9 ways to change the theme on Windows 11

Microsoft has moved many of the Control Panel options to the Settings app. So you need to go to the Personalization option in the Settings app to apply the new theme. However, did you know that you can do it with many other methods? Let's find out more details through the article below!

1. Use the desktop context menu

The desktop context menu is the most preferred method to change the wallpaper and theme in the Windows operating system. Windows 11 still retains that option in the context menu. Here's how to change the theme using the desktop context menu:

1. Start your Windows PC and right-click on the desktop.

2. Now click on the Personalization option from the context menu.

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3. Scroll down and click the Themes option .

4. In the Current theme section , click on any of the available themes to apply them to your system.

5. Close the Settings app.

2. Using the Settings app

Since the desktop context menu redirects you to the Settings app, you can directly open it and change the system theme. Here's how to do it:

1. Press Win + I to launch the Settings application.

2. Click the Personalization option in the left menu.

3. Scroll down and select the Themes option .

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4. Now, click on any theme from the available themes section. You can also apply a high-contrast theme by selecting the Contrast Theme option below.

3. Use the old Control Panel Personalization utility

Older versions of the Windows operating system include the Control Panel Personalization utility. Using this utility you can change the theme, color scheme and background image. Microsoft has hidden this option in Windows 11, but you can still access it using the Run box. Here's how to do it:

1. Press Win + R to launch the Run command box. Type the following command and press the Enter key.

shell:::{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921}-Microsoft.Personalization

2. The old Personalization utility will launch. Navigate to the Themes window and click on any theme to apply it. The extension will not redirect you to the Settings app.

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3. Close the Personalization utility window.

4. Use the Run command box

You can even skip the hassle of going through the layers of the Settings app and can directly launch theme settings using the Run command box. Here's how to do it:

1. Press Win + R to launch the Run command box. Type ms-settings:themes and press Enter key.

2. The Windows 11 Settings app will launch and take you directly to the Themes section.

3. Click on any available theme to apply and change the current theme.

5. Using File Explorer

All the installed themes on your Windows 11 system are located in the Windows AppData folder. You can access the folder using File Explorer and then apply any theme on your system. Here's how to do it:

1. Press Win + E to launch the File Explorer application.

2. Go to the address bar, paste the following path and press Enter key:

%LocalAppData%MicrosoftWindowsThemes

3. You will see a variety of themes listed here. Double-click any ".theme" file to apply it to the system.

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4. There will be a bunch of folders. They usually belong to downloaded themes. Open the folder and locate the theme file to apply the downloaded theme.

6. Using CMD

You can change the theme in Windows 11 using Command Prompt. All you need to do is enter the location of the theme and run it. Repeat the following steps:

1. Press Win + X to launch the Power user menu. Scroll down and select the Terminal (admin) option from the menu.

2. The Terminal application will launch. Click the + icon to open a CMD window with admin rights.

3. Now type the command C:WindowsresourcesThemesaero.theme and press Enter key.

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4. Your Windows 11 system will change to the available aero theme. Similarly, you can replace the name of any other existing theme and apply it.

7. Use shortcuts

You can apply your favorite theme by creating a desktop shortcut. That way, you won't have to launch the File Explorer or Settings app to change the theme. Here's how to do it:

1. Press Win + E to launch the File Explorer application.

2. Navigate to the address bar and enter the following path: C:WindowsresourcesThemes

3. Press the Enter key to open the Themes folder .

4. Now, right click on a theme and select Show More options.

5. Then click the Send to option and select the Desktop (create shortcut) option .

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6. Press Win + D to switch to the desktop. Make sure to close the Settings app before running the shortcut.

7. Double-click the newly created theme shortcut to apply the theme to your desktop

8. Using PowerShell

Like CMD, you can access theme files from PowerShell and change themes. Follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R to launch the Run command box. Type PowerShell in the text input area and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch PowerShell with admin rights.

2. Now type the following command and press Enter key:

start-process -filepath "C:WindowsResourcesThemesaero.theme"

3. You can replace the 'aero.theme' part of the command with any other theme name. Some examples include: 'dark.theme' and 'spotlight.theme'.

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4. Type exit and press Enter to close Command Prompt.

9. Using batch files

You can create a batch file and run it every time someone changes your favorite theme. Moreover, you can even place it on your desktop to quickly switch themes. Here's how to do it:

1. Press Win + S and type Notepad. Click the first search result to open the Notepad application.

2. Now, paste the following code into the Notepad file:

C:WindowsresourcesThemesaero.theme taskkill /F /IM systemsettings.exe

3. Go to the top menu bar and click File > Save as . Keep the file name changetheme.bat, select the All files option and save the file on the desktop.

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4. Close the Notepad application and press Win + D to switch to the desktop.

5. Now, right click on the changetheme.bat file and select the Run as administrator option .

6. The file will open the Command Prompt window, change the theme and automatically close the CMD and System Settings windows.

Samuel Daniel

Update 02 March 2023