How to install a windows 8 theme. How to install official themes from Microsoft

Over time, the old themes and desktop background get bored and you want to change them. On older versions of Windows, this involved additional tweaks. For example, you had to put special programs to install themes.

These programs were distributed through various software sites. And there was always a chance to catch some kind of virus when installing such programs.

Or put a theme for an older OS and then restore the system.

Finally Microsoft has solved this problem and you can download many themes from the official website. Simple, free and secure.

How to download and install a theme for Windows 8

Go to the desktop, right-click in any empty space and select "personalize".

In the window that opens, where the active topics are, look for the link “other topics on the Internet” and click on it.

And you get to the Microsoft website, where you can choose and download a theme for your desktop from those presented.

Here you can download any theme without fear for security.

The only thing you should not forget is that you should definitely look at the description of the topic, it will be written there which OS it is suitable for.

It's done like this. Select the category from which you want to download the theme.

Find the theme you want to install there and click the “more details” link.

The theme page opens. There, just see if this theme is suitable for your operating system.

If it fits, then just click the “download” button and wait for the download to complete.

We return to the “personalization” window, which was opened earlier. New topic for the desktop has already appeared there.

Activate it and that's it. The theme for the desktop is installed.

How to download and install a theme for Windows 10

This operating system just came out, and unfortunately, the themes are not yet adapted for it. I do not advise you to install themes for older OS. For now, you'll have to use the default theme.

As soon as compatible themes for the Windows 10 desktop are available, I will update this article.

In the eight, as in its predecessor, it is possible to install additional themes. To use the new visual styles, you need to download and install special utility called UltraUX Theme Patcher - (131 Kb)

After the installation of the patcher is completed, you need to reboot:

Now by right-clicking on the desktop, open the item " Personalization» and select the newly installed theme:

In addition to applying the main patch, for the most correct work of themes, it is recommended to disable the so-called ribbon menu Windows Explorer 8, for this download the program Ribbon Disabler - (69.5 Kb). After launching the utility in accordance with the bit depth of your OS, click the Disable Ribbon Explorer button and the menu will be disabled. The second Enable Ribbon Explorer button returns the ribbon menu to Explorer.

You can also use another program to install themes on Windows 8 - link on the developer's website.

Installing themes on Windows 8.1

(Upd 04/08/2014)

Before the coming global Windows update 8 to 8.1 patcher developers UltraUXThemePatcher released new version your program to use third-party themes. As it became known, in open access a beta version of the patcher was posted, which means the testing stage and does not exclude further work above him.

The programmers promise to fix all the problems that arise when installing non-official themes on the updated G8 of the first version.

Please note that before using the patcher and applying new themes, you must create, in case of software failures, it will help return the computer to working condition.

You can follow the progress of the development of the utility at. We, in turn, will also post current version in this article.

cozy workplace is one of the factors that help us to better cope with our work responsibilities, creating a pleasant atmosphere for the employee. This applies to all specialties without exception, and if you can permanently decorate the workplace with your diplomas, put a good ergonomic chair there, perhaps the plants on the desktop are pleasing to the eye, etc., then for mobile workers, for whom only a laptop and some peripheral devices, as they say, are not up to "decorations" of temporary jobs. Of course, we will always try to find a cozy corner in a cafe with a sofa, away from the main mass of visitors, however, another factor that will brighten up the hours of work on the next project is the theme of the operating system. The basis for the theme is the drawings on the desktop.

Although there are enough a large number of those that can be downloaded from the Microsoft website want something unique, their own. In fact, creating themes for Windows 8 is as easy as shelling pears.

How to create a theme.

Step one you need to decide on the photos and their number. If you are a photographer, your work will probably be pleasing to the eye, but even if you don’t have your own photos, getting them for your topic is as easy as shelling pears, just enter the topic of interest in the search engine, select the “pictures” section, and in advanced settings indicate the desired size of the photos.

The best option would be to search for photos with a resolution that matches your screen resolution. You can use photos with the same aspect ratio but higher resolution. For example, if your monitor has a resolution of 1366 by 768, then photos of 1600 by 900, 1920 by 1080, or anything higher than 1366 by 768 with a ratio of 16 to 9 will do. the quality of the picture itself on the desktop, if it is scaled to the size of the desktop.

Step two. After the set of pictures is collected, you need to call the system personalization window.

In the "Desktop background" section, add a folder with saved pictures.

Step three. The theme is almost ready, it remains to configure additional parameters, such as: image change frequency, image repeat order, sound scheme themes, splash screen, and window color. Regarding the last parameter, it should be said that, starting with the 8th version of Windows, users have the opportunity to choose a replaceable color scheme, which, to a certain extent, brings additional variety to the topics.

In this case, the system will create a file with the extension ".deskthemepack".

The operating system is very flexible software which the user can customize to suit their needs. For example, you can customize the theme. On Windows, you can install themes starting from the XP version. The installation of themes has not changed in Windows 8 or 10. There are several ways to transform appearance your operating system.

Standard installation of Windows 8 themes

Built-in OS features allow you to change the design. Here is what you need to do for this:

If the user is not satisfied with the preset design, you can always turn to third-party sources. In the "Personalization" window, look for the link " Other topics on the Internet».

As a result, a browser will open with the official Microsoft page. There are elements in the form of tiles that can be downloaded in a couple of clicks.

The file downloaded from the official source is installed very easily - double-click on it and all add-ons will automatically be transferred to the personalization window.

Installing Themes Using the UXTheme Multi-Patcher Utility

The Microsoft website has a fairly wide selection of designs, but some users will want to download and install more original and beautiful themes for Windows 8. Using the utility UXTheme Multi-Patcher can greatly change the appearance of the system.

Where to download themes for Windows 8

There are a lot of sites where you can download themes for Windows 8 and 8.1. It is worth choosing very carefully, as virus sites may contain malicious files that will bring the system to an inoperable state, so be sure to create a restore point in case of system failure.

One of the popular sites where you can download Windows skins, wallpapers, and simply beautiful art is Deviantart.com (Attention! If the site does not work, it is most likely blocked and use VPN, proxies or anonymizers to bypass it).

When you download a set from Deviantart, transfer it to the catalog C:/Windows/Resources/Theme.

Another popular resource with themes for any Windows versions— https://7themes.su . Everything here is the same as with the previous version. There are also many instructions for installing third-party wallpapers, cursors, icons and skins for various programs.

Some themes need to be replaced system files. Of course, if you use it, be sure to create restore point. After that, follow these instructions.

Of course, the theme in Windows 8 can be changed, for example, simply by changing the color of the windows, etc. It is quite easy and simple to do this. To do this, right-click on the desktop, and in the appeared context menu select "Personalization". A special window will appear where the user can select a desktop picture, change the color of windows, saturation or brightness. Unfortunately, this is where the design settings in the Windows 8 operating system end.

Change the desktop and home screen theme

If the user wishes to change the theme in the operating system, then it will first need to be patched using a small utility called UltraUXThemePatcher. It can be easily found on the Internet and downloaded. The installation procedure is quite simple and straightforward, the user needs to follow the instructions that appear on the screen and wait for the installation to complete.

After that, you can find on the Internet any themes you like for the operating room. Windows systems 8 and download them. It is worth noting that the topics also need to be moved to a specific address so that the system can find them and they will appear later in a special menu. All themes that will be downloaded and subsequently possibly installed should be moved to the C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\ folder. As a result, this folder should contain files with the .theme extension.

When everything is ready, you can return to the Windows desktop again. Next, you need to go to the "Personalization" menu again. This window should change after the patch. A list of all downloaded and moved themes will appear here, sound effects settings, screen saver settings and window colors will appear. In the window where the user is prompted to select a theme for design, you can select one of the most attractive and install it with a click.

In addition, the user can change not only the theme of the desktop Windows desktop, but also home screen. To do this, go to the "Start" menu and select in the right upper corner"Personalization" option. Immediately after clicking, a small list of pictures will appear that can be set as the background for the home screen. In addition, if desired, the user can independently change the background color in a special column. You can also set the background from the desktop to the home screen using the "Image" button, which is located to the right and below all the pictures.