How to Change Editor and Terminal Fonts in Islands Dark VS Code Theme

You can change the default fonts by overriding editor.fontFamily and terminal.integrated.fontFamily in your personal VS Code settings.json, which takes precedence over the theme's shipped configuration.

The Islands Dark extension by bwya77/vscode-dark-islands ships with predefined font defaults that apply automatically upon installation. Because the extension bundles a settings.json file containing font configurations, you can customize your editor and terminal typography without modifying the theme source code.

Default Font Configuration in Islands Dark

The theme pre-configures two specific font families in the repository root's settings.json:

• editor.fontFamily: Set to "IBM Plex Mono" (line 4)
• terminal.integrated.fontFamily: Set to "FiraCode Nerd Font Mono" (line 5)

These values live in [settings.json](https://github.com/bwya77/vscode-dark-islands/blob/main/settings.json) and serve as fallback defaults. VS Code merges this file with your user configuration at startup, with user settings automatically taking priority.

Method 1: Override via User Settings (Recommended)

The cleanest approach is to override the defaults in your personal configuration. This persists across theme updates and requires no repository modification.

Using the Settings UI

1. Open File > Preferences > Settings (or press Ctrl+, on Windows/Linux, Cmd+, on macOS).
2. Search for "Font Family".
3. Locate Editor: Font Family and Terminal > Integrated: Font Family.
4. Enter your desired font name, such as "JetBrains Mono" or "Fira Code".

VS Code writes these values to your user settings.json immediately.

Editing settings.json Directly

Open your user settings JSON (click the icon in the top-right of the Settings tab) and add:

{
  "editor.fontFamily": "JetBrains Mono",
  "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "JetBrains Mono"
}

Save the file—the change applies instantly to all open editor and terminal windows.

Method 2: Modify the Theme's settings.json (For Forks)

If you are maintaining a fork of the theme or distributing a customized version, edit the source configuration directly:

1. Open settings.json at the repository root.
2. Modify the font values:

{
  "// Islands Dark Settings v0.0.2",
  "workbench.colorTheme": "Islands Dark",
  "editor.fontFamily": "Fira Code",
  "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "Fira Code"
}

3. Save the file and reinstall the extension:

./install.sh

This script copies your modified configuration into VS Code's extensions folder.

Key Files in the Repository

Understanding the file structure helps when troubleshooting font issues:

• settings.json (repository root): Contains the default editor.fontFamily and terminal.integrated.fontFamily values that ship with the theme.
• themes/islands-dark.json: Defines the color palette and UI token colors; does not control font families.
• install.sh: Bash script that copies theme files into the VS Code extensions directory during manual installation.

Summary

• Islands Dark defaults to IBM Plex Mono for the editor and FiraCode Nerd Font Mono for the terminal via its bundled settings.json.
• User settings always win: Add editor.fontFamily and terminal.integrated.fontFamily to your personal settings.json to override without touching the theme files.
• Fork customization: Edit the theme's settings.json directly and run ./install.sh to distribute custom font defaults.
• Font changes apply immediately; no window reload is required for user-level overrides.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the default fonts in Islands Dark?

According to the source code in settings.json, the theme defaults to IBM Plex Mono for the editor and FiraCode Nerd Font Mono for the integrated terminal. These are defined on lines 4 and 5 of the configuration file.

Do I need to reload VS Code after changing fonts?

No. When you modify font settings through the Settings UI or your user settings.json, the changes apply instantly to both the editor and terminal panes. You only need to reinstall the extension if you modified the theme's own settings.json and are running a local build.

Can I use different fonts for the editor and terminal?

Yes. The editor.fontFamily and terminal.integrated.fontFamily settings are independent. Set each to a different font family in your user settings, such as "JetBrains Mono" for editing code and "Fira Code" for terminal commands.

Why should I avoid editing the theme's settings.json?

You should only edit the theme's settings.json if you are creating a fork or custom distribution. User-level overrides in your personal settings.json are safer because they persist when the extension updates from the Marketplace. If you edit the theme files directly, your changes will be overwritten on the next update.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}