How to Uninstall Islands Dark and Restore Your Previous VS Code Settings

To completely uninstall Islands Dark, run the official uninstall.sh or uninstall.ps1 script from the bwya77/vscode-dark-islands repository, which automatically restores your backed-up settings.json, removes the theme extension directory, and disables the Custom UI Style dependency.

Islands Dark is a VS Code theme that modifies more than just color schemes—it injects custom CSS through the Custom UI Style extension and merges specific configurations into your user settings. According to the source code in bwya77/vscode-dark-islands, the installation process creates a backup of your original configuration and distributes files across multiple locations in your VS Code installation. Removing it requires reversing these specific modifications to restore your previous workspace state.

What Islands Dark Modifies in Your VS Code Installation

Understanding the three components Islands Dark installs will help you verify the uninstallation completed successfully.

Theme Extension Files

The theme itself lives in ~/.vscode/extensions/bwya77.islands-dark-1.0.0 on your local machine. This directory contains the package.json manifest and the themes/islands-dark.json color definitions that VS Code loads when you activate the theme.

Custom UI Style Integration

Islands Dark depends on the Custom UI Style extension from the VS Code Marketplace to render floating-glass panels and rounded-corner UI elements. This extension injects CSS directly into VS Code's core, which is why it must be manually disabled during uninstallation rather than simply deleted.

Settings.json Backup and Merge

During installation, the script creates a backup of your existing configuration named settings.json.pre-islands-dark in your user settings directory (typically ~/.config/Code/User/settings.json on Linux or ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json on macOS). It then merges the theme's specific settings.json from the repository into your active user settings.

Uninstall Islands Dark Using the Official Scripts

The repository provides automated scripts that handle the restoration process. These scripts reverse the installation by executing operations defined in uninstall.sh (lines 22–90) and its PowerShell counterpart.

macOS and Linux (uninstall.sh)

Run the uninstall script directly without cloning the repository:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bwya77/vscode-dark-islands/main/uninstall.sh | bash

This command pipes the script directly to bash and performs the following actions:

• Restores your previous settings (lines 22–28): Copies settings.json.pre-islands-dark back to settings.json, overwriting the Islands Dark configuration.
• Disables Custom UI Style (lines 34–40): Prints instructions for manually disabling the extension via the Command Palette, since CSS injection requires explicit user action to remove.
• Deletes the extension folder (lines 45–49): Removes $HOME/.vscode/extensions/bwya77.islands-dark-1.0.0.
• Cleans up extensions.json (lines 56–81): Runs a Node.js snippet to unregister the extension from VS Code's extension registry if Node.js is available.

Windows PowerShell (uninstall.ps1)

For Windows environments, use the PowerShell equivalent:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bwya77/vscode-dark-islands/main/uninstall.ps1 | iex

This performs the same restoration logic as the bash script, adapted for Windows file paths and the PowerShell execution environment.

Clone and Run Locally

If you prefer to inspect the scripts before execution, clone the repository and run the scripts manually:

git clone https://github.com/bwya77/vscode-dark-islands.git
cd vscode-dark-islands
./uninstall.sh        # macOS/Linux

# or

.\uninstall.ps1       # Windows PowerShell

Manual Uninstall Process

If the automated scripts fail or if you previously deleted the backup file, you can manually uninstall Islands Dark by reversing the installation steps.

Restore settings.json from Backup

Check your user settings directory for the file settings.json.pre-islands-dark. If it exists, copy it over your current settings.json:

# macOS example

cp ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/settings.json.pre-islands-dark ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/settings.json

This restores any customizations you had before installing the theme.

Disable Custom UI Style Extension

Because the Custom UI Style extension modifies VS Code's core files, you must disable it manually:

1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P).
2. Type "Custom UI Style: Disable" and select it.
3. Reload VS Code when prompted.

Without this step, the floating glass effects and rounded corners will persist even after removing the theme files.

Remove Extension Files and Registry Entries

Delete the extension directory manually:

rm -rf ~/.vscode/extensions/bwya77.islands-dark-1.0.0

Then open ~/.vscode/extensions/extensions.json and remove any entry for "bwya77.islands-dark" to clean up the extension registry.

Summary

• Islands Dark installs three components: the theme extension in ~/.vscode/extensions/, Custom UI Style CSS modifications, and merged settings in your user settings.json.
• Automated uninstallation uses uninstall.sh (lines 22–90) or uninstall.ps1 to restore settings.json.pre-islands-dark, disable Custom UI Style, and delete extension files.
• Manual cleanup requires copying the backup settings file, disabling the Custom UI Style extension via Command Palette, and deleting the bwya77.islands-dark-1.0.0 directory.
• Verification: After uninstallation, open the Color Theme picker (Cmd/Ctrl+K Cmd/Ctrl+T) to select a different theme and confirm the Islands Dark options are gone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Islands Dark settings backup stored?

The backup file settings.json.pre-islands-dark is stored in your VS Code user settings directory. On macOS, this is ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/; on Linux, ~/.config/Code/User/; and on Windows, %APPDATA%\Code\User\. The uninstall.sh script looks for this file specifically in lines 22–28 to restore your previous configuration.

Do I need to restart VS Code after uninstalling?

Yes, you should reload VS Code after running the uninstall script. The script prompts you to select a new color theme, but you must also manually reload the window (or restart VS Code entirely) to fully clear the Custom UI Style CSS injections and complete the restoration process.

What if I don't have the settings.json backup file?

If settings.json.pre-islands-dark is missing, manually edit your user settings.json to remove Islands Dark-specific entries. Delete the "workbench.colorTheme" key if set to Islands Dark, remove the entire "custom-ui-style.stylesheet" block, and any other keys added by the theme. Save the file and reload VS Code to apply the changes.

Will uninstalling remove my other VS Code extensions?

No, the uninstall process only targets the bwya77.islands-dark-1.0.0 extension directory and its associated settings. The script preserves all other extensions, their settings, and your workspace configurations. However, you must manually disable the Custom UI Style extension if you no longer want its CSS modifications applied to other themes.

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