What you can change in Brio's appearance settings

Brio lets you adjust how the interface looks and feels through its appearance settings, which control colors, text size, themes, and layout options. These settings live in one place — the Preferences menu — and changes take effect immediately without restarting the program.

The appearance controls are split into three main areas: theme selection (light, dark, or system default), text and icon scaling, and accent color choices. You can also adjust sidebar width and toggle certain UI elements on or off depending on how you work.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Preferences from the menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut to reach appearance settings in one step.
  • Brio offers light and dark themes, plus a system default option that matches your operating system's current setting.
  • Text size and icon scaling work together, so increasing one affects readability across the entire interface.
  • Accent color changes apply to buttons, highlights, and selected items, and you can choose from Brio's preset palette or define a custom color.
  • Changes save automatically and take effect immediately — you do not need to close and reopen Brio.

How to open Preferences and find appearance options

In Brio, go to the menu bar at the top of the window and click Preferences. On Windows, this is usually under the application menu or the three-line icon in the top right. On Mac, click the Brio menu and select Preferences.

Once Preferences opens, look for the Appearance tab on the left sidebar. Click it to see all theme, color, and scaling options in one panel. If you prefer keyboard navigation, you can also press Ctrl + comma on Windows or Command + comma on Mac to open Preferences directly.

Switching between light, dark, and system themes

The theme selector is at the top of the Appearance panel. You have three choices: Light (white background with dark text), Dark (dark background with light text), and System Default (matches whatever your operating system is currently set to).

Light theme works best in bright environments and reduces eye strain for some users during daytime work. Dark theme is easier on the eyes in low-light conditions and uses less battery power on devices with OLED screens. System Default is useful if you switch between light and dark modes throughout the day — Brio will follow your OS setting automatically without you having to change it manually in the app.

Adjusting text size and icon scaling

Below the theme selector, you will see sliders for Text Size and Icon Scale. Text Size controls the font size in menus, buttons, and document text. Icon Scale controls the size of toolbar icons and sidebar symbols. Both range from 80% to 150% of the default size.

If you increase Text Size to 120%, buttons and labels become larger and easier to read, but more content may shift off-screen in narrow windows. Icon Scale works the same way — larger icons take up more toolbar space but are easier to click and identify at a glance. You can adjust these independently, so you might set text to 110% and icons to 100% if you want readable text but a compact toolbar.

Test your changes by looking at the preview area in the Preferences panel, which shows how buttons and text will appear at your chosen size. If the preview looks too cramped or too spread out, adjust the sliders until it matches your preference.

Changing accent colors and UI highlights

The Accent Color section shows a palette of preset colors — blue, green, orange, red, purple, and others depending on your Brio version. Click any color to apply it immediately to buttons, selected text, progress bars, and other interactive elements throughout the interface.

If none of the presets match your preference, look for a Custom Color option (usually a plus icon or "Add Color" button). Click it to open a color picker, where you can enter a hex code, RGB values, or click to select from a full spectrum. Once you define a custom color, it saves to your palette and appears alongside the presets for future use.

Accent color changes are purely visual and do not affect how Brio works — they are a way to personalize the interface to match your taste or your organization's branding if you are using Brio in a shared workspace.

Toggling sidebar and UI elements on or off

Further down the Appearance panel, you may see checkboxes for optional UI elements like Show Sidebar, Show Status Bar, or Show Toolbar Labels. These let you hide parts of the interface you do not use, giving you more space for your actual work.

Unchecking Show Sidebar hides the left panel that lists files or navigation options, which is useful if you work with a single document or prefer keyboard shortcuts. Unchecking Show Status Bar removes the bottom information bar that displays file size, word count, or cursor position. Unchecking Show Toolbar Labels removes text labels from toolbar icons, leaving only the icons themselves — this saves horizontal space but requires you to recognize icons by sight.

You can toggle these on and off at any time without losing your work. If you hide something and later realize you need it, just return to Preferences and check the box again.

Saving and reverting appearance changes

Brio saves appearance changes automatically as soon as you make them — there is no Save button in Preferences. If you want to undo all your changes and return to Brio's default appearance, look for a Reset to Defaults button at the bottom of the Appearance panel. Clicking it restores the original theme, text size, icon scale, and accent color in one step.

If you have customized your appearance and want to keep those settings, they persist even after you close and reopen Brio. Your preferences are stored in Brio's configuration file, which syncs across devices if you use Brio on multiple computers with the same account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different appearance settings for different projects or documents?

No, appearance settings apply to the entire Brio interface and cannot be changed per-document or per-project. However, you can create multiple user profiles in your operating system and set different Brio preferences for each profile if you need different looks for different work contexts.

Does changing the theme or text size affect how my documents print or export?

No, appearance settings only change how Brio displays content on your screen. When you print or export a document, the output uses the document's own formatting and font settings, not your interface preferences. Your chosen theme and text size have no effect on the final document.

What happens to my appearance settings if I uninstall and reinstall Brio?

Your settings are stored separately from the Brio program files, so reinstalling usually preserves them. However, if you uninstall using an option to remove all associated files, your preferences will be deleted. To be safe, note your custom color codes or take a screenshot of your preferred settings before uninstalling.

Can I share my appearance settings with other people using Brio?

Brio does not have a built-in export feature for appearance settings, but you can manually recreate your theme, text size, and accent color on another computer by following the same steps in Preferences. If your organization uses Brio across multiple machines, check with your IT department — they may be able to deploy standardized appearance settings through group policy or configuration management tools.