3 tested ways to customize your taskbar's color
Windows 11
Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
Windows 11
5 min. read
Updated on December 3, 2025
Key notes
There are a few different ways you can change the taskbar鈥檚 color in Windows 11. The Settings app enables you to modify the taskbar鈥檚 color with dark/light mode and accent color options. You can also change the color code with theme customization options. If you can鈥檛 change the taskbar color in Windows 11, you might need to check that platform鈥檚 activation settings.
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Download Fortect and install it on your PC Launch the tool and Start scanning to find broken files that are causing the problems Right-click on Start Repair to fix issues affecting your computer鈥檚 security and performance Download Now Fortect has been downloaded by 0 readers this month, rated 4.6 on TrustPilotThe taskbar is an integral part of Windows 11. Its taskbar looks a little different from its predecessors because its icons are centered.
However, Windows 11鈥檚 taskbar color customization settings aren鈥檛 that much different from those in 10.
You can customize the taskbar’s colors via Settings much the same you used to set a custom color for the taskbar and the Start Menu in Windows 10.
Windows 11 retains the dark and light themes introduced in the previous OS. Selecting either the Dark or Light option will switch the taskbar’s color from black to white.
Yet, many users will prefer different colors for the taskbar. Fortunately, Windows 11 includes a good range of accent colors to choose from. You can select custom accent colors as well.
How can I activate Windows 11?
NOTE
The only snag for customizing taskbar colors is that you鈥檒l need to activate Windows 11 to do so. Windows 11鈥檚 color settings are grayed out when it鈥檚 not activated.
First, click Windows 11鈥檚 Search (magnifying glass) button on the taskbar.
Type the keyword activation settings in the search text box.
Then click Activation settings to open the Settings window.
Click Upgrade your edition of Windows to expand that category.
Press the Change product key option鈥檚 Change button.
Then type a valid key in the Enter a product key window.
Click the Next button after you鈥檝e entered the product key.
If you don鈥檛 happen to he a product key for Windows 11, forget about the above method! However, you can still activate that platform with a KMS client key instead. To do that, follow the steps below:
First, bring up the search tool in Windows 11 by clicking the magnifying glass taskbar icon. Next, input Command Prompt in Windows 11鈥檚 search box. Click the Run as administrator option for the Command Prompt search result. Type this command in the Command Prompt and hit Enter: slmgr /ipk kmsclientkey
Next, input this command and press Enter: slmgr /skms yourserver
Finally, type in this command and press Return: slmgr /ato
You鈥檒l need to replace kmsclientkey in the command specified for step four with your Windows 11 edition鈥檚 KMS client key code. These are KMS client keys for the Windows 11 Home, Enterprise, Pro, and Education editions:
Home Edition: TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99 Education: NW6C2-QMPVW-D7KKK-3GKT6-VCFB2 Professional: W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX Enterprise: NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43You鈥檒l also need to replace your server in the slmgr /skms command with a kms host address. These are some of the online kms host addresses you can include in that command:
kms.shuax.com kensol263.imwork.net:1688 k.zpale.com m.zpale.com mvg.zpale.com kms.digiboy.ir 54.223.212.31 kms.cnlic.com kms.chinancce.com kms.ddns.net franklv.ddns.netAlso, note that not all those host addresses will necessarily work. If you receive an error message for activating Windows 11 with this method, try entering a different online kms host address.
How can I change the taskbar鈥檚 color in Windows 11? 1. Switch between dark and light taskbar color themes Press the Start button on the taskbar to open the menu that you can see below:
Click Settings on that menu.
Select the Personalization on the left of Settings.
Then select Colors.
Click the Choose your mode drop-down menu.
Then you can select alternative Light and Dark options that change the taskbar鈥檚 color accordingly.
If you select the Custom option, you can select the alternative color modes for Windows and apps.
2. Select custom accent colors
Windows 11’s built-in Personalization settings allow you to fully customize the color of your taskbar. You can select a custom accent color or create one from scratch.
1. Press the Windows + I keys on your keyboard to open the Settings menu.
2. Choose Personalization from the list of options.
3. Nigate to Colors.
4. Go to the Choose your mode drop-down menu.
5. To select custom accent colors for the Windows 11 taskbar, you鈥檒l need to select the Dark option.
6. Toggle the Show accent color on Start and taskbar option On. That option will be grayed out with the Light option selected.
7. Now click Accent color to choose a color. Your taskbar will then change to your selected color.
8. To customize your selected color, click the聽View colors button to bring up the tool that you can see below.
9. You can change your selected color by dragging the circle to different positions on the palette.
10. You can also drag the聽Value聽bar left and right to further adjust your taskbar鈥檚 color.
11. Click the聽More聽button to bring up RGB and HSV color details. There you can enter color codes within the text box.
12. Press the聽Done聽button to close the color utility when you are finished.
13. As a bonus, you can also apply a snazzy transparency effect to your taskbar by clicking the聽Transparency effects聽toggle button within the color settings On.
To find more details on this topic, don’t hesitate to check out this article on how to make the taskbar transparent in Windows 11.
You can also try a dedicated free taskbar customizer to adjust colors, transparency, and layout in far more detail than the default Windows 11 settings allow.
3. Use different themes Selecting different Windows 11 themes will also change the taskbar鈥檚 color. To do so, open the Personalization tab in Settings as outlined in method one. Click Themes. Then click through the six alternative default themes that come with Windows 11 to choose one.
Alternatively, click Browse themes to get one from the Microsoft Store.
Choose a theme in the Microsoft Store window that opens, and click the Free button to download it.
NOTE
If you select a light theme, you won鈥檛 be able to further configure its taskbar color.
Are there any other useful color settings in Windows 11?
The Accessibility tab in Settings includes some general contrast theme options that will also change the taskbar鈥檚 color. Those color options are supposed to make apps and text clearer. Follow the steps below to tinker with those options:
To open Settings, hold the Windows key and press I at the same time. Next, click Accessibility on the left of Settings. Then click the Contrast themes drop-down menu.
Choose a contrast theme on the drop-down menu.
Click Apply to see what your selected contrast theme is like.
Overall, it鈥檚 pretty straightforward to change the taskbar鈥檚 color in Windows 11. With the OS鈥檚 personalization settings, you can adjust your taskbar鈥檚 color to whatever takes your fancy.
You can also change the title bar color and window border to customize your desktop experience further; read this guide to learn the steps.
Users exploring color and visibility options in Windows 11 can also improve text clarity by adjusting icon label colors. You can check this guide on how to change the desktop font color to enhance readability alongside your taskbar and theme adjustments.
Changing your taskbar鈥檚 color is a great way to customize Windows 11. You can really liven up your PC鈥檚 desktop by selecting a more vibrant accent color for the taskbar and the Start menu as well.
Even more, you can change the taskbar size in Windows 11 by editing the registry or adjusting the scaling settings. If the result doesn’t match your expectations, there are a few simple tricks to apply in order to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10 again.
Tell us in the comments if you managed to change the taskbar’s color and if our solutions helped you do that.
More about the topics: Windows 11
Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it. He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes. In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.
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