Changing the Desktop Appearance

You can change the entire appearance of the desktop by using desktop themes. A desktop theme changes the desktop background, screen saver, mouse pointers, sounds, icons, and fonts based on a set theme, such as baseball, science, sports, travel, or underwater. You can even change your desktop to the classic Windows look. You can use one of the predefined desktop themes or create your own. If a theme isn’t exactly what you want, you can change the appearance of colors, fonts, and sizes used for major window elements such as title bars, icons, menus, borders, and the desktop itself.

Select a Desktop Theme

Right-click a blank area on the desktop, and then click Personalize.

Click Theme.

Click the Theme list arrow, and then click a theme.

• Use a theme file. In the Theme list, click Browse, select the theme file you want, and then click Open.
  
  

Click OK.

Did You Know? You can save a theme. In the Theme Settings dialog box, click Save As, name the theme, specify a location, and then click Save.

Customize the Desktop Appearance

Right-click a blank area on the desktop, and then click Personalize.

Click Window Color and Appearance.

Click the color scheme you want.

Click Advanced if you want to change the color, size, or font for individual items for a Windows Classic color scheme.

To set appearance effects, click Effects, and then set one or more of the following effects:

• Smooth edges of screen fonts; use ClearType.

• Show shadows under menus.

• Show window contents while dragging.

Click OK.

Frequently Asked Questions: What’s ClearType ClearType is a font technology that improves the display on a computer monitor. ClearType makes on-screen text more clear, smooth, and detailed, which can reduce eye strain. ClearType is turned on by default in Windows. This is useful and most effective when you use LCD devices, including flat-panel monitors, mobile computers, and smaller hand-held devices. ClearType is optimized for use with some fonts, including Constantia, Cambria, Corbel, Candara, Calibri, and Consolas. To set the ClearType setting, you open the Personalize window in the Control Panel, open the Appearance Settings dialog box, and then open the Effects dialog box.