Cheat Sheet – Highlight the active tab in VS Code

Updated: May 23, 2025
Recommended scope: User Settings

1. What is it for?

Highlight at a glance the tab of the file you're editing when you have multiple tabs open.

2. Express Setup (3 Steps)

"workbench.colorCustomizations": { // If you only want it to affect the current theme, // wrap it like this: "[Default Dark+]": { ... } "tab.activeBackground": "#173d53", // Background of the active tab "tab.activeBorderTop": "#ffae00", // Very visible top line "tab.activeForeground": "#ffffff", // Text of the active tab "tab.activeModifiedBorder": "#ffae00", // Border if the file has unsaved changes "tab.inactiveBackground": "#1e1e1e", // Background of the rest of the tabs "tab.unfocusedActiveBorderTop": "#ffae00" // When the window loses focus }

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3. Where do I put the settings?

Option	Archive	When to use it
User	/User/settings.json	To be applied to all your projects.
Workspace	.vscode/settings.json	Only for open project.
Default	Read only	It is not touched; it serves as a reference.

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4. Color key tokens

Token	Effect
tab.activeBackground	Background of the active tab
tab.activeBorderTop	Upper edge (very visible)
tab.activeBorder	Full edge
tab.activeForeground	Text color of the active tab
tab.activeModifiedBorder	Border when the file has unsaved changes
tab.inactiveBackground	Inactive Tabs Background

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5. Useful extensions

• ColorTabs – Color tabs based on regular expressions (file type, path, etc.).
• Peacock – Color the window frame to distinguish workspaces or instances.

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6. Good practices

• Begin with a border (tab.activeBorderTop) if you don't want to change the entire theme background.
• Keep sufficient contrast between the chosen color and the general background of the editor.
• Documenta the change if you work as a team to avoid confusion.

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7. Resources

• Official documentation: Theme Color Reference from VS Code.
• Topic examples: explore the repository vscode-themes to inspire you.

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Done! With these steps, your active tab will stand out clearly and consistently.