBlack.colorscheme << 'EOF' [Background] Bold=false Color=0,0,0 Transparency=false [BackgroundIntense] Bold=false Color=0,0,0 Transparency=false ... (rest of the file) [Foreground] Bold=false Color=0,255,255 Transparency=false [ForegroundIntense] Bold=true Color=100,255,255 Transparency=false [General] Description=Cyan on Black Opacity=1 EOF

Note: You need sudo (root privileges) to create or modify files in /usr/share/. Make sure you have the necessary permissions.

Troubleshooting

Scheme not appearing? Make sure the file ends with .colorscheme and is in the correct directory.

Colors look wrong? Double-check your RGB values are in the format R,G,B (no spaces, values 0-255).

Permission denied? Use sudo before your commands.

Changes not taking effect? Close and reopen QTerminal, or restart the preferences dialog.

Created for Kali Linux QTerminal customization