How To Change "Window Color and Appearance" In Win 10

NewW10user · 21 May 2023

In Win 7 I changed the color of all open folders, Control panel items, Caption Buttons, Message Box, Application Background etc. to blue through Control Panel -> Personalization -> Window Color. I can't find how to do that in Win 10. I was able to change the desktop picture but that's not part of this. Randomly playing around I found where the title bar can be changed but not to change the colors for open folders, messages etc. to get away from the very annoying, harsh white everything.

Try3 · 21 May 2023

TenForums tutorials identify many of these changeable items.

And a tool for doing many of them is linked to in
#6 incl download link - TenForums
illustration #4 - TenForums

Denis

Callender · 22 May 2023

NewW10user said:

to get away from the very annoying, harsh white everything.

FYI: Adjust Gamma.

How to reduce laptop brightness below minimum?

NewW10user · 28 May 2023

Tried following that first tutorial but regardless of trying a few times to set colors in high contrast just keep getting black background. Will just deal with annoying white.

Also can see only part of that right column in "Index", even when reducing screen zoom size.

dalchina · 28 May 2023

How To Change "Window Color and Appearance" In Win 10-1.jpg

a. Qttabbar for explorer-related backgrounds by Quizo (free). It allows you to change those and provides many more features too.
File explorer is different. Can't be done via the registry.
QTTabBar - QuizoApps

b. Standard backgrounds e.g. Wordpad
Via any one of e.g.
- a standard published registry hack
- Winpaletter (free)
- SMACC (free)

Winaero's excellent free tweaker offers some changes too, from title bars to the Aerolite theme built in to Windows.
Full description from its GUI. (The Aerolite theme is also described in a tenforums tutorial, as are titlebar colours)

Note: the 'Advanced Appearance Dialogue' you may be used to in Win 7 disappeared in Win 8.

Note 2: Qttabbar appearance options:

Note 3: I've used Stardock's Curtains for window frames choosing a theme offering slightly rounded corners and limited transparency, (You can create your own too). N.B totally different from WindowBlinds and much less invasive.