Great dark mode for SSMS
Great dark mode for SSMS, simple to install and clean
By Nayt G.
Response from SQL Shades· Apr 22, 2025
I appreciate the review, Nayt! 😁
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 · Customer reviews of US businesses
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109 reviews
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Shades is the dark mode add-in for SQL Server Management Studio.Just install the SQL Shades extension and it'll darken everything automatically, including what SSMS' hidden dark mode misses.
SQL Shades (sqlshades.com) has 109 customer reviews on The Fair Hearing, with an average rating of 5.0 out of 5.
109 approved reviews, newest moderated first
Great dark mode for SSMS, simple to install and clean
By Nayt G.
Response from SQL Shades· Apr 22, 2025
I appreciate the review, Nayt! 😁
I've been using the pkgundef hack for years, and while it works...it's always left a lot to be desired. Context menus in particular would be difficult to read. SQL Shades provides a dark mode that's actually a comprehensive Dark Mode as it should be. It works perfectly, seamlessly...doesn't slow anything down and does exactly what it says on the tin.
By Pete
Response from SQL Shades· Apr 22, 2025
Thanks for the great review, Pete! 😊
Fantastic little addon that immediately feels like a natural part of SSMS.
By Ibby W.
Response from SQL Shades· Apr 11, 2025
Glad you like it, Ibby!
Love it! I spent a while using SSMS with a half-baked dark theme after "hacking" one of the config files to enable the dark theme in the options. But it was definitely not what it should have been. SQL Shades saved the day (and every day thereafter) with it's beautiful and comprehensive dark mode. I cannot work without it!
By Eddie R.
Response from SQL Shades· Apr 4, 2025
Glad to hear it, Eddie! Thanks for the review =)
Shades Dark theme is a fundamental piece for SSMS that MS is neglecting.
By Eduardo M.
Response from SQL Shades· Mar 25, 2025
Eduardo, thanks for the stellar review!
This is a great piece of SSMS software and everyday my eyes thank me for downloading and installing it. I spend hours a day in SSMS, and being able to use a dark theme in every window is a amazing.
By MetroIT
Response from SQL Shades· Mar 24, 2025
Glad to hear SQL Shades is making your life better! Your eyes deserve the best 😎
Such awesomeness! Just raw awesomeness! SSMS team should hire you right away and give you a fat pay for doing something that they haven't been able to deliver for ages!
By Suhail M.
Response from SQL Shades· Mar 20, 2025
Thanks, Suhail! I appreciate the support 😎
I highly recommend SQL Shades. It's a simple thing: provide a DARK THEME for SSMS, which it does very well.
By Herriman G.
Response from SQL Shades· Mar 10, 2025
Thank you for the recommendation, Herriman! 🌟