How do I change the Title Bar color of ALL Windows 10 Explorer windows?

I’m running Win 10 Pro v1511 build 10586.318

I’ve seen variations of this questions asked many times, and the solution of running the Win 10 Fall Build to have colored title bars included when turning on «Show color on Start, taskbar, action center, and title bar». As you can see above I have the correct version.

However I’m not sure if this is working correctly with my system or if it’s a bug.

What happens is that when I enable the feature, all the applied items do indeed change color, including Explorer windows, but only when in the taskbar. If I hover over Explorer windows in the taskbar, they all show with the enabled color. But as soon as I bring multiple Explorer Windows to the desktop, only the active Window is colored. I’m hoping this isn’t how they implemented it, because if so it’s a major oversight. The ability to have all title bars colored is not just an esthetic thing — it’s a functional feature for productivity. I’m using multiple monitors for my workstation. I’ll have many Explorer windows open and showing on the desktop — sometimes four spread across the two screens. I’ll be re-arranging them frequently. If I’m going to grab an Explorer window and the title bar is clear on the inactive one, then many times I just miss the title bar and it swipes without grabbing it. Maybe this seems like a small issue, but if it’s your workstation and you’re doing this frequently it’s a real pain. The only colored bar is the active one. If anything it should be the other way around — clear on active and colored on inactive.

When I say it’s not just an esthetic thing, I should actually say it isn’t an esthetic thing at all. The stock solid colors they give you are abysmal. I went through the rather convoluted method of modifying Theme Files to create an additional aero color theme that enables the color mixer. However that doesn’t work. If I use the Intensity or Hue sliders it does nothing. The one single Explorer window with a colored border sits like a taunting insult, while the others remain white.

Please tell me there is a way to enable color on all Explorer title bars. Or to at least have a black line or something else separating the title bar from the menu bar and the rest of the white window.

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First of all, please note that this account is not the one I used to post the original message here. My message was posted with SalFrank77. this one is posted with SalFranks77 — note Franks as in plural.

Today I went to log into the Microsoft account I made the op with here, (Live account — not 365) and it told me my account was suspended for a ToS violation — spam related. I discovered this was because I use TorGuard VPN that uses shared ip addresses. I disconnected and attempted to login via my normal ip. But because I was attempting to then log in to the banned account, it then banned my current non VPN ip address.

Two phone calls later to Microsoft and a remote session, the technician confirmed my ip to allow me to create a new account — resetting the old one couldn’t be done for another 30 days he told me.

I went to this thread to see what changes I needed to do for the color issue. I did exactly as you advised and applied the changes and rebooted. When the computer rebooted I was faced with a login screen, but this time it wasn’t asking for the local PC account, the one I had created when I installed Windows 10, but it was asking me to sign in with my live account, the one I had to create earlier today just hours before. I had saved that info locally into my Keepass program on the locked out PC, before my daily backup. So I’ve had to go to another computer and create another account.

This is extremely frustrating. I’ve had to install Win 10 four times in three days including initial install. Now I am faced with a fifth installation if I can’t recover my account. I have never specified that Windows should ask me for a password at reboot. I have never specified that my Windows live account be associated with this machine.
So I am unable to proceed with fixing the original problem I came here to post.

Since I installed Windows three days ago I have spent the last three days full time troubleshooting problems including the aforementioned four installs — one for the original upgrade; two to wipe the upgrade for a fresh clean Win 10 install; third install because I had been locked out of the computer as it was asking for a password for my local PC account — even though I had specified no password at install. My only option was to re-install; Four to install as ISO off of a DVD to remedy a corrupted install and boot problem . now if I can’t get in I am looking at a fifth install.

Windows 10 was supposed to be simple and faster. So far for me it’s been one headache after another, and a full time job troubleshooting

How to Change the Inactive Title Bar Color in Windows 10?

The title bar color in Windows 10 is plain white by default, both for active windows as well as for inactive windows. Using the Personalize app, one can change the accent/color of the active title bar, but inactive title bar remains white as usual. However there is a registry setting to change inactive title bar color easily.

The above is the default title bar color, white, for both active and inactive windows. The active title bar color can be changed via Personalize >> Colors >> choosing an accent color >> enabling the option Show color on Start, taskbar, action center and title bar.

With that done, the active title bar color is changed, but the inactive title bar color isn’t.

To change the inactive title bar color, you need to create or edit a registry value named AccentColorInactive, set the preferred color code for that value.

Color Choices

start Paintbrush (mspaint.exe) or any tool that has a decent color picker module in it. Click the Edit colors button in the toolbar.

Pick a color from the list, or make up a custom color.

Note down the Red : Green : Blue (RGB) values, and convert each color code to HEX format using the calculator application (scientific mode).

For example, if you got 106 92 108 in the Edit Colors dialog, the HEX equivalent would be #66606C [ that is 66 60 6C ].

Important: What we’ve got is the color code in RGB format… whereas Windows 10 stores the color codes in reverse format , that is BGR format instead of RGB. So, you’d be inputting 6C 60 66 in the registry.

Start the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) and go to this key:

Create a DWORD (32-bit) value named AccentColorInactive

Double-click AccentColorInactive and set its value data accordingly (6C6066, as derived earlier).

Close Registry Editor, and note that the change is applied immediately by the Desktop Window Manager, thus requiring no logoff-logon or restarting the shell.

Inactive title windows 10

Вопрос

I write reports for a living with many Browser and File Browsing windows open at 1 time. When under time pressure to get things done Windows 10 make it hard to find anything because my screens are just big sheets of WHITE with only the active window efficient to find. I need to work fast and it makes me tired trying to find things in the big sea of WHITE.

Ответы

I found this registry setting to add Inactive Title Bar Color. In this example I used the same color as for Active Title Bar (REG_DWORD AccentColor below) , but any other color could be used.

Must create new REG_DWORD «AccesstColorInactive»

These color settings don’t do anything unless you have «enabled color» in the Windows 10 settings.

Registry Path Highlighted in Yellow Below

Все ответы

I’m not sure if I can understand what you want to achieve.

(1) In Windows 10, color of title bar of active Window is controlled by [Colors]:
[Settings] > [Personalization] > [Colors]
(2) Background color of application window is controlled by each application, i.e. we cannot change it.
If you make application window maximized, get rid of the habit and use a monitor with higher resolution. (I never make window maximized with all applications.)

My question was about «inactive» title bars, not «active» title bars. On Windows 10 the inactive title bar is white, so the entire windows is white. O Windows 7 «inactive» title bars are the same as «active» windows so there is a clear marker for the tops of windows when you have 5 or 6 windows on your screen scattered on your computer screens.

Because the Menus, Title Bars, Microsoft Backgrounds are all white, it is visually difficult to pick out a windows quickly with your eyes when you are working fast between several screens.

The inactive title bars should not be stuck on white !

Inactive title windows 10

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Question

I write reports for a living with many Browser and File Browsing windows open at 1 time. When under time pressure to get things done Windows 10 make it hard to find anything because my screens are just big sheets of WHITE with only the active window efficient to find. I need to work fast and it makes me tired trying to find things in the big sea of WHITE.

Answers

I found this registry setting to add Inactive Title Bar Color. In this example I used the same color as for Active Title Bar (REG_DWORD AccentColor below) , but any other color could be used.

Must create new REG_DWORD «AccesstColorInactive»

These color settings don’t do anything unless you have «enabled color» in the Windows 10 settings.

Registry Path Highlighted in Yellow Below

All replies

I’m not sure if I can understand what you want to achieve.

(1) In Windows 10, color of title bar of active Window is controlled by [Colors]:
[Settings] > [Personalization] > [Colors]
(2) Background color of application window is controlled by each application, i.e. we cannot change it.
If you make application window maximized, get rid of the habit and use a monitor with higher resolution. (I never make window maximized with all applications.)

My question was about «inactive» title bars, not «active» title bars. On Windows 10 the inactive title bar is white, so the entire windows is white. O Windows 7 «inactive» title bars are the same as «active» windows so there is a clear marker for the tops of windows when you have 5 or 6 windows on your screen scattered on your computer screens.

Because the Menus, Title Bars, Microsoft Backgrounds are all white, it is visually difficult to pick out a windows quickly with your eyes when you are working fast between several screens.

The inactive title bars should not be stuck on white !

Inactive title windows 10

Вопрос

I write reports for a living with many Browser and File Browsing windows open at 1 time. When under time pressure to get things done Windows 10 make it hard to find anything because my screens are just big sheets of WHITE with only the active window efficient to find. I need to work fast and it makes me tired trying to find things in the big sea of WHITE.

Ответы

I found this registry setting to add Inactive Title Bar Color. In this example I used the same color as for Active Title Bar (REG_DWORD AccentColor below) , but any other color could be used.

Must create new REG_DWORD «AccesstColorInactive»

These color settings don’t do anything unless you have «enabled color» in the Windows 10 settings.

Registry Path Highlighted in Yellow Below

Все ответы

I’m not sure if I can understand what you want to achieve.

(1) In Windows 10, color of title bar of active Window is controlled by [Colors]:
[Settings] > [Personalization] > [Colors]
(2) Background color of application window is controlled by each application, i.e. we cannot change it.
If you make application window maximized, get rid of the habit and use a monitor with higher resolution. (I never make window maximized with all applications.)

My question was about «inactive» title bars, not «active» title bars. On Windows 10 the inactive title bar is white, so the entire windows is white. O Windows 7 «inactive» title bars are the same as «active» windows so there is a clear marker for the tops of windows when you have 5 or 6 windows on your screen scattered on your computer screens.

Because the Menus, Title Bars, Microsoft Backgrounds are all white, it is visually difficult to pick out a windows quickly with your eyes when you are working fast between several screens.

The inactive title bars should not be stuck on white !