Change the Vault GUI appearance
Enterprise
Appropriate Vault Enterprise license required
Use the Appearance section of the Preferences page to choose a light theme, a dark theme, or a theme that follows your operating system. Vault stores your choice in your current browser, so it does not follow you to other browsers or devices.
Before you start
Confirm you can access the Vault GUI. You do not need any policy capabilities to change the theme but you must be able to login to the GUI.
Optional: Check your operating system theme. If you plan to select System, set your operating system to the light or dark appearance you want Vault to follow.
Step 1: Open Preferences
Log in to the Vault GUI.
Select the User menu icon.
Select Preferences.
Scroll to the Appearance section below Your role (HCP Vault Dedicated) or Data & privacy (Vault Enterprise).
Step 2: Choose a theme
In the Appearance section, select one of the following theme cards:
| Card | Vault GUI behavior |
|---|---|
| Light | Always uses the light theme. |
| Dark (beta) | Always uses the dark theme. |
| System | Uses the dark theme when you set you OS to dark, and the light theme otherwise. |
The theme changes as soon as you select a card. You do not need to save or reload the page.
When you select System and then change your operating system between light and dark, the Vault GUI updates immediately without a reload. When you select Light or Dark, changes to your operating system theme have no effect.
Persistence and limitations
The Vault GUI stores your theme choice as "light", "dark", or "system" in
local browser storage under the key vault:prefs:theme.
The following rules apply:
- Default. When the browser has no stored value, the GUI uses System. Clearing site data for the Vault address in your browser returns the theme to System.
- Per browser. Vault does not save the theme on the Vault server or with your token, entity, or identity. The theme does not follow you to another browser, another browser profile, or another device.
- Per Vault address. Browsers keep separate local storage entries for each origin, so each Vault address (scheme, host, and port) has its own theme setting.
- Storage unavailable. If the browser blocks local storage, the theme changes for the current page but does not persist after you reload.