How to Change the Highlight Color in Windows 10

If you’d like to customize your Windows 10 interface by changing the highlight color, this guide will show you how to do it easily. The highlight color is what you see when selecting text, files, or other elements. In Windows 10, you can adjust this through system settings or by editing the registry.

Method 1: Changing the Highlight Color via Windows Settings

  1. Open Settings. Click the Start menu and select Settings, or press Win + I.
  2. Go to the “Personalization” section. In the Settings window, choose the Colors tab.
  3. Select your desired accent color. Scroll down to the “Choose your accent color” section and pick one of the suggested colors or click on Custom Color to define your own.
  4. Enable settings for highlight color. Scroll further down and ensure that the options “Show accent color on the following surfaces” are checked for both Start, taskbar, and action center and Title bars and window borders.

After following these steps, your chosen color will be applied as the system accent, including the highlight color.

Method 2: Changing the Highlight Color via the Registry Editor

This method requires care, as incorrect registry changes can affect system functionality. It’s recommended to create a system restore point before starting.

  1. Open the Registry Editor. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to the appropriate section. Open the folder path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors.
  3. Locate the “Highlight” entry. On the right side, find the entry named Highlight, which controls the highlight color.
  4. Change the color value. Double-click on the “Highlight” entry and enter a new RGB value (for example, type “255 0 0” for red).
  5. Restart your computer. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

Now the highlight color will be changed to the one you specified. This method offers more customization options than the Settings menu, allowing you to use any color you prefer.