Customize Your AWS Management Console: A Practical Guide
The AWS Management Console can quickly become overwhelming, especially when managing multiple accounts or services. Customizing your console experience helps you visually distinguish between accounts and focus on the regions and services that matter most. This capability, known as AWS User Experience Customization (UXC), allows you to tailor the user interface to meet your specific needs and complete tasks more efficiently.
To get started, sign in to the AWS Management Console and click on your account name in the navigation bar. Here, you can set an account color for easier identification. Navigate to the Account display settings and select your preferred color. Additionally, you can control which AWS Regions and services appear in the console. Click the gear icon on the navigation bar, choose 'See all user settings', and if you're in an administrator role, you'll find an Account settings tab. From there, you can edit the visible regions and services, selecting either all available options or a custom list.
In production, these customizations can significantly enhance your workflow. For instance, if you frequently switch between accounts, using distinct colors can save you time and reduce errors. However, be mindful of the fact that these settings are user-specific and may not apply universally across all team members. As of August 2025, UXC was introduced, so ensure your AWS environment is up to date to take advantage of these features.
Key takeaways
- →Set an account color to visually distinguish between multiple AWS accounts.
- →Control visible regions in the Region selector to streamline your navigation.
- →Manage which AWS services appear in the console for a cleaner interface.
- →Use the AWS CLI to deploy account customization settings efficiently.
Why it matters
Customizing your AWS Management Console can lead to significant productivity gains, especially in environments with multiple accounts and services. A tailored interface reduces cognitive load and helps teams focus on what’s important.
Code examples
1AWSTemplateFormatVersion: "2010-09-09"
2Description: Customize AWS Console appearance for this account
3
4Resources:
5 AccountCustomization:
6 Type: AWS::UXC::AccountCustomization
7 Properties:
8 AccountColor: red
9 VisibleServices:
10 - s3
11 - ec2
12 - lambda
13 VisibleRegions:
14 - us-east-1
15 - us-west-2$ aws cloudformation deploy \
--template-file account-customization.yaml \
--stack-name my-account-customizationWhen NOT to use this
The official docs don't call out specific anti-patterns here. Use your judgment based on your scale and requirements.
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