Inactive Title Bar in Windows 11

Are you running StartAllBack and OpenShell simultaneously?

Just got the word from @Brink that File Explorer with tabs (the latest version of FE) doesn't seem to offer us any choices of title-bar color.

Yet.

In my experience, the File Explorer title bar will consistently be the accent color only if you use a windows theme. It dosen't always work if you chose a solid background, strangely for me not using a theme, every so often later in the day I will click File Explorer and the title bar is my chosen colour on a solid background but reverts to grey after shutdown/reboot. I noticed if I ran sfc /scannow now at startup I would have the File Explorer title bar accent accent colour all day until I shutdown, then back to grey at restart. I also found if I set a theme my desktop icons have a drop shadow even when I select not to show it. I don't want drop shadows so I don't use a theme therefore no accent colour in File Explorer title bar.

I'm curious about something. Are you using a themepack from the windows store? I have found a theme seems to override selected colors if they are changed in the registry or using a third party app.

FYI, when 11 came out, I battled colors for days. In the end to get everything (active and inactive title bars and borders) the way I wanted, I found it easier and not so confusing to make my own theme. I did it in a Windows 7 virtual machine since 7 allows us control over every detail and then saved it as a 11 theme. This screen shot is the result. Notice my active window is Ccleaner, inactive is control panel and file explorer. I made the borders the same color as the title bars. File explorer is hardcoded to gray. No way to change it that I have found. I also found I wasn't able to change colors in a theme I downloaded from the store.

glasskuter said:

I'm curious about something. Are you using a themepack from the windows store? I have found a theme seems to override selected colors if they are changed in the registry or using a third party app.

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If I select a pre-installed WIN11 theme in Personalization or download a WIN11 theme from the MS Store, I get the File Explorer title bar accent colour as well as on the Start Menu, Taskbar and Browser, but I can't remove the drop shadow on the desktop icons titles. If I just choose a solid background and accent colour I get the accent colour on Start Menu, Task Bar and Browser, but not on File Explorer and no drop shadow on my desktop icons. LOL. I've tried many different options and themes. However, if I start to run sfc /scannow from CMD as admin I get the accent colour in my File Explorer! I replicated this again today - I turned on laptop, clicked File Explorer, title bar grey, entered CMD as admin, entered sfc/ scannow. As it started scanning, I clicked File Explorer and the title bar is my chosen accent colour. I need to do this at every start up as it reverts to grey after shutdown or restart. Try it!

@CharmaineK Try doing what I did. It was kind of fun and using my own theme got me as close to the colors I wanted as I could get (except for that danged file explorer gray)

glasskuter said:

@CharmaineK Try doing what I did. It was kind of fun and using my own theme got me as close to the colors I wanted as I could get (except for that danged file explorer gray)

Click to expand...

I replicated this again today - I turned on laptop, clicked File Explorer, title bar grey, entered CMD as admin, entered sfc/ scannow. As it started scanning, I clicked File Explorer, and the title bar is my chosen accent colour. I need to do this at every start up as it reverts to grey after shutdown or restart. Try it!

I did when I read another of your posts. Won't work for me. Still gray to match my hair.

glasskuter said:

I did when I read another of your posts. Won't work for me. Still gray to match my hair.

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It doesn't work for me everytime either. Strange as I am making no other changes to my system! But today it is the accent colour and I just did a restart, and it still is. Don't know what is running in the background controlling it as it is intermittent!

Just a thought:
Instead of picking a solid color background, why don't make one of your desired color and native resolution in Paint.

Edwin said:

Just a thought:
Instead of picking a solid color background, why don't make one of your desired color and native resolution in Paint.

Click to expand...

No a huge ordeal, just an observation and my short term resolve.

LOL. No changes to my system in weeks and lastnight the File Explorer title bar was my chosen accent colour after being grey for weeks! I changed nothing. However, after shutdown restart, it is back to grey! I have no idea what program or service sometimes runs in the background to change the colour so randomly.

CharmaineK said:

LOL. No changes to my system in weeks and lastnight the File Explorer title bar was my chosen accent colour after being grey for weeks! I changed nothing. However, after shutdown restart, it is back to grey! I have no idea what program or service sometimes runs in the background to change the colour so randomly.

Click to expand...

You'll have to join our next TeamsMeet..., we'll tackle it hands-on and muscle your PC into submission!!!

I have asked the same question and made several posts since Nov 2022. It is a happy surprise some evenings (not everyday or at the same time) when I click the File Explorer folder from the Taskbar and BAM! there is the title bar accent colour!I have a solid background, not a theme, and a manual accent colour. I am using light mode (don't lime dark mode and accent colour on title bar is useless there anyway), transparency on, show on title bars/borders (consistently on border but inconsistency in title bars), don't show on taskbar/start (too dark, however on the taskbar colour is a lighter version of the accent colour) However, the accent colour randomly appears. I boot each day and the bar is grey, partway through the day (not everyday) and surprise, it shows as my chosen accent colour, but reverts to grey at shutdown. I can get the title bar accent colour if I run sfc/ scannow at every restart, however, reverts to grey title bar at restart. I can also get an accent colour on the title bar if I use a theme but then my desktop icons get a drop shadow and even when selected to not show they still do, plus I don't like the theme accent colours - too dark! The accent colour only consistently shows on the browser, taskbar, paint and notepad. Why is the File Explorer title bar accent colour randomly displaying? I have tried all the different configurations and third party software. No resolve. I have reset my laptop several times and reinstalled WIN 11 with the latest updates eff Feb 2023. No resolve.