How to change accent color on Windows 10

• To change the accent color on Windows 10, open Settings > Personalization > Colors, choose one of the preset colors, click “Custom color” to create a new one, or select the “Automatically pick an accent color from my background” option.

UPDATED 10/30/2023: On Windows 10, it’s possible to change the color accent in three ways to make your experience a little more personal, and in this guide, I’ll outline the steps to complete this configuration.

The “accent color” is a color that highlights certain elements of the user interface, such as the Start menu, Taskbar, title bars, and window borders. You can choose an accent color from a preset of colors, you can create your own custom color, or you can let the system pick a color automatically based on the primary color of the desktop wallpaper.

In this guide, I will teach you the three ways you can change the accent color on Windows 10.

• 1. Using preset color
• 2. Using custom color
• 3. Using automatic color 

Change accent color on Windows 10

On Windows 10, you can customize the desktop experience with an accent color in three ways from the Settings app, and here’s how.

1. Using preset color

To change the accent color on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on Personalization.

3. Click on Colors.

4. Under the “Choose your accent color” section, pick a recent or one of the available colors.

   

5. (Optional) Check the “Start, taskbar, and action center” option to show the accent color in the Taskbar and Start menu.

   Quick note: You must select the “Dark” or “Custom” option (with the “Choose your default Window mode” set to “Dark”) for the “Choose your mode” setting. Otherwise, the option will not be available.

6. (Optional) Check the “Tittle bars and window borders” option to show the accent colors in File Explorer and other apps.

   

Once you complete the steps, the color accent will be reflected on icons, links, buttons, the Start menu, Taskbar, Action Center, and other elements, depending on your configuration.

2. Using custom color

To create a custom accent color on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Personalization.

3. Click on Colors.

4. Under the “Choose your accent color” section, click the Custom color option.

   

5. Create the custom color with the available tools.

   

   Quick tip: Click the “More” option to supply the RGB or HSV color value manually.

6. Click the Done button.

After you complete the steps, the custom accent color will apply to your current configuration.

3. Using automatic color

To change accent color automatically on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Personalization.

3. Click on Colors.

4. Under the “Choose your accent color” section, check the “Automatically pick an accent color from my background” option to allow the system to determine the primary color from the desktop wallpaper to set it as the accent color.

   

Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 will analyze the background image and set an accent color automatically. When using this option, the accent color will always automatically change every time the desktop wallpaper changes.

The “accent color” is not to be confused with the “color mode,” as the system only provides two color modes, including “Light” and “Dark,” to determine the overall brightness of the interface, and the accent color highlights elements on the screen.

Update October 30, 2023: This guide has been updated to ensure instructions accuracy and reflect new changes.