How to Set Background Images & Movies in SSMS v22

So, uh, you can do this:

In dark mode too:

Here’s how:

1. Download the free ClaudiaIDE extension for Visual Studio. It’s a VSIX file. Put it in your downloads folder.
2. Technically, extensions aren’t supported by SSMS v22 yet, so you’ll have to run this PowerShell script to install it. SSMS will relaunch with ClaudiaIDE’s default background image.
3. Go into C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 22\Release\Common7\IDE\Extensions\ClaudiaIDE\Images – or wherever your SSMS is installed – and drop the images you’d like to use there. Ideally, it’s PNG files with transparencies, so they’ll work in both dark & light mode.
4. In SSMS into Tools, Options, ClaudiaIDE, dark/light themes. You can set a single image, use slideshow to have it rotate through the images, and even use animated movies or gifs like Tom Hardy standing in front of a burning plane.

My favorite source for short loops like that is /r/Cinemagraphs, like winter in Kyoto, a racing Ducati, or that burning plane from Dunkirk.

Or if you’d like to stare at me all day – and who wouldn’t – then here’s a zip file of transparent images of me to rotate through in slideshow mode. The default rotation of 1 minute feels a little frantic though – I’d do 10 minutes. Set the stretch mode to “None” for these so they stay on the bottom right side of your editor. Enjoy!