From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10
On 2025/8/18 22:46:47, Paul wrote:
On Mon, 8/18/2025 4:58 PM, NY wrote:
I can't find a Windows 11 newsgroup so I'll ask here...
(Already answered [same as this one except last character]; if you can't
see it, you may need to refresh your newsgroup list - how to do that
will depend on your newsreader.)
Is there a way of configuring the colours of specific parts of the screen, such as taskbar background colour and application background colour without changing to dark mode.
There used to be a {utility|method|whatever} where lots of such settings
- windows background colour, button size, scrollbar size, colo(u)rs for
active and passive title bars/menus, fonts, icon spacing, border
colo(u)r, ...). This utility I think first appeared in Windows 95. Then,
in Windows 98, it was still there, but to my amusement you had to click
an "Advanced" button to get at it. It was still there in XP, I forget
where. It was even still there in 7 - I can't remember where, but you
had to select no "theme" for it to work (possibly even for it to be
accessible at all).
Does it exist at all under 10/11? If not, can some .exe/.dll/whatever be imported from an earlier OS, or wouldn't that work? (If it can, what is
the file?) I appreciate you may have to select "no theme". (Can you even
_do_ that under 10/11?)>>
Everything seems to be geared up for Themes and Accent Colours where a change seems either to have no visible effect or else it changes far too much.
Agreed! (I'm on 10.)
My mum has just got a Win 11 PC and wants Light theme (ie light coloured application backgrounds with dark text) but to have a dark (eg black or navy blue) taskbar.
I'd like that!
[]
Preferably in written form, to avoid me having to endure a jokey presentation in heavily accented "English" (I use the word advisedly!) in a Youtube video.
(-:
[]
as there are results. One person used ExplorerPatcher (and you know
that will have consequences at some point).
I'd like to try that though (if it works in 10).>
https://www.elevenforum.com/t/changing-color-of-taskbar.17963/
"It appears you are using light mode. There's a trick to get Windows
to have a dark taskbar when using light mode.
go to settings : personalization : colors
Make sure your chosen color is selected..
under 'choose your mode', change it to dark mode (this is temporary)
Change 'show accent color on start and taskbar' to ON and
change 'show accent color on title bar and windows borders' to ON
(if you want the chosen color on title bar and borders, Otherwise leave it OFF).
Those controls are subtly different to that in 10.
[]
You can also feed your question to CoPilot, but due to the flaky nature of the combination of dark or light theme, and color selection, don't
expect this to be exactly easy or satisfying. I would experiment here...
but it would only screw up my colors :-) I've had some pretty hideous color combos here in the past by experimenting.
Paul
Yes - and as well as hideous, you can also get where text and background
are in non-contrasting colours, which makes them hard to read (or the
_same_ colour, which is of course impossible to read).
I'll try ChatGPT ... (I won't copy my questions, as they're detailed,
and am selecting answers:)
"Windows 8 onward (including 10 and 11):
Microsoft removed the Advanced Appearance Settings dialog entirely. ItrCOs
no longer present, even hidden, and you cannot just copy over a DLL/EXE
from Windows 7 to bring it back rCo the functionality itself was ripped
out of the newer Desktop Window Manager (DWM) code. So unfortunately:
No, itrCOs not still present, and you canrCOt restore it with an old file."
It then tries to lead me through the steps for changing taskbar colour
(which aren't working for me - I'll pursue, but as I'm on 10, probably
no use to OP), but also mentions both Winaero Tweaker and StardockrCOs WindowBlinds.
It also offers to give me the exact registry tweaks for these various
things; I'll decline for now, but will remember its offer!
I did ask it why MS removed it - I think it's answer is interesting:
"Why Microsoft removed the old Advanced Appearance dialog
ThererCOs no official blog post that says rCLwe removed it because XrCY, but from developer documentation and the timeline of changes:
Starting in Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced the Desktop Window
Manager (DWM), which handles compositing and drawing window frames. Many
of the old rCLmetricsrCY (like caption fonts, menu background color, 3D
object shading, scrollbar width) stopped being used consistently,
because applications increasingly drew their own UI with newer frameworks.
By Windows 8, they had unified a lot of appearance settings into the
theme engine + accent color system, and the per-element tweaking dialog
became redundant (and in some cases non-functional).
They also wanted to simplify the personalization UI for touchscreen
users, which meant hiding the complex element-by-element customization.
So the short version: it was removed because the newer rendering system
ignored many of the old settings anyway, and Microsoft wanted to
simplify the UI."
So (as I read it) it's a combination of two things: (a) lots of app.s
are "doing their own thing" anyway, and (b) the touch-screen orientation
of Windows 8 had a lot to do with it. For (a), I'd accept that for app.s
that do, but still like it for the rest; as for (b), I'm not surprised
that the 8 [touch-screen obsession] disaster is still having repercussions.
I suggest OP tries ChatGPT - something like "In Windows 11, how do I
change the colour of the taskbar, while still keeping Light mode?" - and
then do what it says, and tell it what doesn't work; I've found it
amazingly good. I find it likes _detailed_ and specific questioning like
I've shown (it has even complimented me on my questioning style!).
Final exchange:
ChatGPT: Would you like me to jot down a one-line summary you can reuse
in your newsgroup reply, so others can find the trick more quickly?
me: Why not? Thank you!
It: HererCOs a one-liner you can drop straight into the thread:
**rCLIn Windows 10, the taskbar can only be colored if you set
Personalization raA Colors raA Choose your color = *Custom*, then pick
*Dark* for Windows mode and *Light* for App mode, and re-tick rCyShow
accent color on Start, taskbar, and action centerrCO.rCY**
That captures the whole trick in one shot.
So it's very helpful and polite, isn't it! (Though the above appears to
be 10-specific.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
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