What Is a Windows 10 Theme?

A Windows theme is a group of settings, colors, sounds, and similar configurable options that define how the interface appears to the user. A theme is used to personalize the computing environment to make it easy to use.

What Makes Up a Windows Theme?

Windows computers ship with a theme already in place. Many users opt for the default configuration during installation or setup, and thus, the most common elements are applied automatically. If changes are made during the setup process, those changes become part of the saved, edited theme. This saved theme and all of its settings are available in the Settings window.

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Here are a few options as they apply to both the Windows theme and the Windows 10 theme that are applied during set up:

• Background: This is the image that’s shown on the Desktop. The Windows theme offers a blue screen with a white windows icon on the right side. The Windows 10 theme offers a Desktop image of a person running on a beach and includes four additional pictures that rotate every 30 minutes.
• Color: The Windows theme offers a blue and black (light version is blue and white) color theme. The Windows 10 theme is blue and black. These colors appear in windows and on the Start menu, among other places. These colors are applied to fonts too.
• Sounds: The Windows and Windows 10 themes use the default Windows sound configurations. However, it’s possible to make a change in the Sounds properties dialog box.
• Mouse cursor: Both the Windows and Windows 10 themes offer the default mouse properties settings. It’s possible to make changes in the Mouse Properties dialog box.

Themes, even the default themes, are editable. You can change background images, colors, sounds, and mouse options from the Settings window in Personalization options, as well as other places.

What Isn’t Part of a Windows Theme?

A theme offers a set of graphical options that are configurable. Not every setting configured for a Windows computer is part of the theme, though, which can be a little confusing.

For instance, the placement of the Taskbar is configurable, even though it isn’t part of a theme. By default, it runs across the bottom of the desktop. So when you change the theme, the placement of the Taskbar doesn’t change. However, you can reposition the Taskbar by dragging it to another side of the desktop, and the operating system remembers that setting and applies it at each login.

The appearance of the desktop icons is another item not associated with a theme. These icons are preconfigured to be a specific size and shape to make them easy to see but not so big as to take up the entire desktop area. Although the characteristics of these icons can be changed, those changes aren’t part of the theme options.

Likewise, the Network icon that appears in the Notification area of the taskbar makes it simpler to connect to available networks but is another non-theme related setting. This is a system setting and is changed through the appropriate system properties.

Although not part of a theme, these items are applied per your preferences. The settings are stored in your user profile. User profiles can be stored on the computer or online. When logging in with a Microsoft Account, the profile is stored online and applied no matter what computer you use to log in.

A User Profile includes settings that are unique to the user, such as where files are stored by default as well as application settings. User profiles also store information about how and when the system performs updates and how the Windows Firewall is configured.

The Purpose of a Theme

Themes exist for two reasons. First, a computer must come pre-configured and ready to use; any other option isn’t practical. Setup could take several hours to complete if you had to select every setting available before using the PC.

Second, the computer needs to meet most users’ needs and be pleasing to the eye, right out of the box. Most users don’t want, say, a Start menu that’s bright yellow or a background picture that’s a dull gray. They also don’t want to spend a lot of time making the computer usable. The graphical settings need to be easy to see and intuitive to use the first time a user turns on the computer.

Explore Available Windows 10 Themes

Although Windows ships with a theme already in place, the operating system offers additional themes to choose from. What’s available depends on several factors, though, including whether or not you have downloaded additional themes or made recent upgrades to the operating system. Hence, it’s best to explore those themes already on the computer.

To see the themes available in Windows 10:

1. Select Start and choose Settings. The Windows Settings window opens.

   
   

2. Select Personalization.

   
   

3. Select Themes in the left pane.

   
   

The Themes area shows the current theme at the top and offers options to change parts of that theme independently (Background, Color, Sounds, and Mouse cursor). Below that is Change Theme.

What is available depends on the Windows 10 build installed on the computer. However, there will likely always be a few themes listed, no matter the case. Windows 10 and Flowers are popular themes. If you made changes to a theme from another computer with your personal Microsoft Account, there will also be a synced theme.

To apply a new theme now, select the theme’s icon under Change Theme. This changes some graphical aspects of the interface right away. The most noticeable include the following (although not all themes make changes in all areas):

• Start menu color.
• Desktop background images that likely change every 30 minutes.
• Sounds for notifications.
• The mouse pointer size and style.

If you apply a theme and decide to return to the previous one, select the desired theme under Change Theme. The change is made immediately.

Apply a Theme From the Store

Windows doesn’t ship with as many themes as it used to; there might only be two. In the past, though, there were themes including Dark, Anime, Landscapes, Architecture, Nature, Characters, Scenes, and more, all available from the operating system and without going online or to a third party. That’s not the case anymore. Themes are now available in the Microsoft Store, and there are plenty to choose from.

To apply a theme from the Windows Store:

1. Select Start > Settings > Personalization, and select Themes, if it isn’t open on the screen.

   
   

2. Select Get More Themes in Microsoft Store under Change Theme. A Microsoft Store window opens with available themes displayed.

   Sign in with your Microsoft account if prompted to do so.

   
   

3. Look at the available themes. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen or the scroll wheel on your mouse to access more themes.

   
   

4. Select any free theme and choose Get. Wait for the download to complete.

   
   

5. Select Apply. The theme is applied and the Themes area opens.

   
   

6. If it appears as though nothing has happened, press and hold the Windows key+D key to view the desktop.

Customize a Theme

After applying a theme, as shown in the previous example, it’s possible to customize it. From the Themes window (Start > Settings > Personalization), click one of the four links that appear next to the theme at the top of the window to make a few changes (not all options are listed here):

Background: Change how often the pictures in the theme change and opt to shuffle the images. Select Themes to return to the list.

Color: Change the theme’s main color and apply that color transparently on the Taskbar or Title bars of windows. Select Themes to return to the list.

Sounds: Change the sound scheme using the drop-down list. If nothing appears here, there are no sound schemes associated with the theme. Select OK and choose Themes to return to the list.

Mouse cursor: From the Pointers tab, choose a new pointer size or shape. From the Pointer Options tab, choose how fast or slow the cursor moves when you move the mouse. Select OK and choose Themes to return to the list.

Feel free to explore and make any changes desired; you can’t mess anything up. However, should you desire, you can select the Windows or Windows 10 theme to return to your previous settings.