How to get Windows 11 to retain Application (not desktop) background after lock/sleep

Question

moved to new PC and Windows 11 last year.

(was stuck on Windows 7 because of legacy work applications)

From Windows 3.11 through to Windows 7 there was an GUI interface to change Desktop/Window/Border & Application background.

I have been using a light green #C0DCC0 as a background for background/window/appworkspace.

Theme entries look like this

[Control Panel\Colors]

Background=192 220 192

Window=192 220 192

ActiveBorder=190 220 190

AppWorkspace=192 220 192

The GUI is not exposed in Windows 10 or 11.

I imported the theme from Windows 7(also used this import on various Servers 2016 etc,)

All good so far, environment is back to what it has been for the last 25+ years.

However with Windows 10 & 11, coming back from workstation sleep, lock or login/out, the application background (AppWorkspace/activeborder/windows), are ignored and Application Workspace reverts to bright white.

Looking at the registry my original settings are still in place, but are ignored.

The new color is coming from some unknown setting.

I have reverted to running a task on workstation unlock to reapply the theme, which seems like a huge overkill.

start ms-settings:system

C:\programs\windows\Green11.deskthemepack & TIMEOUT /T 2 /nobreak > NUL & taskkill /f /im systemsettings.exe

How can I convince Windows 11 to respect by theme colors without having to always reapply the theme

on unlock ?

Answer 1

Unfortunately, Windows 10/11 no longer supports the complete customization of system colors like Windows 7 and older versions did. However, there are a few workarounds you can try:

1. Registry Edit: It seems you've already tried this, but it's worth mentioning. You can manually edit the registry entries for the system colors. Be sure to back up the registry before making any changes. However, as you've noticed, this might not persist after locking/sleeping.
2. High Contrast Mode: If you're open to using high contrast mode, it provides more customization options for colors. You can find this setting in Settings > Ease of Access > High Contrast. You can choose a preset theme and then customize the colors to your liking. However, this changes the overall appearance of Windows and might not be what you're looking for.
3. Third-Party Apps: There are third-party applications like WindowBlinds or Classic Shell that allow you to customize the appearance of Windows 10/11. These apps may provide the functionality you're looking for.

About your current workaround, automating the theme re-application using a task upon workstation unlock, while it may seem like overkill, is a clever solution given the current limitations.