Unlocking the Dark Theme in SQL Server Management Studio
By default, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) lacks a dark theme option, but with a simple tweak, you can enable this much-desired feature. Follow these steps to unlock the dark theme in SSMS:
1. Navigate to the following directory on your system:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 18\Common7\IDE\
2. Locate the file named ssms.pkgundef within this directory.
3. Open the ssms.pkgundef file in Administrator mode. If you're using Notepad++, you can launch it in admin mode for convenience.
4. Find the line related to the dark theme by searching for the keyword "Dark".
5. Add two forward slashes // at the beginning of the line to comment it out. This prevents SSMS from disabling the dark theme.
6. Save the changes to the ssms.pkgundef file.
7. Launch SSMS and navigate to Tools => Options => Environment => General => Color theme.
8. Choose the dark theme option from the available selections.
9. Restart SSMS to apply the changes and enjoy the new dark theme!
