Can't create a desktop theme since installing ver. 24H2

HDL · Wednesday at 9:02 AM

Yesterday I guess I had a major update because my machine installed version 24H2. One of the problems it has caused me is I can no longer create a new desktop theme. The option just is not there. I have searched the WEB for an answer but came up empty. When I go to Personalize and choose Themes, my old theme is there and listed as being current. But the photo I want to use is missing from it. If I click on the photo in the listed themes, it covers the entire desktop. I don't have the ability to center it as it should be.

I tried to create a new theme with what you can see inside the red sample box but there was no Save to save it. Please see attachment and the reason there is a lot withed out is because it is photos but it is what I wanted to save as a new theme.

Any suggestions on how I can once again get the ability to create new themes?

antspants · Wednesday at 11:47 AM

I think you have to make changes to the current theme before you can save it.

Otherwise, there’s always the Personalize (classic) option

Add Personalize (classic) context menu in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove a Personalize (classic) desktop context menu for all users in Windows 11. The old classic Personalization settings from the Control Panel included theme settings, desktop background, color and appearance, sounds, screen saver settings, desktop...

www.elevenforum.com

HDL · Wednesday at 12:26 PM

I have no Save button. I tried to make a change and none was offered.

HDL · Wednesday at 12:39 PM

antspants said:
I think you have to make changes to the current theme before you can save it.

Otherwise, there’s always the Personalize (classic) option

Add Personalize (classic) context menu in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove a Personalize (classic) desktop context menu for all users in Windows 11. The old classic Personalization settings from the Control Panel included theme settings, desktop background, color and appearance, sounds, screen saver settings, desktop...

www.elevenforum.com

Thank you very much for that link. Not sure I'll use it yet because I do have my desktop showing what I want it to, just can't save it as a theme. But it does boot up the same every time.

Dannydet · Wednesday at 12:40 PM

You've reached the maximum number of themes?
Lol.

antspants · Wednesday at 12:59 PM

HDL said:
Thank you very much for that link. Not sure I'll use it yet because I do have my desktop showing what I want it to, just can't save it as a theme. But it does boot up the same every time.

You should be able to use personalize classic and just save the current theme with it. No need to make a new one.

HDL · Wednesday at 2:37 PM

antspants said:
You should be able to use personalize classic and just save the current theme with it. No need to make a new one.

Thank you but let me ask this, would Windows 11 method still be accessible or does the Registry entry disable it?

HDL · Wednesday at 2:38 PM

Dannydet said:
You've reached the maximum number of themes?
Lol.

If 3 is the maximum, then yes.

HDL · Wednesday at 3:37 PM

I tried to see if artificial intelligence could solve this problem for me, it can't. However, it said it was a known problem and one of its sources was this lounge. Not sure if it was saying that because of this thread or not but I hope Microsoft is aware of it.

antspants · Wednesday at 6:21 PM

HDL said:
Thank you but let me ask this, would Windows 11 method still be accessible or does the Registry entry disable it?

Yes it is still there. I use both. The registry only adds the classic, it doesn’t remove the original.

Brink · Wednesday at 6:26 PM

Hello,

You can check to see if you may have the option to save a theme in the Control Panel using option 3 or 4 below instead.

Save Custom Theme in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to save your custom theme to a .theme or .deskthemepack file in Windows 11. A theme is a combination of the desktop background, lock screen background, colors, sounds, and mouse pointers. You can save your custom theme to a .theme or .deskthemepack file. When...

www.elevenforum.com

HDL · Thursday at 7:08 AM

Brink said:
Hello,

You can check to see if you may have the option to save a theme in the Control Panel using option 3 or 4 below instead.

Save Custom Theme in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to save your custom theme to a .theme or .deskthemepack file in Windows 11. A theme is a combination of the desktop background, lock screen background, colors, sounds, and mouse pointers. You can save your custom theme to a .theme or .deskthemepack file. When...

www.elevenforum.com

Thank you, I will definitely look into this immediately.
I checked it out and it would be great except it did not give me the option to create a new theme and the ones it is displaying had only the option to delete them. Please see the attachment. I once again whited out the photos so no one could be identified and also put the only options I saw inside a red box.

The options in the lower left-hand corner take me to the Windows 11 settings. If it had a "Create New Theme" option it would work.

Brink · Thursday at 9:26 AM

To create a theme, you would need to manually change all your backgrounds and such first, then save it.

HDL · Thursday at 10:54 AM

Brink said:
To create a theme, you would need to manually change all your backgrounds and such first, then save it.

In every scenario I am not given the option to change or create. I can only delete and that is only when using the shell command in option 3 or 4 above. Anywhere I am, I cannot create or change and save a new theme.

Even if I use Settings > Personalization > Themes > Background or Custom Colors and change anything there, I have no option to Save it. I can see the effects of my change of the background or color in the Sample box, yet no means to save it. The odd thing here is any change I make does show up on the desktop even though I didn't save it for lack of that option.

Somehow the installation of version 24H2 took save or create away from me. As recent as Dec. 2024, which is the last time I created a desktop theme, I had no problem. So, I assume I still had that capability until this recent update. I am no Registry expert by any means but I have to assume something somewhere got changed, possibly in the Registry. I used artificial intelligence to solve another, what was to me, a serious change caused by 24H2. It could not solve this but said I was not the only one who had this problem. I guess it thought misery loves company, as the old saying goes.

Brink · Thursday at 11:10 AM

You do have a "Save theme" option in your Control Panel screenshot.

Are you able to change your desktop background etc.... as usual?

If so, you should then be able to save these changes as a theme afterwards in the Control Panel as a workaround until "Save" appears in Settings again.

HDL · Thursday at 12:22 PM

Brink said:
You do have a "Save theme" option in your Control Panel screenshot.

Are you able to change your desktop background etc.... as usual?

If so, you should then be able to save these changes as a theme afterwards in the Control Panel as a workaround until "Save" appears in Settings again.

The Save Theme you see in that screenshot does nothing useful because I cannot make any changes to the themes you see there. If I right click any of those themes my only option is to delete them.

The only place I can change anything is by using Settings > Personalization > Themes > Background or Custom Colors. Then I have no option to save it. If I could make a change or create a new theme using the shell command to reach the point you see in the above attachment I could save it.

I just tried your above suggestion and it doesn't work. The changes I make in Settings > Personalization > Themes > Background or Custom Colors do not carry over to the shell command screen. Since the changes I make from the Settings menu do show up on the desktop, you'd think they would carry over to be seen when using the shell command to open the Control Panel options but they don't.

Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it.

VinX71 · 2025-04-26T03:49:13-0400

I'm not sure of the exact Windows update which has effected themes, but it is a relatively recent development and is most certainly with 24H2. Anyway, navigate to your user profile's custom theme folder lacated at:

C:\Users\[YOUR PROLIE]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes

Normally, Windows will automatically create a theme file, as a template with the file name 'Custom.theme' and as the user makes changes to any theming options, this template will update accordingly. However, if this file is not present, any changes you make are not being saved, and won't even offer you a save button. This template is mandatory for creating and more importantly saving any customization of theme elements.

If the Custom.theme file is not present in the folder, change the option in Explorer to show hidden files and it should now be visible. Right click the file, select Properties from the context menu and untick the Hidden option. If for some reason the file just doesn't exist, hidden or otherwise, you will need to create one. In the sme folder you may have some theme files you had saved previously. If so, just make a copy of one and rename it as Custome.theme. Othwise go to your Windows\Resources\Themes folder and copy one from there, rename it and copy it to your User Themes folder.

Once you create and successfully save your custom theme, you should not experience any further problems and will be able to switch back and forth between other saved themes. However, I have had unhide this file a few times now in as many months, so creating and saving a new theme or saving any amendments to an existing theme will present the same issue, but most likely after an additional update.

HDL · 2025-04-26T08:34:33-0400

Thank you. I am going to give this a try. I too am not sure what update caused the problem since I hadn't created a new one in well over a year.

HDL · 2025-04-26T09:26:58-0400

VinX71 said:
I'm not sure of the exact Windows update which has effected themes, but it is a relatively recent development and is most certainly with 24H2. Anyway, navigate to your user profile's custom theme folder lacated at:

C:\Users\[YOUR PROLIE]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes

Normally, Windows will automatically create a theme file, as a template with the file name 'Custom.theme' and as the user makes changes to any theming options, this template will update accordingly. However, if this file is not present, any changes you make are not being saved, and won't even offer you a save button. This template is mandatory for creating and more importantly saving any customization of theme elements.

If the Custom.theme file is not present in the folder, change the option in Explorer to show hidden files and it should now be visible. Right click the file, select Properties from the context menu and untick the Hidden option. If for some reason the file just doesn't exist, hidden or otherwise, you will need to create one. In the sme folder you may have some theme files you had saved previously. If so, just make a copy of one and rename it as Custome.theme. Othwise go to your Windows\Resources\Themes folder and copy one from there, rename it and copy it to your User Themes folder.

Once you create and successfully save your custom theme, you should not experience any further problems and will be able to switch back and forth between other saved themes. However, I have had unhide this file a few times now in as many months, so creating and saving a new theme or saving any amendments to an existing theme will present the same issue, but most likely after an additional update.

OK, I followed all you said to do and when I went into Personalization the Sample box had a Save button but the wrong Photo in it. When I tried to change the background photo, the Save changed to Use Custom Theme. When I clicked that the Photo I wanted to use was not available. So, I could not Save what I wanted to save. Is there anything else I am missing. Please see attachment to see if I changed the Theme folder correctly.

HDL · 2025-04-26T11:23:29-0400

In the first attachment it shows what Photos have been recently chosen from my computer, including some from over a year or more ago. The 2 inside the Red boxes are the same photo. All photos are whited out because they are of my family. What shows up in the sample box as the background photo is what I would like to save as the desktop theme but there is no Save button.

What you see in the second attachment inside the sample window is the same photo as in the first attachment inside the sample box. However, it is not among the photos below the current theme box. So, I cannot choose it to save a new theme. In addition, there is no Save button, only Use Custom Theme.

What you see as far as Current Theme, inside the red box – HDL - Jan. 2024, was the custom theme I used for over a year before 24H2 was installed and it no longer works. The photo it used is inside the third red box. When I activate that theme, the photo floods the screen even though Centered is chosen. I cannot adjust it at all to fit the center of the desktop. Which makes me ask, is there a way to tell me what photo that theme is using?

I hope I have explained this well enough to be understood. When I first made your changes to create a Custom.theme, there was a different photo inside the sample box and the Save button was available. It no longer is when I choose a new photo.

Can't create a desktop theme since installing ver. 24H2

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