Colors preferences reference

The Colors preferences let you pick colors for various user interface elements in the Unity Editor. To open the preferences, go to Edit > Preferences > Colors (macOS: Unity > Settings > Colors).

Unity registers some color preferences only after you open the associated tool, window, or overlay. Also, some color preferences are only available after you install a specific package.

2D

These color preferences appear when you install the 2D Tilemap Editor package and open the Tile Palette window at least once.

Property	Function
Tile Palette Grid	Sets the color of the grid that overlays the tile palette in the main area of the Tile Palette window.
Tile Palette Background	Sets the background color of the Tile Palette window.
Tile Palette Background Edit	Sets the background color of the Tile Palette window while in Tile Palette Edit mode.

For more information, refer to Tile Palette window reference. The Grid Component entry in the SceneA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info
See in Glossary foldout is also related.

Adaptive Probe Volumes

These color preferences appear when you install a Scriptable Render Pipeline package that uses Adaptive Probe Volumes (for example, URP or HDRP), and use the Adaptive Probe Volumes debug visualization.

Property	Function
Level 0 Subdivision	Sets the color of probes at the highest subdivision level (smallest bricks).
Level 1 Subdivision	Sets the color of probes at subdivision level 1.
Level 2 Subdivision	Sets the color of probes at subdivision level 2.
Level 3 Subdivision	Sets the color of probes at subdivision level 3.
Level 4 Subdivision	Sets the color of probes at subdivision level 4.
Level 5 Subdivision	Sets the color of probes at the lowest subdivision level (largest bricks).

Refer to Adaptive Probe Volumes in URP or Adaptive Probe Volumes in HDRP.

Animation

These color preferences appear when you use the Animation window or Curve Editor at least once.

Property	Function
EulerX	Sets the curve color for the X component of an Euler rotation curve in the Curve Editor.
EulerY	Sets the curve color for the Y component of an Euler rotation curve in the Curve Editor.
EulerZ	Sets the curve color for the Z component of an Euler rotation curve in the Curve Editor.
Property Animated	Sets the color the Inspector shows for a property that is currently animated.
Property Candidate	Sets the color the Inspector shows for an animated property after you modify it, until you key the change into the animation clip.
Property Recorded	Sets the color the Inspector shows for an animated property that automatically records changes to the animation clip while Record mode is on.

Refer to Use the Animation view.

Cloth

These color preferences appear when you inspect a Cloth component at least once.

Property	Function
Brush Color 2	Sets the color of the brush disc that appears on the cloth surface at the cursor position. The Cloth Constraints tool uses it in Paint mode, and the Self Collision and Intercollision tool uses it in Paint and Erase modes.
Selected Self or Inter Collision Particle Color 2	Sets the color of cloth particles currently selected in the Self Collision and Intercollision tool.
Self or Inter Collision Particle Color 2	Sets the color of cloth particles enabled for self collision or intercollision.
Unselected Self or Inter Collision Particle Color 2	Sets the color of cloth particles not yet enabled for self collision or intercollision.

Refer to Cloth component.

General

Property	Function
Playmode Tint	Sets the tint Unity applies to the whole Editor when you enter Play mode, to help you identify Play mode at a glance. Some operations in the Editor aren’t available in Play mode, and you can reset some edited values when you exit Play mode.
Graph Snapping Line Color	Sets the color of the snapping guide line in graph-based Editor windows that use the GraphView framework, such as Shader Graph and Visual Effect Graph. This setting only appears after you open a GraphView-based Editor window.

Lightmap Preview

These color preferences appear when you open the lightmap UV preview at least once.

Property	Function
UV Color	Sets the color of UV chart edges in the lightmap UV preview.
Selected UV Color	Sets the color of UV chart edges for the currently selected instance in the lightmap UV preview.

Refer to Check lightmap UVs.

Overlays Background

These color preferences appear when you open a window that hosts an overlay, such as the Scene view.

These entries also appear on a dedicated preferences page. For more information, refer to Overlays preferences reference.

Particle System

These color preferences appear when you inspect a Particle System (or Particle System Force Field) component at least once.

Property	Function
Bounds	Sets the color of the bounding box gizmo around a Particle System in the Scene view.
Collision Bounds	Sets the color of the collision bounds that the Collision module draws in the Scene view.
Force Field Gizmos	Sets the color of the gizmo for a Particle System Force Field in the Scene view.
Pivot	Sets the color of the pivot indicator for each particle in the Scene view when you enable pivot visualization on the Renderer module.
Shape Module Gizmos	Sets the color of the shape gizmo for the Shape module emitter volume in the Scene view.

Refer to Create and view a Particle System.

Scene

The Scene foldout groups color entries for many Scene view features, including transform handles, wireframes, selection, and lighting visualization. Some entries are always available. Others register only after you open the associated tool, overlay, or component inspector, or install a specific package.

Property	Function
Back-Facing Geometry	Sets the color that highlights back-facing geometry when you enable Highlight Back-Facing Geometry in the Lighting Visualization overlay. This setting only appears after you open the Scene view Lighting Visualization overlay.
Background	Sets the color the Scene camera clears to when the Scene FX skybox setting is off.
Background for Prefabs	Sets the color the Scene camera clears to when you edit a prefab in prefab editing mode with the Scene FX skybox setting off.
Center Axis	Sets the color of the free-move center handle in the Move, Rotate, and Scale tools.
Constrain Proportions Scale Handle	Sets the color of the scale handles when you enable Constrain Proportions on the Transform component.
Decal	Sets the color of the gizmo for a Decal in the Scene view. This setting only appears after you install a Scriptable Render Pipeline package that provides decals.
Element Default	Sets the default color of element handles, such as spline knots or editable mesh vertices. This setting only appears after you use a tool that edits mesh elements, such as the Splines package’s Draw or Edit tools.
Element Preselection	Sets the color of element handles when the cursor hovers over them. This setting only appears after you use a tool that edits mesh elements, such as the Splines package’s Draw or Edit tools.
Element Selection	Sets the color of element handles when they’re selected. This setting only appears after you use a tool that edits mesh elements, such as the Splines package’s Draw or Edit tools.
Grid	Sets the color of the grid in the Scene view.
Grid Component	Sets the color of the Grid component gizmo in the Scene view. This setting only appears after you install the 2D Tilemap Editor package and open the Tile Palette window.
Guide Line	Sets the color of guide lines that Scene view tools draw, such as the arc that appears while you drag a rotation handle.
Material Validator Pure Metal	Sets the color that flags pixels marked as metallic but with a non-zero albedo value when you enable Check Pure Metals. This setting only appears after you use the Scene view Lighting Visualization overlay for Validate Albedo or Validate Metal Specular.
Material Validator Value Too High	Sets the color that flags pixels whose luminance is above the maximum value for the selected material type. This setting only appears after you use the Scene view Lighting Visualization overlay for Validate Albedo or Validate Metal Specular.
Material Validator Value Too Low	Sets the color that flags pixels whose luminance is below the minimum value for the selected material type. This setting only appears after you use the Scene view Lighting Visualization overlay for Validate Albedo or Validate Metal Specular.
Preselection Highlight	Sets the color of a handle when the cursor hovers over it, before you click to select it.
Receive + Contribute GI (Light Probes)	Sets the color that the Contributors / Receivers debug draw mode applies to GameObjects that contribute to global illumination and receive it through Light Probes. This setting only appears after you use the Scene view Lighting Visualization overlay in the Contributors / Receivers draw mode.
Receive + Contribute GI (Lightmaps)	Sets the color that the Contributors / Receivers debug draw mode applies to GameObjects that contribute to global illumination and receive it through lightmaps. This setting only appears after you use the Scene view Lighting Visualization overlay in the Contributors / Receivers draw mode.
Receive GI Only (Light Probes)	Sets the color that the Contributors / Receivers debug draw mode applies to GameObjects with the Contribute GI flag disabled. These GameObjects receive global illumination only through Light Probes. This setting only appears after you use the Scene view Lighting Visualization overlay in the Contributors / Receivers draw mode.
RectTransform Wire	Sets the color of the wireframe around a selected RectTransform in the Scene view, including its rect in parent space, parent outline, sibling outlines, and anchor markers. This setting only appears after you inspect a RectTransform component.
Selected Axis	Sets the color of the selected handle when the Move, Rotate, or Scale tool is active.
Selected Children Outline	Sets the outline color of the children of the selected GameObjects.
Selected Material Highlight	Sets the outline color that appears when you click a submesh in the MeshRenderer to ping it in the Scene view.
Selected Outline	Sets the outline color of selected GameObjects.
UI Collider Handle	Sets the color of the Unity UI padding visualization.
Volume Gizmo	Sets the color of Volume component gizmos in the Scene view. This setting only appears after you install a Scriptable Render Pipeline package (URP, HDRP, or another pipeline built on the Scriptable Render Pipeline Core).
Wireframe	Sets the color of the wireframe when the wireframe render mode is active.
Wireframe Overlay	Sets the color of the wireframe when the textured wireframe render mode is active.
Wireframe Selected	Sets the color of selected wireframes when you enable Selection Wire in the Gizmo options.
X Axis	Sets the color of built-in transform tool handles for the x-axis.
Y Axis	Sets the color of built-in transform tool handles for the y-axis.
Z Axis	Sets the color of built-in transform tool handles for the z-axis.

Trail Renderer

These color preferences appear when you inspect a Trail Renderer component at least once.

Property	Function
Bounds	Sets the color of the bounding box gizmo around the trail in the Scene view.
Shape Gizmos	Sets the color of the shape gizmos for the trail in the Scene view.

Refer to Draw and configure a trail behind a moving GameObject.

UI Toolkit Debugger

These color preferences appear when you open the UI Toolkit Debugger window at least once.

Property	Function
Highlight Border	Sets the color that highlights the border region of the selected element.
Highlight Content	Sets the color that highlights the content box of the selected element.
Highlight Margin	Sets the color that highlights the margin region of the selected element.
Highlight Padding	Sets the color that highlights the padding region of the selected element.
Layout Overlay Outline	Sets the outline color of the layout bounds of unselected elements when you enable the layout overlay.
Layout Overlay Outline Selected	Sets the outline color of the layout bounds of the selected element when you enable the layout overlay.
Repaint Overlay	Sets the color that flashes on elements that repaint when you enable the Repaint Overlay toggle.
Repaint Overlay Outline	Sets the outline color that flashes on elements that repaint when you enable the Repaint Overlay toggle.
Wireframe	Sets the wireframe color of unselected elements when you enable the debugger’s wireframe overlay.
Wireframe Selected	Sets the wireframe color of the selected element when you enable the debugger’s wireframe overlay.

Refer to UI Toolkit Debugger.

Additional resources

• Project Settings reference
• Extending the Unity Editor