How do I change the background colour on Windows 10?

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Thank you for posting your concern here in Microsoft Community. I would like to assist you.

From the description provided, I understand that you want to change the background color for your Windows Desktop

Please follow the below steps to change the background color.

1. Right-click on the Desktop.

2. Choose Personalize from the drop down menu.

3. Choose Background from the left view pane under Personalization.

4. Select Solid color from the drop down menu under Background and select the color as per your preference.

Hope the above information was helpful. If you need further assistance, please feel free to write to us and we will be happy to assist you.

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The fill color behind the desktop background in Windows is by default and it is built into Windows 10.

If you have any suggestions about Windows 10, I suggest you to post your valuable feedback about Windows 10. So, that it will be helpful for the developers to integrate the changes suggested by you.

Go to Start , enter the phrase Windows Feedback and then select Windows Feedback.

See if someone else has provided similar feedback by entering the topic. If you find similar feedback, select it, add any details, then select Upvote .

If you don’t find any similar feedback, select Add new feedback , and choose a topic from Select a category and then Select a subcategory . Enter your feedback (the more details the better!), add a screenshot if you can, and you’re done.

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The impression that the tech’s seem to be getting appears to not answer the question at all.

I believe that all of us here are not just interested in changing the windows background from the slideshow but to change all the colors in each window to another.

The basic, seemingly non-custoizemable white background of every window opened is to say the least annoying, At the extreme the white background is in fact painful.

Some people have temporary vision challenges that can make this «standard» background and text color a challenge to use. Indeed for me the default and apparently immutable colors painful.

I have never liked the default colors used in windows, and have always changed them since win 3.11. No changes to the slide show is either desired nor wanted. FYI, I prefer a teal background as easier on my eyes. The high contrast choice is much too stark and makes reading the screen no better than the white screens.

Perhaps, I am hopeful, this is clear enough to get a cogent answer on how to change all colors within windows 10.

So how do I customize the colors of the windows in windows?

Change entire console background color (Win32 C++)

How can I change the entire console’s background color? I’ve tried SetConsoleTextAttribute and it only changes the background color of new text.

I effectively want the entire console to turn red when a serious error arises.

Thanks to everyone who attempts to help.

7 Answers 7

Try something like:

I think the FillConsoleOutputAttribute function will do what you need. Set it to the starting coordinate of the console, and set nLength to the number of characters in the console ( width * length ).

I know this is an old question, but how about this code:

As far as I know this code should work on Windows Vista and later versions. By the way, this code is based on this article (mainly the sources on the article): http://cecilsunkure.blogspot.fi/2011/12/windows-console-game-set-custom-color.html

It can be done and the whole background can be set to desired color with SetConsoleScreenBufferInfoEx. The code below should not mess with the previous console output, especially if it used colors:

This works for me. It changes the background color without messing up the foreground color of text already displayed, by changing each console character cell, one at a time. You will need to get the handle to your console output buffer, which I believe is done with GetStdHandle().

I have a dirty way here, but gives what you exactly want.

Change File Explorer background color

From what I see and read Microsoft in their infinite wisdom has decided that people can have any background color for Explorer — as long as it is WHITE.

Does anyone have a way to change the background color to something other than white.

White background causes headaches for me and for many. Studies back with Windows 3.0 discovered that darker background colors were better for eye strain. Why is it that Microsoft can’t seem to let users decide on their color schemes.

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You want to change the back ground color to something other than white.

In Windows, you can use themes to help make your desktop feel a little more personal. Themes change the desktop background, window border color, sounds, and screen saver on your PC all at once, and you can switch between themes as often as you like. You can also create your own themes, and share them with friends and family.

Article for reference.

Reply with the status of the issue and we will be glad to offer our assistance.

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I don’t really care about the desktop, window borders, sounds or my screen saver. What I care about is this blinding white background on file explorer. Seriously, make it an option to change the background color in FILE EXPLORER or make the dark selection for apps apply globally.

Thanks for listening intently.

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We’re glad to help with your concern. Please be informed that there’s no option to change background color in File Explorer, however, you can change the color of Start, Taskbar, Action Center by going into Settings > Personalization > Colors.

If you want to change the background color of File Explorer into a dark theme, you can use the High Contrast Themes: Settings > Personalization > Themes > Themes settings > High Contrast Themes.

Let us know how it goes. Thank you.

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Change Window Frame Color in Windows 10

How to Change Window Frame Color in Windows 10

In Windows 10, you can change the window frame color which is dark gray by default. It specifies the frame color for 3D element such as lists, drop down lists, up-down controls, and more. The color can be changed from the default dark gray color to any color you want for all Desktop apps you have installed at once. Let’s see how it can be done.

The ability to customize the window frame color was available in previous Windows versions when the Classic theme was used. However, Windows 8 and Windows 10 do not include the Classic theme any more and all its options are removed. The feature to customize colors was designed for the Classic theme, so the user interface for this feature is missing in recent Windows versions.

While the user interface is missing, you can still change the color using a Registry tweak. The new color will be applied to various windows including system apps and dialogs like the Run box, Wordpad, Notepad, File Explorer, Local Group Policy Editor, and more.

Here is how to change it.

To Change Window Frame Color in Windows 10,

1. Open the Registry Editor app.
2. Go to the following Registry key.

See how to go to a Registry key with one click.

See the string value WindowFrame. It is responsible for the window background color.

To find a suitable value, open Microsoft Paint and click on the Edit color button.

In the color dialog, select the desired color using the provided controls. Now, note the values in Red:, Green:, and Blue: boxes.Use these digits to modify the value data of WindowFrame. Write them as follows:

See the screenshot below.

To make the changes done by the Registry tweak take effect, you need to sign out and sign in to your user account.

Note: If you change the accent color, the customizations you made will be preserved. However, if you apply a theme, e.g. install a themepack or apply another built-in theme, Windows 10 will reset the window frame color back to its default values. You will have to repeat the procedure.

Also, a lot of modern apps and all UWP apps like Photos, Settings, etc, ignore this color preference.

The same trick can be used to customize other classic appearance options. Check out the following articles.

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About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Tips for changing the Window Colors and Appearance on Windows 10

By default, the window colors and accents on Windows 10 are set to gray. This color looks nice, and it goes well with any wallpaper. However, after a while, you might be interested in trying a different hue. In this case, you might ask,

“May I change the colors in a Windows 10 theme?”

Well, the answer to that question is ‘yes.’ You will be delighted to know that Microsoft has included a number of customization options in the Settings app. In this post, we are going to teach you how to change the appearances in Windows 10. We will share some tips on how you can create a look that is truly your own.

Before you select your Windows 10 colors and appearances, you need to ensure that the shade is visible on various surfaces in your computer. To do this, you need to follow the instructions below:

1. On your keyboard, press Windows Key+I. Doing so will open the Settings app.
2. Select the Personalization tile.
3. Go to the left-pane menu, then click Colors.
4. Under the ‘Show accent color on the following surfaces’ section, select the following options:

Start, taskbar, and action center

Title bars

Once you’ve activated this feature, you will be able to change the taskbar, Start menu, window title bar, and the action center background colors.

Changing Windows 10 Colors and Appearances

To access the options for modifying colors and appearances on Windows 10, you need to follow the instructions below:

1. Press Windows Key on your keyboard. Doing so will launch the Start menu on Windows 10.
2. Click the Settings icon on the left. It should look like a gear icon.
3. Once the Settings app is open, choose Personalization from the options.

How to Change a Specific Color on Windows 10

1. Once you are on the Personalization page, go to the left-pane menu and click Colors.
2. Under the ‘Choose your color’ section, deselect ‘Automatically pick and accent color from my background.’
3. Now, go to Window Colors and select the shade you want.
4. Once you’ve selected the color, you can close the Settings app.
5. Restart your system to ensure that the changes will take effect.

How to Select a Color from Your Background

1. You need to open the Settings app and go to the Personalization menu.
2. Select Colors from the left-pane menu.
3. Enable the ‘Automatically pick a color from my background’ feature under the ‘Choose your color’ section.
4. Close the Settings app, then restart your computer.

How to Pick Your Color on a High-Contrast Windows 10 Theme

1. Select Colors from the left-pane menu on the Personalization window.
2. Now, move to the right pane and click the ‘High contrast settings’ link.
3. On the next page, select the color you want, then click Apply.
4. Restart your computer to ensure that the changes will take effect.

Additional Tip: Update your Graphics Driver

If you want to maximize the visual capabilities of your computer, you should ensure that your graphics driver is updated to the latest version recommended by the manufacturer. You can update your graphics driver via the Device Manager. However, you must know that while the tool downloads and installs the driver for you, it can miss the latest version.

Many users would suggest manually downloading and installing the graphics driver. That said, the process can be time-consuming and complicated. If you choose this option, you will need to go to the manufacturer’s website and scour through a large number of drivers just to find the one that is compatible with your operating system and processor type. If you install the wrong version, you might even end up dealing with system instability problems on your computer.

Resolve PC Issues with Driver Updater

Unstable PC performance is often caused by outdated or corrupt drivers. Auslogics Driver Updater diagnoses driver issues and lets you update old drivers all at once or one at a time to get your PC running smoother

Do you know other tips on customizing the look of Windows 10?

Join the discussion below and share your ideas!