Until the bug is fixed, SQL Server Management Studio 2017 does not allow you to change the environment fonts and colors. If you are like me, in order to be productive in SSMS, that tiny print has got to go!

These settings are controlled by the file ssms.pkgundef found in your ManagementStudio directory. For a default installation, this folder is found here: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio”

Two things could be going on. First, the file could be missing. If so, you can copy it from another installation. More likely, the file is there, needs to have this line added to the end of the file:

[$RootKey$\FontAndColors\Data Warehouse Designer]

Here are the steps I used to fix mine using notepad++

  1. Run NotePad++ in administrator mode by right-clicking NotePad++ and choosing “Run as administrator”
  2. Add this line to the end of the file:
    [$RootKey$\FontAndColors\Data Warehouse Designer]
  3. Save the file
  4. Launch SSMS 2017 (You need to restart if you already have it running)
  5. Go to Tools / Options / Environment / Fonts and Colors
  6. Under “Show settings for:” you now have a lot more options than you had before. You can now change the font size for the following three things. A font size between 12 and 14 for each of those works well for me. Experiment and set them to how you like them.
    • Environment Font (This will affect your menu items and Object Explorer window)
    • Text Editor (This will affect your query window)
    • Grid Results (This will affect your query results window)
  7. Restart SQL Server Management Studio