How do I change the colors of my Windows desktop and applications?

To change the colors of your Windows desktop and applications, follow the appropriate steps below:

Windows Vista

1. From the Start menu, open Control Panel.

   Note: The Windows Vista Start menu and Control Panel are different from the Windows Classic View (e.g., in Windows 2000). Therefore, navigating to certain items can be different. In the interest of broad applicability, most Knowledge Base documents assume you are using the Classic View. For information about switching your Windows Vista default view to Classic View, see In Windows Vista, how do I switch to the Windows Classic Start menu or Classic Control Panel?

2. Double-click Personalization, and then click Window Color and Appearance.
   
   
3. Select an existing color scheme, or click Open classic appearance properties for more color options to change the color of particular screen elements individually.

Windows XP

1. From the Start menu, select either Control Panel, or Settings and then Control Panel.
   
   
2. If Switch to Classic View is available on the left, click it, and then double-click Display on the right. Otherwise, simply double-click Display.
   
   
3. In the Display Properties window, click the Appearance tab. From here, you can select an existing color scheme, or you can click Advanced to change the color of particular screen elements individually.

Windows 2000

1. From the Start menu, select Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click the Display icon. This will open the Display Properties window.
   
   
3. Click the Appearance tab. Choose an existing color scheme from the menu on the left, or customize the display colors by clicking an element in the display window and choosing from the color palette in the Color menu.

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