Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?


  1. Posts : 6
    Win10 Pro x64
       #1

    Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?


    Win 10 Pro 21H1, 19043.1348

    I have tried the Aerolite.theme (thank you @Brink) and also the tutorial 32118 (ditto), How to Change Color of Inactive Title Bar in Windows 10.

    Aerolite.theme gives a sensible border width but I have not been able to then also apply Inactive Title Bar colour. Tutorial 32118 works with the standard Windows theme but not with Aerolite : with theme = Aerolite, AccentColorInactive sets an inactive MS Edge title bar colour to the value chosen but has no effect on other open windows, which all retain the same Title Bar colour, with change of text colour if active or not.

    I have tried changing the values of HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics\Borderwidth & PaddedBorderWidth but as mentioned elsewhere on Ten Forums those no longer work. Interestingly, changing those does change the width of the rectangle border seen when dragging windows (I have show window contents while dragging 'off'), so the border widths are stored but I am unable to make them visible in normal use.

    I even tried Winaero Tweaker on the standard Windows Theme but as expected, no luck.

    Has anyone managed this please?

    In case it is relevant, Brink's last updates on those two tutorials were Oct '19 & Apr '21 - Windows Updates may well have changed things (again) since then. This is in no way a complaint - it must be a mammoth task trying to keep tutorials 'current' and we all thank Brink sincerely for his work.

    Aside, still very much a novice on posts - was not sure whether to Reply on an existing thread (not knowing if it would be seen) or post a new thread (so here it is). Any advice on which is better would be welcomed, thanks.
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  2. Posts : 42,738
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #2

    Hi, I've removed what I usually use (Stardock's Curtains) to show what I have by way of Windows' native + Aerolite features, together with two free utilities which you may find of use: SMACC and Winaero's great tweaker, which conveniently implements a number of things also given in tutorials here.
    Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-1.jpgHighlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-2.jpg

    ===============================
    Just for interest: Normally I use Stardock's curtains- which affects only the frame and in a different way to the way Window Blinds works, with a theme that provides a small degree of transparency and very slightly rounded corners.

    That theme doesn't discriminate active an inactive borders, unfortunately, although the program does support that- needs a theme modification I've not attempted to do that. I've used differently coloured titlebar text instead. (The yellow in the background title bar is more prominent on my screen).
    Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-1.jpg
    Last edited by dalchina; 21 Nov 2021 at 01:28.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 6
    Win10 Pro x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Still cannot get what I'm after


    Thank you @dalchina for your clear reply. Should have said, I have also tried SMACC - still no luck.

    From Winaero Tweaker :
    Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-untitled.png

    The WT guide page shows
    Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-untitled.png

    but Personalization > Colors in Win10 is now
    Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-untitled.png

    As 'title bars' appears in both Windows versions, you'd hope the change would not affect WT's ability to separately set a different colour for Inactive Title Bars but this does not seem to be the case (except, as previously mentioned, for Microsoft Edge windows).

    For now, I will stick with Winaerolite.theme and put up with all title bars the same colour, though I would still like a solution if anyone has a suggestion. Thank you also for your mention of Stardock's Curtains. I have emailed the company to ask whether their tool will enable both border widths and selective title bar colours & I will post their response when received, although I would think that if Curtains can do what I'm after, you would know that already and would have said so (so I'm assuming it cannot).
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 42,738
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #4

    their tool will enable both border widths and selective title bar colours
    As you can see, borders are provided; how the inactive title bar is rendered depends on the images created which make up a particular theme.

    You can see some examples here where the inactive title bar is different.
    Stardock Curtains: Customize Windows with additional styles

    Curtains also lets you edit a provided theme.

    I don't know why you can't get different colours for active and inactive title bars: I've shown mine.
    Here is relevant registry key: note Activetitle and Inactivetitle: you can sse if yours are the same or different.
    These will be what SMACC changes.
    Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-1.jpg

    Here you can see border changes applied using Winaero's tweaker when using the Curtains theme- minimal, then thicker borders:
    Highlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-2.jpgHighlight active window by colour AND show window borders - possible?-3.png

    As you can see this applies to Store apps too.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 6
    Win10 Pro x64
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Thank you @dalchina. Try as I might, I was unable to set the active window title bar to one colour with all inactive window title bars to a different colour. Probably me not being able to work out how to follow your advice, but there it is.

    Thanks for the Stardock's Curtains suggestion, works perfectly.

    Happy New Year.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 42,738
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #6

    Thanks- happy New Year to you too.

    It can certainly be fiddly. I was suprised to find I actually rather liked Stardock's Curtains- simple, non-intrusive- allows the option of creating your own, but as yet not for Win 11 (hardly surprising I suppose).
      My Computers


 

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