Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago

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UPDATE FOR 2023: Inkscape has undergone a lot of changes since this video was uploaded, so I made a newer, more relevant video here: youtu.be/0KST7AAyMX4

In this tutorial I’ll be demonstrating how to change the default background color in Inkscape so that you can have a dark background (like Illustrator) or any other color you’d like! I’ll also be demonstrating how to save your chosen background color as a default so that you can work with it every time you launch Inkscape.

This is something that I’ve been asked about a lot, especially by those of you who are switching over to Inkscape from Illustrator and find the glaring white canvas of Inkscape to be somewhat of a nuisance when you’re working. Today we are going to fix that!

If you'd rather just use my template instead of setting this up yourself, you can download a free copy of it here: logosbynick.com/change-default-background-color-in-inkscape

Want to learn more about how Inkscape works? Check out the Inkscape Master Class - a comprehensive series of over 50 videos where I go over every tool, feature and function in Inkscape and explain what it is, how it works, and why it's useful: logosbynick.com/inkscape

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
00:44 Check Inkscape version
01:20 Set dark theme
01:42 Change background color
02:20 Create white artboard
03:16 Place on locked layer
05:00 Save as default template

Intro song: "In Da Mood" by Combustibles, used with written permission