This tutorial will show you how to change the theme for your account in Windows 11.
A theme is a combination of the desktop background, lock screen background, colors, sounds, and mouse pointers.
There are three types of themes.
Type of Theme | Description |
---|---|
My Themes | These are themes you have created, made changes to, saved, or downloaded. Any time you change a theme, it will appear here as an unsaved theme. These themes are saved in the %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes folder. |
Windows Default Themes | These are themes included with Windows 11 by default. These themes are saved in the C:\Windows\Resources\Themes folder. |
High Contrast Themes | These are color themes for low vision and light sensitivity. These themes are saved in the C:\Windows\Resources\Ease of Access Themes folder. |
Starting with Windows 11 build 25169 and build 22000.1515, you can now enable Windows Spotlight on the desktop via a brand-new Windows Spotlight theme. Additionally, you can make your own custom themes with Windows Spotlight’s rotating images as well.
Reference:
Configure Education Themes For Windows 11 - Windows Education
Learn about education themes for Windows 11 and how to configure them via Intune and provisioning package.
learn.microsoft.com
It is required to activate Windows 11 before you can change the theme to personalize your PC.
You can download and install themes from Microsoft at the links below:
Desktop Themes | Windows Support
Windows Themes | Microsoft Store
Contents
- Option One: Change Theme in Personalization Settings
- Option Two: Change Theme in Themes Settings
- Option Three: Change Theme in Control Panel
1 Open Settings (Win+I).
2 Click/tap on Personalization on the left side. (see screenshot below)
3 Select a theme to apply at the top.
4 When finished, you can close Settings if you like.
1 Open Settings (Win+I).
2 Click/tap on Personalization on the left side, and click/tap on Themes on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on an available theme to select and apply it. (see screenshot below)
4 When finished, you can close Settings if you like.
1 Open Run (Win+R).
2 Copy and paste the
shell:::{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921}
command into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Personalization in the Control Panel.3 Click/tap on a theme you want to apply under My Themes, Windows Default Themes, or High Contrast Themes. (see screenshot below)
4 When finished, you can close the Control Panel if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Related Tutorials
- Enable or Disable Change Theme in Windows 11
- Save Custom Theme in Windows 11
- Delete Theme in Windows 11
- Turn On or Off a High Contrast Theme in Windows 11
- Change Desktop Background to Spotlight, Picture, Solid Color, or Slideshow in Windows 11
- Change Lock Screen Background to Windows Spotlight, Picture, or Slideshow in Windows 11
- Change Accent Color in Windows 11
- Enable or Disable Color Filters in Windows 11
- Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons in Windows 11
- Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Mouse Pointers in Windows 11
- Change System Sounds in Windows 11
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