debian-mirror-gitlab/doc/user/profile/preferences.md

---
stage: none
group: unassigned
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type: concepts, howto
---

# Profile preferences **(FREE)**

A user's profile preferences page allows the user to customize various aspects
of GitLab to their liking.

To navigate to your profile's preferences:

1. In the upper-right corner, select your avatar.
1. Select **Preferences**.

## Navigation theme

The GitLab navigation theme setting allows you to personalize your GitLab experience.
You can choose from several color themes that add unique colors to the top navigation
and left side navigation.
Using individual color themes might help you differentiate between your different
GitLab instances.

The default theme is Indigo. You can choose between 10 themes:

- Indigo
- Light Indigo
- Blue
- Light Blue
- Green
- Light Green
- Red
- Light Red
- Dark
- Light
- [Dark Mode](#dark-mode)

## Dark mode

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/28252) in GitLab 13.1 as an [Alpha](../../policy/alpha-beta-support.md#alpha-features) release.

GitLab has started work on dark mode! The dark mode Alpha release is available in the
spirit of iteration and the lower expectations of
[Alpha versions](../../policy/alpha-beta-support.md#alpha-features).

Progress on dark mode is tracked in the [Dark theme epic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/2902).
See the epic for:

- A list of known issues.
- Our planned direction and next steps.

If you find an issue that isn't listed, leave a comment on the epic or create a
new issue.

Dark mode is available as a navigation theme, for MVC and compatibility reasons.
[An issue exists](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/219512)
to make it configurable in its own section along with support for
different navigation themes.

Dark theme only works with the **Dark** syntax highlighting theme.

## Syntax highlighting theme

> Changing the default syntax highlighting theme for new users and users who are not signed in [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/25129) in GitLab 15.10.

GitLab uses the [rouge Ruby library](http://rouge.jneen.net/ "Rouge website")
for syntax highlighting outside of any Editor context. The WebIDE (like Snippets)
uses [Monaco Editor](https://microsoft.github.io/monaco-editor/) and it's provided
[Monarch](https://microsoft.github.io/monaco-editor/monarch.html) library for
syntax highlighting. For a list of supported languages, see the documentation of
the respective libraries.

Changing this setting allows you to customize the color theme when viewing any
syntax highlighted code on GitLab.

The default syntax theme is White, and you can choose among 5 different themes:

<!-- vale gitlab.Spelling = NO -->

- White
- Dark
- Solarized light
- Solarized dark
- Monokai

<!-- vale gitlab.Spelling = YES -->

![Profile preferences syntax highlighting themes](img/profile-preferences-syntax-themes.png)

Introduced in GitLab 13.6, the themes [Solarized](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/221034) and [Monokai](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/221034) also apply to the [Web IDE](../project/web_ide/index.md) and [Snippets](../snippets.md).

You can use an API call to change the default syntax highlighting theme for new users and users
who are not signed in. For more information, see the `default_syntax_highlighting_theme`
in the [list of settings that can be accessed through API calls](../../api/settings.md#list-of-settings-that-can-be-accessed-via-api-calls).

## Diff colors

A diff compares the old/removed content with the new/added content (for example, when
[reviewing a merge request](../project/merge_requests/reviews/index.md#review-a-merge-request) or in a
[Markdown inline diff](../markdown.md#inline-diff)).
Typically, the colors red and green are used for removed and added lines in diffs.
The exact colors depend on the selected [syntax highlighting theme](#syntax-highlighting-theme).
The colors may lead to difficulties in case of red-green color blindness.

For this reason, you can customize the following colors:

- Color for removed lines
- Color for added lines

## Behavior

The following settings allow you to customize the behavior of the GitLab layout
and default views of your dashboard and the projects' landing pages.

### Layout width

GitLab can be set up to use different widths depending on your liking. Choose
between the fixed (max. `1280px`) and the fluid (`100%`) application layout.

NOTE:
While `1280px` is the standard max width when using fixed layout, some pages still use 100% width, depending on the content.

### Dashboard

For users who have access to a large number of projects but only keep up with a
select few, the amount of activity on the your dashboard can be
overwhelming. From the **Dashboard** dropdown list, select what you'd like displayed on your
personal dashboard.

### Group overview content

The **Group overview content** dropdown list allows you to choose what information is
displayed on a group's home page.

You can choose between 2 options:

- Details (default)
- [Security dashboard](../application_security/security_dashboard/index.md)

### Project overview content

The **Project overview content** setting allows you to choose what content you want to
see on a project's home page.

### Tab width

You can set the displayed width of tab characters across various parts of
GitLab, for example, blobs, diffs, and snippets.

NOTE:
Some parts of GitLab do not respect this setting, including the WebIDE, file
editor and Markdown editor.

## Localization

### Language

Select your preferred language from a list of supported languages.

*This feature is experimental and translations are not complete yet.*

### First day of the week

The first day of the week can be customized for calendar views and date pickers.

You can choose one of the following options as the first day of the week:

- Saturday
- Sunday
- Monday

If you select **System Default**, the [instance default](../admin_area/settings/index.md#default-first-day-of-the-week) setting is used.

## Time preferences

### Use relative times

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/65570) in GitLab 14.1.

You can select your preferred time format for the GitLab user interface:

- Relative times, for example, `30 minutes ago`.
- Absolute times, for example, `May 18, 2021, 3:57 PM`.

The times are formatted depending on your chosen language and browser locale.

To set your time preference:

1. On the **Preferences** page, go to **Time preferences**.
1. Select the **Use relative times** checkbox to use relative times,
   or clear the checkbox to use absolute times.
1. Select **Save changes**.

NOTE:
This feature is experimental, and choosing absolute times might break certain layouts.
Open an issue if you notice that using absolute times breaks a layout.

## Web IDE

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/370139) in GitLab 15.7 [with a flag](../../administration/feature_flags.md) named `vscode_web_ide`. Disabled by default.

FLAG:
On self-managed GitLab, by default this feature is not available. To make it available, ask an administrator to [enable the feature flag](../../administration/feature_flags.md) named `vscode_web_ide`. On GitLab.com, this feature is available.

The [Web IDE Beta](../project/web_ide_beta/index.md) is
the default editing environment when the `vscode_web_ide` feature
flag is enabled.

To stop using the Web IDE Beta:

1. In the **Web IDE** section, select the **Opt out of the Web IDE Beta** checkbox.
1. Select **Save changes**.

## Integrations

Configure your preferences with third-party services which provide enhancements to your GitLab experience.

### Sourcegraph

NOTE:
This setting is only visible if Sourcegraph has been enabled by a GitLab administrator.

Manage the availability of integrated code intelligence features powered by
Sourcegraph. View [the Sourcegraph feature documentation](../../integration/sourcegraph.md#enable-sourcegraph-in-user-preferences)
for more information.

### Gitpod

Enable and disable the [GitLab-Gitpod integration](../../integration/gitpod.md). This is only
visible after the integration is configured by a GitLab administrator. View
[the Gitpod feature documentation](../../integration/gitpod.md) for more information.

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