How to make windows 10 dark. Registry Hack Add Stylish Black Theme
Attention! This material is outdated, in current versions of Windows 10 the dark theme is available by default and is included in the panel Options → Color.
Windows 10 Mobile users have two basic colors for interface design: light and dark. Microsoft developers are preparing a similar solution for the "older" Windows 10. Work in this direction has not yet been completed, but it is already possible to enable a hidden dark theme for individual applications and interface elements. The following describes how to do this.
1. Launch the "Registry Editor", this can be done from the "Run" dialog box or search on the taskbar with the command regedit.
2. In the registry editor, open the section HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize and create a parameter in it DWORD (32-bit), specifying as a name AppsUseLightTheme and setting the value to 0 .
3. Changes are applied automatically, if this does not happen, try restarting your computer or logging out and logging back in.
The specified registry setting activates a dark theme for some elements of the operating system interface, the Options panel and individual applications: Calculator or Voice Recorder, for example. Some of the apps in the default suite have their own options for turning on the dark theme, including Microsoft Edge, Groove Music, Movies & TV, Mail, and Calendar. The corresponding settings are available in the "Parameters" section of each of them, it's not difficult to figure it out.
Before we begin, we want to warn you that any operation on the Windows registry is potentially dangerous. Although the trick described below is extremely simple and has been tested many times, we still recommend that you be very careful and first back up the registry and important data.
Well, now that the formalities are met, we proceed to the magic. To activate the built-in dark theme in Windows 10, you will need to follow these steps.
1. Click on the search icon on the toolbar and type in the word Regedit . Click on the topmost result. You will launch the Registry Editor program.
2. Find the folder in the left pane at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize.
3. If you do not have such a section, then you need to create it. To do this, right-click on the Themes section and select the line "Create" → "Section" in the context menu. Name it Personalize.
4. Now right-click on the Personalize folder and create a new key ("New" → "DWORD (32-bit) Value"). Name it AppsUseLightTheme.
5. The key we created is automatically assigned the value "0". This is exactly what we need, so we should not change it.
6. Go to the registry key at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize.
7. In this section, you need to follow all the same steps as in the previous one. That is, open the Personalize folder (if it is missing, then create it), and then create a new key called AppsUseLightTheme. Its value must also be "0".
8. Log out. To do this, click on your avatar in the Start menu and select the Exit command. The new appearance settings will take effect after you log in again.
That's all. Now you can admire the dark colors of the settings windows, the application store and some other built-in Windows programs. Unfortunately, this design theme does not apply to third-party applications, so, alas, there will not be a global transformation.
To return to the light theme, you will need to launch the registry editor again and change the value of the keys you created from "0" to "1".
Do you like black Windows or is white still more familiar?
Adding a dark theme to operating systems is a recent trend. Microsoft has long introduced a dark theme for applications in the Windows 10 operating system. But with October, the developers decided to go further and implement a dark theme for all system elements, including File Explorer. Activating the dark theme in Windows 10 radically changes the experience of the system and is well suited for users who work at the computer at night with the lights off.
Table of contents:How to Enable Dark Explorer Theme in Windows 10 Through Settings
All new operating room options Windows systems 10, which are designed for the mass user, Microsoft adds to the main list of parameters. Personalization options are of interest to a large number of users, so the ways to change them are as simple as possible.
To turn on the dark theme of File Explorer through Settings, you need to click on the gear in the Start menu or launch Windows Settings using the Win + I key combination. Next, select the "Personalization" option from the available sections.
Go to the "Colors" subsection on the left side of the window. Here you need to set "Choose a default application mode" to the "Dark" option.
Then restart your computer or.
How to Enable Dark Explorer Theme in Windows 10 Through the Registry
The method described above to enable the dark theme in Windows 10 through the settings is very simple. But not everyone can use it. The fact is that Microsoft prohibits Windows personalization settings for users who have not activated their version of the operating system. That is, these are users who have downloaded the licensed Windows version 10 from the Microsoft website, after which they installed it and did not pay. For such users, the personalization settings are closed, but nothing prevents them from enabling the dark theme of Explorer through the registry.
To activate the dark theme in Windows 10 through the registry, do the following:
- Launch Registry Editor. It can be launched through the search or using the regedit command in the "Run" line;
- After opening the registry editor, follow the path:
Important: If the AppsUseLightTheme parameter is missing in the specified section, you will need to create it. To do this, right-click in any free space on the partition, then select "New" - "DWORD (32-bit) Value". Create a setting called AppsUseLightTheme and then give it a value of "0".
If the changes do not take effect immediately, you will need to restart File Explorer or restart your computer.
How to enable high contrast mode in Windows 10
Another way to personalize Windows 10 in an unusual way is to turn on the high contrast mode. It is presented in Windows 10 by default in 4 versions, each of which offers the user the most contrasting colors, which can be useful if there are problems with the perception of information.
There are two ways to enable high contrast mode:
Please note: When enabling the high contrast mode, it is recommended to enable the dark theme. This is necessary so that the maximum part of the applications are in dark colors by default. In addition, some applications may require you to install additional extensions. For example, when activating the high contrast mode Google browser Chrome offers to download special extensions.
With Windows 8, Microsoft began to actively promote in its operating system Metro interface, which provides flat design. The minimum of unnecessary objects on the screen and the brightest elements are the postulates that the developers of not only Windows 8, but also the more modern Windows 10 operating system adhered to. It is quite difficult to design the system in an interesting way, and maximum customization Windows tools- this is the choice of color for the design of menu elements. At the same time, the dark theme of Windows 10 is embedded directly in the operating system itself, which cannot be enabled through the standard settings, but it can be activated in the registry editor.
Activating the dark theme in Windows 10 causes all system apps to change their interface. Fonts and other menu items are displayed on black instead of the usual white background. Due to this, you can achieve an interesting effect and slightly diversify the interface of Windows 10.
Using the instructions below, the black background can only be installed in Windows 10 system applications that are released by Microsoft. In particular, these applications include: the Windows Store, the calculator, the settings menu, and some others. Cardinal changes after activating the dark theme of Windows 10 should not be expected, but the system will look at least unusual.
To enable black theme in Windows 10 you need to:
- Press the key combination Windows + R on the keyboard and register the Regedit command, confirming its execution with the Enter button to enter the registry editor.
- The registry tree will be displayed on the left. It must go to:
Attention: Even if you have it installed, you still need to create a DWORD 32-bit key.
- It is important that when creating a new key, the value "0" is automatically assigned. When installing the dark theme of Windows 10, it is he who should be registered in the parameter values, so nothing needs to be changed.
- The next step is to find another folder in the registry tree at:
The result of performing the above steps will be the activation of the dark theme in Windows 10. To return the familiar white background in system applications, you need to set the AppsUseLightTheme keys, which were changed (created) during the instructions, to "1" instead of 0.
Windows 10, and there is. But if you are used to the dark theme of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, then in Windows 10 you will not find your familiar theme. In the new OS, the themes are quite light, and therefore, users feel an additional strain on the eyes.
While Microsoft has yet to implement a system-wide setting for enabling dark theme, you can now darken some of your everyday apps and other elements such as . Here we will tell you how to install a dark theme on Windows 10 and how to change the color of windows without being an expert.
The darkest Office theme is gray
If you subscribe to Office 365, you must have the latest versions of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel office applications, as well as a number of other Microsoft Office applications. (If not, you can install them from your account.)
By default, these apps are pretty light, but luckily Microsoft has provided an easy way to darken them a bit (although you can't set it to pure black).
First, open any of your office applications. We'll demonstrate this using Word, but you can make changes in any office application using the same steps.
Then select File in the upper left corner.
Then select Account at the bottom of the menu on the left, and in the option Office Theme select dark gray from the dropdown menu.
As you can see above, nothing has changed in the application with the dark gray theme, but the background around the sheet has become a little darker, and the document title at the top and the scroll bar are more visible.
The start menu and taskbar have a dark theme by default
Since they are the main elements that are used on a daily basis, it is very important how they look. Fortunately, Microsoft has provided several options for changing their appearance.
For this, click on windows logo in the lower left corner of your desktop.
Then press .
Select .
Here you can see the changes if you turn off Automatic selection of the main background color. After that, a grid of colors will appear. Choose the darkest gray option.
Also make sure all other colors are disabled.
As a result Task bar and start menu should become almost black or dark gray with gray icons. That's how easy it is to get a dark theme.
Edge browser has a dark theme
Are you using the latest Microsoft browser specially designed for Windows 10? You're in luck because it has a built-in dark color theme.
To change the color of Edge, simply open your browser, go to the three-dot menu located in the upper right corner and select Settings at the bottom of the drop down menu.
In option Topic selection select Dark, and the theme color will change.
This dark theme is actually completely black with dark gray accents, giving the edges of the browser a modern aesthetic and nice look.
Google Chrome supports third party themes
Are you still using Chrome? Even if you manage to darken all other apps and elements in Windows 10, it will all be for nothing if your browser theme remains blindingly white.
Fortunately, Chrome users have access to a wide variety of themes in the Chrome Web Store and have the ability to change them. My favorite dark theme is called Dark Theme and is made by mausx3.
Above you can see Chrome without any theme.
And this is how Chrome looks with the dark theme installed. For added effect, you can leave the default Blackle. At the same time, the Google search box remains, it seems, the same, but a black background is used instead of white.
High Contrast Mode Turns Windows Black
If it's more important for you to have a black theme than just a beautiful one, High Contrast Mode will come to your rescue.
This method, of course, is not common, but still gives greater clarity to the image on a fairly dark screen. See for yourself.
Above are app settings with default theme.
And these are the application settings in the mode Contrasting black.
To achieve this, simply go to and select .
Then you need to press Topics from the left menu, and then Theme options.
There you can turn on the high contrast mode. To get everything back, just follow the same path and install one of the "Default" themes found in Windows 10.
Registry Hack Add Stylish Black Theme
This method of changing the theme color is possible if you are familiar with the Windows Registry Editor. Experimenting with the registry can damage your computer, so be careful and remember that we are not responsible for your actions.
Seems fantastic, but this registry patch allows you to set a completely black theme in App Settings, the Windows Store, and some other System Apps. To do this, simply download this one and double-click on the file named .
You may need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect, but for me the changes were immediately visible. Above you can see the dark Parameters screen.
And this is the dark theme of the Windows store. To undo all of these changes, simply navigate to the ZIP folder and double-click the enable-light-theme.reg entry to revert to the default colors.
How do you like the themes for Windows 10?
Dark themes can really be the saviors of your eyes.
But we would also like to hear from you: what methods do you use to change themes in Windows 10? Let us know in the comments!
