Blog

Sep 30, 2026

Mac App Color Themes: Seven Routines Themes in Pictures

Seven color themes for Routines on Mac, each in light and dark, on real screens. The sidebar, popover, clipboard and screenshot editor all follow.

The seven Routines color themes as sidebar swatches, light on the top row and dark below: Default, Ocean, Burgundy, Forest, Blossom, Cloud Dancer and Peach

Seven themes, each in light and dark.

Routines 1.9 brings seven color themes to the Mac app. The six colored ones give the sidebar a soft gradient, Default keeps the look you know, and all seven work in light and in dark. Every app screen below is a real capture with demo data.

Ocean

A laptop on a desk showing the Routines home screen in the Ocean theme, light mode
Routines home screen in Ocean, light mode, with a navy to teal sidebar Routines home screen in Ocean, dark mode

Ocean: navy fading into teal, made for deep-work mornings.

Burgundy

A laptop under a desk lamp at night showing Routines in the Burgundy theme, dark mode
Routines home screen in Burgundy, light mode, with a wine red sidebar Routines home screen in Burgundy, dark mode

Burgundy: for late-night planning, easy on the eyes. Inspired by the 2026 iPhone finish of the same name.

Forest

A laptop on a desk showing Routines in the Forest theme, light mode
Routines home screen in Forest, light mode, with a deep green sidebar Routines home screen in Forest, dark mode

Forest: pine to moss, calm in both modes.

Blossom

A laptop on a bright desk showing Routines in the Blossom theme, light mode
Routines home screen in Blossom, light mode, with a soft pink sidebar Routines home screen in Blossom, dark mode

Blossom: a soft pink sidebar with dark text, bright for the daytime.

Cloud Dancer

A laptop on a desk showing Routines in the Cloud Dancer theme, light mode
Routines home screen in Cloud Dancer, light mode, with a warm off-white sidebar Routines home screen in Cloud Dancer, dark mode

Cloud Dancer: the Pantone Color of the Year 2026, 11-4201.

Peach

A laptop on a desk showing Routines in the Peach theme, light mode
Routines home screen in Peach, light mode, with a coral sidebar Routines home screen in Peach, dark mode

Peach: warm, and it follows you into the popover and the clipboard.

Default

A laptop on a desk showing Routines in the Default theme, light mode
Routines home screen in the Default theme, light mode, with a paper white sidebar Routines home screen in the Default theme, dark mode

Default: the green you know.

The whole app follows

A theme is more than the main window. The menu bar popover, the clipboard history panel and the screenshot editor pick it up too.

Four Routines surfaces in Ocean: the main window, the menu bar popover, the clipboard history panel and the screenshot editor

Ocean: main window, popover, clipboard history, screenshot editor.

Four Routines surfaces in Burgundy: the main window, the menu bar popover, the clipboard history panel and the screenshot editor

Burgundy, across the same four.

Four Routines surfaces in Blossom: the main window, the menu bar popover, the clipboard history panel and the screenshot editor

Blossom, across the same four.

Four Routines surfaces in Peach: the main window, the menu bar popover, the clipboard history panel and the screenshot editor

Peach, across the same four.

Where to pick yours

Open Settings > General > Appearance. Choose Light, Dark or Follow System, then pick a color.

The Appearance section of Routines settings in light mode: Light, Dark and Follow System cards above a row of seven color swatches The same Appearance section in dark mode

Settings > General > Appearance.

Let a routine pick it

Since v1.9.1 a routine can set the theme for you. The Theme by Sleep recipe reads last night's sleep from your health notes every morning: under 6 hours it picks Burgundy, 6 to 7.5 hours Ocean, over 7.5 hours Peach. You can also switch from Terminal with routines theme ocean. Whatever you choose syncs to your other Macs.

Want more ways to make the app yours? Read how to set up and customize Routines, browse the recipes, or download Routines for Mac.

Frequently asked questions

Can I create my own color theme?

No. You pick one of the seven built-in themes, and each one comes in a light and a dark version.

Does a Routines theme change how macOS looks?

No. A theme only colors Routines. Your Mac's own appearance settings stay as they are.

Related posts

Try it on your Mac.

Routines keeps your notes, transcripts, and routine outputs as markdown and SQLite on your machine, where they stay unless you turn on Cloud Sync.

Download