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Windows 10 themes can spruce up your PC, and they're free in the Windows Store

Mark Coppock
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Windows has long offered ways to customize its look and feel. For example, you’ve been able to select the background image for your desktop, change the color scheme for Windows title bars and other elements, and choose your own sounds for various system events. In addition, themes have made it easy to select a specific look and feel with just a few mouse clicks.

Windows 10 allows for much of the same personalization and also offers a variety of themes. As of the Windows 10 Creators Update, Windows desktop themes are available in the Windows Store to download and install on your fully updated machine. They’re free, and Microsoft spent some time on the Windows blog announcing that some new themes are available.

As Microsoft describes Windows 10’s themes:

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“Choose from endless options to make your PC yours, including hundreds of wallpapers, sound options, and custom accent colors. Themes include plants and flowers, landscapes, animals, natural wonders, cityscapes — anything to suit your style. The photography, art, and illustrations you see come from creators across the globe.”

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Heading over to the Windows Store, you’ll find a solid selection of themes that can provide a real boost to your PC’s look and feel. Assuming that you have Creators Update installed, you can go to the Action Center > All settings > Personalization > Themes and click “Get more themes in the Store,” or click here to go straight to the Windows Store’s collection of themes.

When you apply your theme, it will change the color of your screen elements, apply a background, and more. You can select your own individual elements by heading to the Themes section of Settings and choosing what you want to customize. For example, you can choose your own system sounds by clicking on the Sounds option.

Whether you’re into cityscapes, nature scenes, or art, you’re likely to find a theme to fit your desires. Themes are free to download and install, and Microsoft promises to add new themes with each Windows 10 update. Themes are an option for U.S. users only, however, which one hopes will change at some point and open up the selection of free themes worldwide.

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Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Computing Writer
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
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