24-bit bg (SGR 48;2)

Category: sgr · Tags: Xterm Extensions · Specification ↗

ESC [ 48;2;R;G;B m

SGR 48;2;R;G;B sets the background to a 24-bit RGB color. The sequence is ESC [ 48;2;R;G;B m. Same syntax variants and compatibility notes as SGR 38;2 (24-bit foreground).

How this is tested: Send \x1b[48;2;0;255;128mX, verify the background color matches RGB(0, 255, 128) exactly.

Analysis2026-03-26

Supported by all 8 tested terminals — universal adoption. Part of the Modern TUI baseline.

Supported by 12 of 13 backends (92%)

Terminal Applications

Terminal	Version	Support	Notes
iTerm2	3.6.9	✓ yes
Ghostty	1.3.1	✓ yes
VS Code	1.112.0	✓ yes
Warp	0.2026.03.18.08.24.03	✓ yes
Cursor	2.6.21	✓ yes
tmux	3.6a	✓ yes
Kitty	0.46.2	✓ yes
Terminal.app	2.15	✓ yes
GNU Screen	5.0.1	✓ yes

Headless Backends

Parser correctness only — a ✓ means the parser accepts the sequence.

Backend	Version	Support	Notes
Alacritty	0.26.0	✓ yes
vterm	0.2.0	✓ yes
WezTerm	0.1.0-fork.5	✓ yes
vt100	0.2.1	✗ no	Not in VT100/VT220 — only 8 standard colors supported

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