Windows 10, by default, assigns black shade to the start menu, taskbar, and action center, but it does allow you to customize and make the appearance more personal. But there’s a small catch: changing the color of the taskbar will change the color of the start and action center as well.
Read on to find how to change the taskbar color in Windows 10. You will also learn how to change the taskbar color without assigning the same color to the Start menu and Action Center.
Steps to Change Taskbar Color in Windows 10
PC Settings allow you to change the color of the taskbar in a group with the Start menu and action center. As stated, you will find how to change the color of the taskbar alone later in this post, but the initial steps to do that remain the same. From there, you can wish to proceed depending on your preference and convenience.
Follow these simple steps to learn how to change the taskbar color in Windows 10:
Step 1. Press Win+I (Windows logo plus I hotkeys) at once to open the Settings.
Select Personalization.
Alternatively, right-click on an empty section on your desktop screen. And select the Personalization option from the context menu.
Step 2. On the left pane, select the Colors option. Scroll down to the Show accent color on the following surfaces menu.
Note: You can customize the color of the taskbar only if you select Dark or Custom as your Windows color, i.e., the first option on the right pane under the Color menu should not be Light. Otherwise, you will see the above option as greyed out.
- Click on Choose Your Color option.
- Choose Dark or Custom (as preferred).
Step 3. Check the box assigned to Start, taskbar, and action center.
As soon as you check the option, the Accent color chosen under Windows color gets assigned to the Taskbar, Start, and Action Center.
If you want more choices, click on the Custom Color option and choose a color that best suits your needs. Further, if you need to pick the color using its hex code, click on More and enter the hex code.
As mentioned, when you change the color of the taskbar, the color of the Start menu and action center changes too. However, it does not mean that you cannot change the color of the taskbar alone; scroll down to find how to change taskbar color in Windows 10 without changing the color of Start and Action Center.
How to Change Taskbar Color in Windows 10 without Changing the Color of the Start Menu and Action Center
Several users have criticized Microsoft for giving only one option for all three: Start, Taskbar, and Action Center. But, as yet, the functionality of the Settings menu (regarding this feature) hasn’t changed.
Still, it doesn’t mean that you cannot do anything about the restriction. Many third-party applications allow you to modify Windows on many levels; however, most of them demand heavy subscriptions — you can use them.
But here, you will learn to change the taskbar color in Windows 10 using the Windows Registry — which is a component of the operating system itself and completely free.
Note: While Registry lets you perform major tweaks and modify the subkey, changing something even mistakenly can cause irreparable damage to the system’s settings leading you to reinstall the operating system.
Be careful while exercising the below-mentioned steps. Moreover, ensure to have a full backup of the files before opening Windows Registry.
Follow these simple steps to change the taskbar color on Windows 10 without changing the color of the Start menu and Action Center:
Step 1. Follow the instructions given above in Steps to Change Taskbar Color in Windows 10, i.e.,
- Open Personalization.
- Under Colors, go to Show accent color on the following surfaces.
- Check the box assigned to Start, taskbar, and action center.
Step 2. Press Win+R (Windows logo plus R keys) at once to open the Run box.
Enter regedit and click on OK.
Step 3. Copy and Paste the following path in the address bar:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
Alternatively, you can also navigate the path from the left pane expanding the above keys individually, i.e, expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
- Then, click on Software, and from the drop-down options, choose Microsoft.
- Select Windows, then expand Current Version.
- Navigate to the Themes key and expand Personalize.
Step 4. On the right menu, double click on ColorPrevalence.
Step 5. Change the Value to 2 (initially, it should be 1).
Click OK.
Do not change anything else. Exit the WindowsRegistry by clicking on the X.
Depending on the accent color, the color of the taskbar in Windows 10 will change; however, the Start menu and action center colors will remain unchanged.
Note: Do not uncheck the box assigned to Start, taskbar, and action center once you edit the Registry. Otherwise, the value will reset to 1, and you will have to go through all these steps again to change the taskbar color in Windows 10. However, you can make changes to the accent color.
Conclusion
Depending on the preference, you can choose to change the taskbar color in Windows 10 individually or with the start and action center combined. Whatever is your inclination, the initial steps to Change Taskbar Color in Windows 10 remain the same.
