Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10  

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10

    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10

    How to Create a Color and Appearance Shortcut in Windows 10
    Published by Category: Customization
    14 Apr 2020
    Designer Media Ltd

    How to Create a Color and Appearance Shortcut in Windows 10

    information   Information
    Windows 10 includes a new black system theme across the Start menu, Taskbar, and Action Center. There is now support for AutoColor which pulls the primary color from your desktop background.

    By default, you can choose a color for your Start menu accents, Start button, taskbar, buttons, text, Settings accents, sign-in screen accents, and Action Center accents in the Settings app now.

    The old Color and Appearance Control Panel will also let you change the color intensity and includes a color mixer to let you have a wider choice of colors to select from than you can in Settings.

    This tutorial will show you how to download or create a Color and Appearance shortcut that opens to the old Control Panel method to change colors for your account in Windows 10.

    Note   Note
    Changing the color in Color and Appearance will no longer affect the color of window borders.

    If you turn off show color on Start, taskbar, and action center, your Start menu, taskbar, and action center background will have a black color.

    If you turn on show color on Start, taskbar, and action center, your Start menu, taskbar, and action center background will have the color you selected.


    CONTENTS:
    • Option One: To Download a Color and Appearance Shortcut
    • Option Two: To Manually Create a Color and Appearance Shortcut



    EXAMPLE: Color and Appearance in Control Panel and Colors in Settings
    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10-color_and_appearance.png
    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10-colors_in_settings.jpg






    OPTION ONE

    To Download a Color and Appearance Shortcut


    1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .zip file below you want.

    Color_and_Appearance_shortcut.zip

    Download

    OR

    Colors_in_Settings_shortcut.zip

    Download

    2. Save the .zip file to your desktop.

    3. Unblock the .zip file.

    4. Open the .zip file, and extract (drag and drop) the shortcut to your desktop.

    5. If you like, you can Pin to Taskbar, Pin to Start, add to All apps, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.

    6. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .zip file if you like.






    OPTION TWO

    To Manually Create a Color and Appearance Shortcut


    1. Right click or press and hold on an empty area on your desktop, and click/tap on New and Shortcut.

    2. Copy and paste the location below you want to use into the location area, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

    (Control Panel)
    explorer shell:::{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921} -Microsoft.Personalization\pageColorization

    OR

    (Settings)
    explorer ms-settings:colors

    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10-shortcut-1.png

    3. Type Color and Appearance for the name, and click/tap on the Finish button. (see screenshot below)
    NOTE: You could name this shortcut anything you would like though.

    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10-shortcut-2.png

    4. Right click or press and hold on the new Color and Appearance shortcut, and click/tap on Properties.

    5. Click/tap on the Shortcut tab, and click/tap on the Change Icon button. (see screenshot below)

    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10-shortcut-3.png

    6. In the line under "Look for icons in this file", copy and paste the location below, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

    %SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll

    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10-shortcut-4.png

    7. Select the icon highlighted in blue above, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot above)
    NOTE: You could use any icon that you would like instead though.

    8. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below step 5)

    9. If you like, you can Pin to Taskbar, Pin to Start, add to All apps, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.




    That's it,
    Shawn






  1. Posts : 1,625
    W7 Pro x64 | W10 IP x64 | Linux Mint VM
       #1

    Nice one Shawn. I'm not too keen on not being able to change the windows border colours any more, but if that's what we're stuck with...
    Last edited by Boozad; 04 May 2015 at 02:54. Reason: Corrected typo.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 68,917
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Hopefully we'll be able to change the color of window borders in a GUI in a future build. :)
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #3

    Hi there

    Thanks -- this does make the whole thing much more "user friendly". - I'm also testing various systems so it's nice - especially when you've got a load of monitors - to have unique colours for each system. !!!

    Incidentally THEMES still work too - although it's hidden in the Personalize options -just right mouse click anywhere on the desktop and choose personalize -- the themes choice will appear and you can then use your old themes (or new ones). Most of the old options still work. Some people thought that THEMES were no longer supported --not true for now.

    Also if you simply want to alter the ICON sizes on the desktop without changing anything else simply press CTRL and turn the scroll button on the mouse --that's been working since I think VISTA days.

    If you want to create your OWN Icons here's a link to the last FREE version of ICOFX - works a treat.

    http://en.kioskea.net/download/download-1927-icofx



    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  4. Niv
    Posts : 20
    win 10
       #4

    Is there a way to get the Win 8.1 color options for Solid Colors?
    Win 10 is very limited in color and stuck with those when using slideshow smaller photos.

    Like this shortcut here but for this option:
    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10-mqq4v.png
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 68,917
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Hello Niv, :)

    If you like, you could use the built-in one for Windows 10 below. It's pretty similar to what you posted. However, you would need to use Color and Appearance if you wanted to customize the color more.

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3...dows-10-a.html

    Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10-19455d1432148535-color-appearance-change-windows-10-color_settings.jpg
      My Computers


  6. Niv
    Posts : 20
    win 10
       #6

    Brink said:
    Hello Niv, :)

    If you like, you could use the built-in one for Windows 10 below. It's pretty similar to what you posted. However, you would need to use Color and Appearance if you wanted to customize the color more.

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3...dows-10-a.html
    Hi :)

    I am not after the accent colors.
    It is the Background Solid Colors I want to change to something of my own.

    The Windows 10 only allow a few selected colors.
    The link to Color And appearance only change accent color and not background color.

    So I am looking for a link that takes you to the old "Desktop Background", kinda like the color & appearance one.
    I need to pick my own color using the pallet for background since I use smaller photos in slideshow. The solid color I pick is the one I get as background for the rest of the desk.

    Edit: Finally found what I was looking for, w10 already gave me grey hairs from all the tweaks to make it ok for me :)


    It brings back the entire personlization menu from older win, so I can change my solid color to anything I want.

    Now I only need to find a way to change the grey menu when rightclicking apps in taskbar, want the old one back. Then I am happy after 2 days of doing nothing but finding how to change things :)
    Last edited by Brink; 04 Aug 2015 at 09:35. Reason: removed link
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 68,917
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #7

    @Niv,

    I see. You might like the context menu below then. It includes the old desktop background settings. :)

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/6...dows-10-a.html
    Last edited by Brink; 04 Aug 2015 at 10:13.
      My Computers


  8. Niv
    Posts : 20
    win 10
       #8

    Thank you :)
    That brings back everything with 1 click. Perfect.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 68,917
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #9

      My Computers


 

Tutorial Categories

Create Color and Appearance shortcut in Windows 10 Tutorial Index Network & Sharing Instalation and Upgrade Browsers and Email General Tips Gaming Customization Apps and Features Virtualization BSOD System Security User Accounts Hardware and Drivers Updates and Activation Backup and Restore Performance and Maintenance Mixed Reality Phone


  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:33.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums