🧬 Customizing Windows Terminal with X-Men Colors #
After reformatting my machine recently, I took the opportunity to rebuild my terminal environment from scratch. One of the first customizations? Knock the color out so there’s something to look at while you keep customizing.
If you’re like me, you’re old. Since you’re reading this post, you’re probably a nerd too. Who can forget that blue, yellow, and white color palette that dominated the 90s comics during Jim Lee’s iconic run. It was the perfect balance of bold, clean, and readable. Hopefully this Windows Terminal color scheme across the same way.
🎨 Meet the “X-Men” Theme #
Here’s a snapshot of the terminal with the theme applied:
And here’s the color scheme you can drop into your settings.json:
{
"name": "X-Men",
"background": "#0D1117",
"foreground": "#F8F8F2",
"cursorColor": "#FFD700",
"selectionBackground": "#1A1F29",
"black": "#0D1117",
"red": "#FFD54F",
"green": "#FFEA00",
"yellow": "#FFF176",
"blue": "#2196F3",
"purple": "#42A5F5",
"cyan": "#90CAF9",
"white": "#F8F8F2",
"brightBlack": "#20232A",
"brightRed": "#FFE082",
"brightGreen": "#FFF59D",
"brightYellow": "#FFEB3B",
"brightBlue": "#64B5F6",
"brightPurple": "#90CAF9",
"brightCyan": "#BBDEFB",
"brightWhite": "#FFFFFF"
}
Colors used in this theme:
If you’re new to Windows Terminal and asking where the settings.json file is…
- Open Windows Terminal
- Hit Ctrl + ,
- Click Open JSON file in the bottom left.
Just make sure to set your terminal profile to use “colorScheme”: “X-Men”!
$propertiesToCheck = @("Department", "JobTitle", "UsageLocation", "Manager", "MobilePhone", "OfficeLocation")
$results = @()
$users = Get-MgUser -All -Property "Id,DisplayName,UserPrincipalName,Department,JobTitle,UsageLocation,Manager,MobilePhone,OfficeLocation"
foreach ($user in $users) {
$missingProps = @()
foreach ($prop in $propertiesToCheck) {
if (-not $user.$prop) {
$missingProps += $prop
}
}
if ($missingProps.Count -gt 0) {
$results += [PSCustomObject]@{
DisplayName = $user.DisplayName
UserPrincipalName = $user.UserPrincipalName
MissingProperties = ($missingProps -join ", ")
}
}
}
:question: Why Customize?
If you spend hours a day in the terminal, it should be a place that feels good to be in—like Storm’s hot tub, sipping wine—not a 1v1 with Wolverine in the Danger Room. Changes that make life easier on your eyes and help create a more focused, personalized workspace add up—and should absolutely be taken advantage of.
**Go down the customization rabbit hole:**
* [Nerd Fonts](https://www.nerdfonts.com/)
* [Starship Cross-Shell Prompt](https://starship.rs/)
* [Oh My Posh](https://ohmyposh.dev/)
* [Powerline Fonts](https://github.com/powerline/fonts)
* [Oh My Zsh](https://ohmyz.sh/)
💡 Bonus Resource
I highly recommend [Windows Terminal Themes](https://windowsterminalthemes.dev/) to explore more themes. It’s a simple site that lets you browse and copy themes with a click — super useful when hunting for new ideas.
After several years as a stay-at-home dad, I’m working my way back into the tech field—brushing up on tools, learning what’s changed, and sharing the journey along the way. This blog is part learning tool, part signal to employers, and part proof of work. Thanks for reading!