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I have Win 10 Pro, version: 1809, build: 17763.615, 64-Bit.

I found a lot of resources (here on SU, too) describing one or the other and I tried a lot of combinations (including changing HKCU\Control Panel\Colors and HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM directly) but didn't come to a satisfying end so far.

From the Windows or Colored Title Bars theme I'd like to have the different title bar/border colors for active/inactive windows, preferably with customizable title background color and title color/font (only the font can be changed with WinAero → Advanced Appearance Settings → Window Title Bars but not its color).

(Supplementary question: Are color gradients for title bar colors still supported/possible?)

From the Aero Lite Theme I'd like to have the colored window borders the size of which is customizable with WinAero → Advanced Appearance Settings → Window Borders.

Wainaero has two settings under Appearance but these result in two different themes and hence are mutually exclusive:

  • Aero Lite
  • Colored Title Bars

Winaero Tweaker

To add some confusion the Windows Store Apps ignore the mentioned title color adjustments completely. Others ignore it partly, like FF with disabled title bar.

Do I have to create my own theme for this (which I don't know how to do yet)? Do I have to change the registry settings directly (which are overwritten as soon as the current theme is changed afterwards)?

Long story short: Apparently it's not only me who misses the dearly beloved Window Color and Appearance dialog.

Community
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Gerold Broser
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1 Answers1

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You cannot partially install multiple themes. What you can do is create your own theme, while copying parts from those other themes.

The Windows themes can be found in the folder C:\Windows\Resources\Themes.

Themes that you downloaded and installed are found in the folder C:\Users\USER-NAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes.

Those are just very simple text files. The format of the theme file is described in the Microsoft article Theme File Format.

harrymc
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  • Thanks for the answer and the link. That's one of the things I expected. Do you know about something like a "Theme Creator App"? Almost all there looks straightforward but the `[Metrics]` section seems to be a beast on its own. – Gerold Broser Aug 05 '19 at 15:14
  • Metrics are defined in [this section](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/controls/themesfileformat-overview#metrics-section) of the documentation. They are binary representations of C structures, so not easy to modify. – harrymc Aug 05 '19 at 15:22
  • Yes, I was referring to that section. The problem is that `C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\aerolite.theme` (the one with the resizable borders) doesn't have such a section in it so I can't just copy it from there. In the nearby `aero` and its sub-folders are `aerolite.msstyles` and `aero.msstyles.mui` but these are binary files. – Gerold Broser Aug 05 '19 at 15:30
  • Are you sure you need to modify the Metrics? – harrymc Aug 05 '19 at 15:35
  • The page says: "_System metrics are the dimensions of various display elements, such as the window border width, ... defined by NONCLIENTMETRICS ..._". The [`NONCLIENTMETRICS`](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winuser/ns-winuser-nonclientmetricsa) structure contains `int iBorderWidth;`. – Gerold Broser Aug 05 '19 at 15:46
  • Idea: Modify the Windows theme as you like it, then just copy the `.theme` file from one of the above folders. For border width, I wonder if Metrics applies here, since changing that is usually done in the registry at key `HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics`. – harrymc Aug 05 '19 at 16:14
  • If it would be that simple...that's exactly why I came here: I cannot modify the Windows theme (alone) as I like since it doesn't support resizing borders. The question to what you suggested in your answer is now: copy which part from which theme to a new theme. Seems another try and error session is underway... – Gerold Broser Aug 05 '19 at 18:32
  • And I think I have lost at all. Since both of them contain `[VisualStyles] Path=%SystemRoot%\resources\Themes\aero\[aerolite|Aero].msstyles` which are one of the binary files I mentioned in a comment above. – Gerold Broser Aug 05 '19 at 18:55
  • Themes do not do everything. You might need to also change parameters in the registry, as above. – harrymc Aug 05 '19 at 19:23
  • Isn't it that themes rely on/change registry settings behind the scenes? (That's at least how I would implement it.) And I found a crucial hint in the [`[Visual Styles]` section](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/controls/themesfileformat-overview#visual-styles-section): Either `.msstyles` file **or** `metrics` and `color` sections, not both. – Gerold Broser Aug 05 '19 at 20:01
  • Themes I have don't use Metrics at all. The Metrics section seems too troublesome to use, and not only to you. – harrymc Aug 05 '19 at 20:18