Colored Title Bars Windows 10: Customize Your Windows
Customizing Window Title Bar Colors in Windows 10
By default, Windows 10 employs white window title bars. This represents a departure from the customization options available in Windows 8, where users could select any desired color for these bars.
However, it is still possible to introduce color to these title bars through a simple adjustment.
Scope of the Customization
It’s important to note that this customization exclusively impacts traditional desktop applications. The appearance of universal apps remains largely unaffected.
Universal apps will consistently display white title bars unless developers specifically code for an alternative color.
Additional Theming Options
Beyond title bar colors, users can also enable a hidden dark theme for numerous universal applications.
This provides an alternative visual experience, enhancing contrast and potentially reducing eye strain.
While Windows 10 initially limited title bar color choices, these adjustments offer a degree of personalization for both traditional and modern applications.
Windows 10 Update: Title Bar Color Customization Now Available
Related Information: Discovering the New Features in Windows 10’s Initial November Update
Fortunately, the previously required manual procedures are now obsolete. The first major update for Windows 10 introduced a built-in feature to accomplish this.
Currently, users can access the Settings application, proceed to Personalization > Colors, and enable the “Show color on Start, taskbar, action center, and title bars” setting.
The system will, by default, choose a color that complements your current desktop wallpaper. You can deactivate the "Automatically pick an accent color from my background" toggle to manually select a preferred color from the Colors interface.
Customizing Windows Theme Files for Colored Title Bars
Microsoft implemented a system that defaults to white title bars in a specific manner. Within the uDWM.dll theme file in Windows, a check is performed against the current theme’s filename. Specifically, it compares the name to "aero.msstyles"—the standard default theme file.
If a match is found, the color settings defined within the theme file are overridden, and the title bar color is forcibly set to white. Therefore, altering the default Windows theme file to exclude the string "aero.msstyles" is the solution.
Duplicating the Default Theme
Begin by opening a File Explorer window. Navigate to the directory C:\Windows\Resources\Themes. Locate the "aero" folder, then use Ctrl + C to copy it.
Immediately after copying, press Ctrl + V to paste the folder, creating a duplicate. A User Account Control (UAC) prompt will appear; select "Continue". When a File Access Denied window appears, choose "Skip" and proceed.
Renaming the Theme Files
A new folder named "aero - Copy" will be created. Rename this folder to "color". While "color" is used here, any consistent name can be chosen.
Within the newly renamed folder, find the file "aero.msstyles". Rename this file to "color.msstyles". Confirm the UAC prompt by clicking "Continue".
Modifying the Language Folder
Next, access the en-US folder located inside the "color" folder. Within this folder, locate the file "aero.msstyles.mui" and rename it to "color.msstyles.mui". Acknowledge the UAC prompt by selecting "Continue".
Note that the en-US folder name may differ if you are utilizing a Windows edition with a different language pack.
Copying and Renaming the Theme File
Return to the main Themes folder. Locate the file "aero.theme". Copy this file using Ctrl + C. Then, navigate to your desktop and paste the copied file using Ctrl + V.
Rename the pasted "aero.theme" file to "color.theme".
Editing the Theme File
Right-click the "color.theme" file. Select "Open With", then choose "Choose another app". Open the file using Notepad.
Scroll down within the Notepad window until you find the line under the "[VisualStyles]" section that reads: Path=%ResourceDir%\Themes\Aero\Aero.msstyles. Replace this line with: Path=%ResourceDir%\Themes\color\color.msstyles.
Save the changes you’ve made to the file and close Notepad.
Finalizing the Theme Installation
Select the "color.theme" file and cut it using Ctrl + X. Return to the C:\Windows\Resources\Themes folder and paste the file using Ctrl + V. Accept the UAC prompt when prompted.
This completes the process of creating a theme capable of displaying colored window title bars.
Theme Activation Process
To implement your customized theme, simply double-click the color.theme file. This action will initiate the theme application process within Windows.
Upon activation, Windows will immediately adopt the settings contained within the color.theme file. Consequently, the title bars of your windows will be dynamically colored.
Visual Confirmation
The change in window title bar color provides instant visual feedback. This confirms that the new theme has been successfully applied to your system.
The updated appearance enhances the user interface, offering a personalized aesthetic experience.
Customize Your Window Color Scheme
By default, Windows 10, similar to Windows 8, automatically selects an accent color based on your chosen desktop background. However, users have the ability to manually define a preferred, custom color.
Access personalization settings by right-clicking on the desktop and choosing "Personalize," or by navigating to the Settings app and selecting "Personalization." Then, choose the "Colors" category.
Selecting a Color
To override the automatic color selection, disable the "Automatically pick an accent color from my background" setting. This will reveal a palette of available colors for you to choose from.
While functional, this selection is somewhat constrained when compared to the more extensive "Color and Appearance" options found in Windows 8.1. That previous control panel, offering complete color selection, is no longer directly accessible in Windows 10.
However, a hidden pathway to the older color customization options still exists.
Accessing the Hidden Color Mixer
To reveal this concealed control panel, initiate the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R. Then, copy and paste the following command into the Run dialog and execute it:
rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,Advanced,@Advanced
Within this advanced settings panel, you will find the "Show color mixer" option, which grants you the power to select any desired color for your window title bars.
These instructions were verified on Windows 10 build 10240. Given Microsoft’s commitment to frequent updates for Windows 10, the functionality of this method may be subject to change over time.
Ideally, future updates will introduce more comprehensive theme options, eliminating the need for this workaround.
