Squarespace Color Presets Guide: How to Use Palette Presets to Change Sitewide Colors in Squarespace 7.1
Customizing colors across an entire website can feel overwhelming if you try to adjust every section manually. Fortunately, Squarespace 7.1 provides built-in Color Presets inside the Palette Editor.
Using color presets is the fastest way to completely transform the mood and visual identity of your website in just a few clicks.
Understanding how the 5-color master palette connects to Squarespace’s 10 color themes allows you to change sitewide colors efficiently and avoid common design mistakes.
How Squarespace 7.1 Color Palettes Work
At the core of every Squarespace 7.1 website is a master palette of 5 colors:
Light Neutral (usually pure white or an off-white background)
Light Accent (soft secondary tint)
Primary Accent (your core brand/action color for buttons and highlights)
Dark Accent (secondary dark tone)
Dark Neutral (deep charcoal or black for dark sections and text)
When you choose a Color Preset, Squarespace assigns five harmonious colors to these slots and automatically calculates all 10 color themes (Lightest 1 & 2, Light 1 & 2, Bright 1 & 2, Dark 1 & 2, Darkest 1 & 2).
Because every section on your site is assigned to one of these 10 themes, updating your palette updates your entire website in real time.
Method 1: Using Built-in Designer Presets (Fastest)
Squarespace comes pre-loaded with curated designer color presets ranging from clean neutrals to bold, vibrant combinations.
How to Apply a Built-in Preset:
Open your website in edit mode and click the Site Styles icon (the paintbrush in the top-right corner).
Click Colors, then select Edit Palette.
Under the palette options, click Presets.
Browse through the available presets. Click any preset to see your live website instantly update its buttons, text, and section backgrounds.
Once you find a color scheme that fits your brand, click Save in the top-left corner.
Method 2: Generating Palettes "From Color" (Color Harmony)
If you already have a primary brand color (such as a specific hex code from your logo), you can let Squarespace automatically build a balanced 5-color palette around it.
How to Generate From a Base Color:
Navigate to Site Styles > Colors > Edit Palette.
Click From Color.
Enter your primary brand hex code or choose a base color from the color picker.
Select one of the four algorithmic color harmony presets:
Monochrome: Generates 5 different tints and shades of your base color. Best for minimalist, subtle designs.
Complementary: Pairs your base color with its direct opposite on the color wheel. Best for high contrast and bold call-to-action buttons.
Analogous: Uses colors adjacent to your base color on the color wheel. Produces rich, smooth, and natural transitions.
Split-Complementary: Uses your base color plus two colors adjacent to its complement for nuanced, high-energy contrast.
Method 3: Generating Palettes "From Image"
You can upload a brand photo, mood board, or logo, and Squarespace will sample the most prominent tones to construct your 5-color palette.
How to Generate From an Image:
Navigate to Site Styles > Colors > Edit Palette.
Click From Image.
Upload a clean, high-resolution image (PNG or JPG).
Squarespace will scan the image and populate the 5 master color slots automatically.
💡 Pro Tip: Images with low contrast or too many muddy tones can result in unreadable text. After generating a palette from an image, always review your site to ensure your text maintains strong contrast against your section backgrounds.
Why Didn’t a Preset Change Some Sections on My Website?
A common frustration among beginners is selecting a preset and noticing that a few sections did not change the way they expected. This does not mean the preset failed. It happens for one of three reasons:
The Section Uses a Different Theme: If your preset changed mostly light themes, a section assigned to Dark 1 or Bright 2 will look visually different because it is pulling from the dark end of the new palette.
The Section Background Has an Image: Sections with full-bleed background images will display the photo instead of the preset's solid background color.
Previous Manual Overrides: If you previously customized specific micro-tweaks (like forcing an individual button color in Custom CSS or inside a specific theme’s settings), those manual overrides may bypass global palette changes.
To bring any mismatched section back in line, click Edit Section > Colors and select your template’s dominant color theme.
Ensure Your Presets Are WCAG Accessible
While built-in presets look great, some default color pairings can fail WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards—making small text, form inputs, or carousel cards difficult for visitors to read.
If you want professionally balanced, contrast-tested palettes ready to plug directly into your site, explore our Premium Squarespace Color Themes for pre-checked, accessible color systems.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does changing a Color Preset affect all pages on my Squarespace site?
Yes. The 5-color palette inside Edit Palette is global. Changing your preset recalculates the color values across all 10 color themes, which instantly updates every page and section across your entire website.
Can I fine-tune individual colors after picking a preset?
Yes. After choosing a preset, you can click on any of the 5 individual color circles at the top of the Edit Palette panel and enter custom hex codes to adjust specific background or accent shades without losing the overall theme structure.
What is the difference between "Presets" and "Color Themes"?
Presets (The Master Palette): The root set of 5 core brand colors configured in Edit Palette.
Color Themes (10 Section Layouts): The 10 predefined combinations generated from those 5 colors (e.g., Lightest 1, Dark 2, Bright 1) that you assign individually to sections.
Can I revert back to my original colors if I don't like a new preset?
As long as you have not clicked Save in the top-left corner, you can click Exit > Discard Changes to revert your site to its previous color scheme. If you already saved, you can manually re-enter your previous hex codes or pick another preset.
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More Resources
Check more resources which are helpful in designing a Squarespace website.
Get Squarespace Website Design Package on Turnkey Basis.
Explore Our Premium Custom Squarespace Color Themes for Your Website.
How to Change Squarespace Colors for All Major Blocks: Buttons, Forms, Carousel, Text, Social Links, Newsletter, Announcement Bar, Line, Links, Scrolling Text, Logo on Different Pages, Section Background, and Change Color Palette.
Method to Change Squarespace Colors through Color Themes.
Method to Change Squarespace Colors through Palette Editor.
Find the Default Dominant Color Theme in a Squarespace Template.
Squarespace Color PRESETS: Method to Change Color.
Three Easiest Options for Color Selection on a Squarespace Website.
Squarespace support article for changing colors.
Methods of Font customization in Squarespace website.
Check more learning resources about Squarespace.
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