Accent color not showing on some title bars

pokeefe0001 · Mar 28, 2022

Win11 21H2 build 22000.556

I have set the option to show accent color on title bars. This does not work for some Windows applications - notably Notepad and File Explorer. (It does work for WordPad.) Interestingly, the File Explorer colored title bar is used if the "Classic File Explorer" registry hack

Code:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked]
"{e2bf9676-5f8f-435c-97eb-11607a5bedf7}"=""

is in place.

I assume this means there is a whole class of Windows applications that use some new formatting scheme that ignores the accent color setting. Is there some other setting or registry hack that will let (force) them to use the accent color?

glasskuter · Mar 28, 2022

Yes, it's that way for me as well. I think there's so much under the hood of this new GUI that affects it, that, in places the tweaks we make work against the actual settings in windows in some places. I gave up trying to figure it out.

pokeefe0001 · Mar 28, 2022

glasskuter said:
... I think there's so much under the hood of this new GUI that affects it, that, in places the tweaks we make work against the actual settings in windows in some places. ...

Hmm. Or perhaps a bug in the new GUI that works against a user-customizable setting. If Microsoft hasn't provided some other new option to make this color setting work with the new GUI I'm tempted to call this a bug.

Reeeploi0 · Nov 21, 2022

I've been replicating it several times even after 3 resets and an .iso recovery. As I take screen shots, I found that it involves the active and inactive title bars for the web browser from the Start Menu or Google Search - active and the Start Menu/title bars are grey, inactive it is accent colour - weird! As for the File Manager, the title bars are grey at startup, not the accent colour UNTIL I start to run sfc/ scannow. I don't even have to wait for the scan to complete. I select File Explorer from the Taskbar seconds after I start sfc and the title bar is the accent colour. It will be this way until I shutdown and restart (or just put machine to sleep) This is the only thing I do tio make thew totle bars in File Explorer the accent colour.

glasskuter · Nov 21, 2022

It's just the way it works. You can accomplish a lot with colors using Classic Color Panel from Wintools but it still will NOT change explorer colors. It will however change the border of explorer to whatever color you choose as your border colors whether it is active or inactive.

Reeeploi0 · Nov 21, 2022

glasskuter said:
It's just the way it works. You can accomplish a lot with colors using Classic Color Panel from Wintools but it still will NOT change explorer colors. It will however change the border of explorer to whatever color you choose as your border colors whether it is active or inactive.

I understand it is just the way it is, but I find it odd I can get what I want, I can configure the accent colour for Explorer title bar, but I have to run the command everyday or after every restart. Can I create a task or command to run sfc /scannow at startup automatically in the background and not manually?

glasskuter · Nov 21, 2022

I can not replicate it. I've run SFC 3 times and opened explorer during and after. Also opened Edge and it changes nothing. The only thing that changes is the border color whether explorer is the active or inactive window. The command window does have the title bar color all the time, but not explorer. I even changed my edge theme to an odd color but it didn't make any difference in explorer. I use light mode as you do. I found the following answer in the Microsoft forum.
"Keep in mind that some applications like File Explorer, word, etc., use custom title bars. As such, you will not see a colored title bar even after enabling the appropriate option. The title bar color depends on the developer or the application-specific settings for those kinds of applications."

I did find that Explorer Patcher is supposed to accomplish what you want if you want to use a third party app. https://www.askvg.com/tip-enable-colored-titlebar-in-windows-11-file-explorer/
I have not personally used Explorer Patcher myself but others on this forum use it.

Stigg · Nov 21, 2022

I started talking about this problem in this thread and post here.
It only seems to happen to Windows 11 system apps. But tray icons can also be affected.
If you scroll through the posts, you'll see that I also had the Notepad problem, plus others until I tweaked it.

Reeeploi0 · Nov 22, 2022

Stigg said:
I started talking about this problem in this thread and post here.
It only seems to happen to Windows 11 system apps. But tray icons can also be affected.
If you scroll through the posts, you'll see that I also had the Notepad problem, plus others until I tweaked it.

I have had no issue seeing the accent colour in Note, Paint, Browser., Taskbar, Start Menu. It is the accent colour as chosen. It is only the accent colour in File Explorer. I can make it happen, but I can't make it stray.

OrthodoxWin32 · Nov 22, 2022

For the notepad, the best is to restore the old one.

Reeeploi0 · Nov 22, 2022

Strangely today I turned on the laptop and the accent color is on the File Explorer title bar BUT I didn't make any changes when I booted this morning. Usually I run sfc /scannow after reboot as the color reverts to grey at startup. Today it is just there!

glasskuter · Nov 22, 2022

It would certainly help us understand your situation better if you would complete your computer specs in this forum. We do not know what version and build of Windows you are using nor do we know if your machine is Windows 11 compatible. We also need to know any tweaks you have made to the GUI and if you are using any 3rd party apps to make those tweaks. We cannot know the full picture otherwise.

Reeeploi0 · Nov 22, 2022

CharmaineK said:
Strangely today I turned on the laptop and the accent color is on the File Explorer title bar BUT I didn't make any changes when I booted this morning. Usually I run sfc /scannow after reboot as the color reverts to grey at startup. Today it is just there!

*Update* Restarted and File Explorer title bar accent color grey again. Ugh. I'm on the latest Win11 build. Ran the update 2 weeks ago. Only thing I did different today was download MS Redirect and I had a popup to install BT driver update from Intel Driver Support. Will just forget about it and leave it as is. The accent color applies everywhere else it should was just curious why not in File Explorer. Already tried suggested fixes, resets and in-place reinstalls without outcome I was expecting. Thanks everyone!

Reeeploi0 · Nov 22, 2022

glasskuter said:
I can not replicate it. I've run SFC 3 times and opened explorer during and after. Also opened Edge and it changes nothing. The only thing that changes is the border color whether explorer is the active or inactive window. The command window does have the title bar color all the time, but not explorer. I even changed my edge theme to an odd color but it didn't make any difference in explorer. I use light mode as you do. I found the following answer in the Microsoft forum.
"Keep in mind that some applications like File Explorer, word, etc., use custom title bars. As such, you will not see a colored title bar even after enabling the appropriate option. The title bar color depends on the developer or the application-specific settings for those kinds of applications."

I did find that Explorer Patcher is supposed to accomplish what you want if you want to use a third party app. https://www.askvg.com/tip-enable-colored-titlebar-in-windows-11-file-explorer/
I have not personally used Explorer Patcher myself but others on this forum use it.

Thanks. I will just let it be. There are no resolves to keep the setting permanent. I don't want to run sfc /scannow at every restart. Maybe others will have the same issue and a resolve will be found.

Reeeploi0 · Nov 24, 2022

CharmaineK said:
Thanks. I will just let it be. There are no resolves to keep the setting permanent. I don't want to run sfc /scannow at every restart. Maybe others will have the same issue and a resolve will be found.

Ok so I know I'm beating a dead horse with this, but it is so bizarre. Yesterday, even after in-place reinstall of WIN11 using .iso (previously did 3 resets) and running dism restore health and sfc scannow (usually running sfc results in accent color title bar until shutdown), the File Explorer title bar was grey. I rebooted it and it was still grey. This morning I booted it up and it's grey. I hit the file explorer icon a few times throughout the day, and it is still grey. Suddenly after hours of working opening websites and files I see the title bar is the paler shade of the accent color. Yet, I made no changes to any settings. It has been so intermittent the last couple weeks. Just suddenly appears later in the day but reverts to grey at startup. It's like it's on a timer to come on at a certain time but reverts to grey when shutdown!

Try3 · Feb 19, 2023

CharmaineK said:
I don't want to run sfc /scannow at every restart.

That was a red herring.
It distracted you from events of significance.

All the best,
Denis

Reeeploi0 · Feb 19, 2023

I customized a theme, background and accent color as my chosen color, saved as a custom theme, and I select SLEEP each night to retain the settings. No other choice. I will reconfigure again when I need to shutdown or restart.

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