Advanced Appearance Settings Dialog Box for Windows 10 - Build 21H1

A few years ago, since 2015 to 2020, I have requested many times at Microsoft in the Windows 10's Feedback Hub and forums that I wanted the Advanced Appearance Settings dialog box to make a permanent comeback to Windows 10. This extended feature was pulled and removed in Windows 8, 8.1 and was never added back again in Windows 10. Microsoft has completely ignored my requests. I have decided to write a thread about this advanced font and color personalization feature, which is crucial in Windows 10. Here is the Advanced Appearance Settings dialog box which I am discussing about:



Windows 10 - Build 21H1 will be released this year in sometime in May 2021. It is not time for Microsoft to add back this Advanced Appearance Settings feature back into Windows 10. It can be in the form of a dialog box or in the Settings App Panel in the Appearance and Themes page location. I do not care about the form of whether it will be a dialog box or a page on the Settings App, as long as Microsoft listens to me and adds back this color and font settings feature that we all want.

The Advanced Appearance Settings dialog box made its first appearance in Windows 95 and was last seen in Windows 7. This advanced color and font feature was an iconic Control Panel settings facility during that time and age. It is now time that Microsoft kindly adds back this color and font customization dialog box in the upcoming build release of Windows 10 - 21H1. We have been waiting for too long for this dialog box, so please spread the word in forums, live chats such as YouTube and keep on asking Microsoft to add back the "Advanced Appearance Settings" dialog box once it for all.

Windows 10's themes are kind of bland and boring without this advanced color and font customization options dialog box. Themes in Windows must be improved so that once this new appearance settings feature migrates back into Windows 10, users will be able to save all color and font changes made to their desktop once themes are saved and shared on other computers. We definitely require and need more color and font options for all sub-elements of Windows 10 such as pop up messages, active and inactive text and font colors in open Windows, Start Menu and other sub-features that requires color and font modification changes. For example, take a look at the border colors of open folders in Windows XP, for instance:



A thread of complaint was previously written out ages ago, so I decided to create a brand new post. The link to the old thread can be found below:

Classic Advanced Windows Color and Appearance Dialog Box - Windows 10 Forums (tenforums.com)

Please send your replies to this new thread titled "Advanced Appearance Settings Dialog Box for Windows 10 - Build 21H1", here on this forum thread.

You can get that from here: Changing the Color of the Context Menu & it's Font

I doubt that they'll do it. On another note you can use desck.cpl to save the theme and transfer it to another machine. (I think)

According to a comment here the reason such customization isn't included in Windows 10 is cost savings:

Change the System Fonts, Title, Caption, Menus, Icons in Windows (10, 8.1, 7)

I doubt that creating a thread here would persuade Microsoft to add these features back.

Cesare said:

Yeah, of course. Adding this thread here really persuades Microsoft to add back the Advanced Appearance Settings back to Windows 10. I hate the fact that Microsoft cuts down on cost for Windows 10. Windows 10 should have everything that previous versions of Windows had.

Maybe.. This is not OfficiaI Microsoft Forums.
so it will be sometimes.

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and, MS Forums is not really enough..

Use Feedback Hub.
How to Send Feedback to Microsoft with Feedback Hub app in Windows 10

It would indeed be convenient, meanwhile I struggle on using a combination of free + 1 paid utility
- SMACC by member Superfly attempts to cover some of the aspects that addressed (or the relevant couple of registry keys)
- Winaero's tweaker - font, titlebar height, border width and padding e.g.
- Qttabbar by Quizo allows explorer-related backgrounds to be coloured
- Stardock's Curtains - Aeroglass used to provide transparency and coloured borders working with Windows dwm, but is no more.

Thus e.g. this for 20H2:


I would guess MS may have removed that as part of a grand scheme to deplay Windows across a variety of devices.

dalchina said:

It would indeed be convenient, meanwhile I struggle on using a combination of free + 1 paid utility
- SMACC by member Superfly attempts to cover some of the aspects that addressed (or the relevant couple of registry keys)
- Winaero's tweaker - font, titlebar height, border width and padding e.g.
- Qttabbar by Quizo allows explorer-related backgrounds to be coloured
- Stardock's Curtains - Aeroglass used to provide transparency and coloured borders working with Windows dwm, but is no more.

Thus e.g. this for 20H2:

It's really inconvenient to use 4 apps for that.

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BTW, @dalchina, I can't really make Icon Changer to work. What version of dotnet​ it using?

Set up once - done. Persists through upgrades. Not invasive. You just have to know what you're doing.

And Qttabbar adds many more features.

BTW, @dalchina, I can't really make Icon Changer to work. What version of dotnet​ it using?

CFF Explorer (a dependency tool) does not show a dotnet dependency.
What happens when you run it? Screenshot.. better in a separate thread.

dalchina said:

CFF Explorer (a dependency tool) does not show a dotnet dependency.
What happens when you run it? Screenshot.. better in a separate thread.

Here on my thread...
SevenTheme Overview

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and.. I'm using dotnet 5.0 and Core 2.5xx.

It is working because I use PowerToys which requires .NET