---
name: "set_color"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "fish"
version: "1.23.1+20120106.git8b407a3-1"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/set_color"
---

# set\_color(1)

set\_color - set the terminal color

## NAME

set\_color - set\_color - set the terminal color

## set\_color - set the terminal color

### Synopsis

`set_color [-v --version] [-h --help] [-b --background COLOR] [COLOR]`

### Description

Change the foreground and/or background color of the terminal. COLOR is one of black, red, green, brown, yellow, blue, magenta, purple, cyan, white and normal.

- •

  `-b`, `--background` Set the background color

- •

  `-c`, `--print-colors` Prints a list of all valid color names

- •

  `-h`, `--help` Display help message and exit

- •

  `-o`, `--bold` Set bold or extra bright mode

- •

  `-u`, `--underline` Set underlined mode

- •

  `-v`, `--version` Display version and exit

Calling `set_color normal` will set the terminal color to whatever is the default color of the terminal.

Some terminals use the --bold escape sequence to switch to a brighter color set. On such terminals, `set_color white` will result in a grey font color, while `set_color --bold white` will result in a white font color.

Not all terminal emulators support all these features. This is not a bug in set\_color but a missing feature in the terminal emulator.

set\_color uses the terminfo database to look up how to change terminal colors on whatever terminal is in use. Some systems have old and incomplete terminfo databases, and may lack color information for terminals that support it. Download and install the latest version of ncurses and recompile fish against it in order to fix this issue.