How to Create Custom Themes in Windows 10 and 11

Why make do with what Windows gives you when you can create a custom theme that's all yours? Here's how to set one up.

In addition to the default theme provided by Windows, you can create your own custom theme based on your liking to make your user experience more fun and personal.

Both Windows 10 and 11 allow users to create their own customized themes, where they can customize everything from sound to colors, background, and even the mouse cursor. In this guide, we will look at how to get creative with themes in Windows to jazz up the overall look of your system!

How to Create a Custom Theme in Windows 10

To create a custom theme, you must first select the theme you wish to personalize. Then, you can proceed with changing its background, color, sound effects, and cursor options.

If you are a Windows 10 user, follow the steps below to create your custom theme.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Choose Personalization from the list of options available.
3. Select Themes from the left pane.
   
4. Now, you can either pick a theme that you want to customize or choose your own background to get started with creating your own theme. In any case, move to the next method below.

Once done, it is time to get creative with the ideas you have in mind!

1. Background

The first step is to set a background of your choice. You have the option to use a picture, solid color, and slideshow to use as the background.

1. In the Background section, expand the dropdown for Background and choose your preferred option.
2. If you want to add a picture, you can either choose the ones offered by Microsoft or click on the Browse button to add one from your folders.
   
3. If you want to go for a solid color, simply pick a background color from the options provided. This will appear on your desktop.
   
4. In the slideshow, you can pick your preferred album by clicking on the Browse button and then choose how frequently the images will change.
   

2. Colors

Once you have picked a background, you can pick a color for the system. You will be presented with three options; light, dark, and custom.

If you choose the Custom option, then you can further pick what you want your default Windows and app mode to be (light or dark). You can also scroll down the same window to pick an accent color of your choice.

3. Sounds

The next setting to customize on our list is the sound.

Simply choose Sounds to open the Sound dialog and pick your preferred sound scheme. In the same dialog, you should see a Program Events section. Click on an event to test or change its default sound.

Moreover, if you would like Windows to start with a jingle, you can checkmark the Play Windows startup sound option.

4. Mouse Cursor

Finally, we have the option to customize cursor settings.

Click on the Mouse cursor option and in the following dialog, you can customize the buttons, pointers, wheel, hardware, and touchpad settings. The default mouse cursor settings are quite satisfactory, so we recommend you only change the ones you are sure about.

5. Save the Changes

Till this point, you have made all the important changes needed to customize the theme. If you are satisfied with the results, click on the Save theme button in the Themes section of Personalization Settings. Enter a name for your theme, and you are good to go.

If you want to go a step even further, you can also customize the taskbar and fonts as well.

To change fonts, you can either use the ones already available in the Fonts' section of Personalization Settings or download new fonts. If you are considering customizing the taskbar, you can center the taskbar icons or change the taskbar icons for programs.

How to Create a Custom Theme in Windows 11

The steps of creating a custom theme in Windows 11 are quite similar to the ones in Windows 10.

Head over to Windows Settings > Personalization > Themes to view the installed themes and pick the one you want to customize. If you would like to start from scratch, then you can choose the Background option in the same window. Choose the type of background you want.

Once done, proceed with customizing the other settings using the steps we have outlined above.

How to Download Themes From the Microsoft Store

If you want to change your Windows theme and do not have the time to create and customize a personal one, you can consider downloading a theme from the Microsoft Store.

The Microsoft Store offers a bunch of both free and paid themes that you can install and apply via Windows Settings on Windows 10 and 11. The method of downloading themes from the Microsoft Store on both the operating system versions is almost the same. We will use Windows 10 to demonstrate the steps in this method.

Here is how to proceed:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Choose Personalization in the following window.
3. Select Themes from the left pane and click on the Get more themes in Microsoft Store link on the right side of the window.
   
4. You should now be able to see a list of available themes in the Microsoft Store. Click on the theme you like and hit the Get button to download it.
   
5. Once the theme is downloaded, head back to the Personalization section of the Settings app.
6. Click on the theme to apply it and see if you like it!

Personalize Your Windows Operating System

While the default Windows theme is quite satisfactory, you do not have to settle for it if you don't want to. Fortunately, Windows lets you customize almost all aspects of themes, so if you haven't done it yet, now might be the best time to give your desktop a personal touch.

You can also look for Windows themes from third-party programs online if you don't want to spend the time creating your own theme, and you aren't satisfied with what is available in the Microsoft Store.