Apply Accent Color Only to Taskbar in Windows 10

This guide shows you how to make only the Windows 10 taskbar display your chosen accent color, while keeping the Start menu, action center, and title bars in their default dark or light appearance. You’ll need to have the accent color feature enabled in Settings; the steps below take about two minutes.

What You’ll Need

A Windows 10 PC with an account that has administrator privileges (to change color settings).
Access to the Settings app (press Windows + I).
A chosen accent color in mind (any color from the palette or a custom one).

Step-by-Step

Open Settings. Press Windows + I on your keyboard, or click the Start button and then the gear icon.
Go to Personalization. In the Settings window, click Personalization (usually the first icon).
Select Colors. In the left sidebar, click Colors.
Choose your accent color. Under the “Choose your accent color” section, pick a color from the swatches, or click Custom color to use the color picker. This is the color that will appear on the taskbar.
Turn off “Show accent color on the following surfaces.” Look for the toggle labeled “Show accent color on the following surfaces”. If it is On, click it to turn it Off. This removes the accent color from the Start menu, action center, and title bars.
Enable “Show accent color on Start and taskbar.” Below the previous toggle, you’ll see “Show accent color on Start and taskbar”. Turn this On. This applies the accent color only to the taskbar and the Start menu (if you have the Start menu set to show color).
Optionally, disable Start menu color. If you want the accent color ONLY on the taskbar and not on the Start menu, you need to set the Start menu to a solid color that is not the accent color. Go back to the Colors page, scroll to the top, and under “Choose your default app mode”, select Dark (or Light). This changes the Start menu background to black (or white) instead of the accent color. Now the accent color will appear only on the taskbar.
Verify the change. Close Settings. The taskbar should now show the accent color, while the Start menu and action center do not.

Common Mistakes

Leaving “Show accent color on the following surfaces” on. If this is on, the accent color will also appear on the Start menu, action center, and title bars, defeating the purpose.
Not adjusting the default app mode. If you leave the default app mode set to “Custom” with “Show accent color on Start” enabled, the Start menu will still show the accent color even if you turned off the first toggle. Make sure the Start menu’s color is set to a solid dark or light, not accent.
Choosing a very light accent color. If you pick a near-white color, the taskbar icons may be hard to see against it. Choose a medium or dark accent for best visibility.

Tips

Use the Custom color picker to match your wallpaper or theme exactly. Click the “+” button next to “Custom color” to open the color wheel.
If you want the taskbar to be a specific color that isn’t in the palette, use the custom color option and enter the RGB values.
You can quickly toggle the accent color on/off for the taskbar by repeating steps 5-6. It’s a two-click process once you’re in the Colors settings.
If you have multiple monitors, the accent color applies to all taskbars. There is no built-in way to have different colors per monitor.

Troubleshooting

The taskbar does not change color. First, make sure you turned on “Show accent color on Start and taskbar”. If it’s already on, try turning it off and on again. Also check that you have selected a color – the default blue might not be noticeable if your taskbar is already dark.
The Start menu still shows the accent color. This happens if “Show accent color on the following surfaces” is on. Turn that off. If it’s already off, check your default app mode – if it’s set to “Custom”, you may have “Show accent color on Start” enabled in the “Choose your default app mode” section. Set the mode to “Dark” or “Light” to force the Start menu to use that background.
After an update, the accent color disappeared. Windows updates sometimes reset personalization settings. Re-apply the steps above. If the issue persists, restart your PC.
Taskbar icons are hard to read. If you chose a light accent color, switch to a darker one, or change the taskbar icon color by going to Settings > Personalization > Colors and scrolling to “More options” – but note that Windows 10 does not allow you to change taskbar icon color directly; it automatically uses white or black based on the background. So pick a contrasting accent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have the accent color only on the taskbar, not on the Start menu? Yes. Turn off “Show accent color on the following surfaces” and turn on “Show accent color on Start and taskbar”. Then set the default app mode to Dark or Light so the Start menu uses that solid color instead of the accent.

Why is the “Show accent color on Start and taskbar” toggle grayed out? This toggle is only available when “Show accent color on the following surfaces” is turned off. If it’s grayed out, go back and turn off the first toggle, then it will become active.

Does this work on all editions of Windows 10? Yes, the personalization settings are available on Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. However, some older builds (pre-1903) may have slightly different wording. The steps are essentially the same.

Can I set a different accent color for the taskbar than for other elements? No, Windows 10 uses a single accent color for all accent-colored elements. You cannot have a different color for the taskbar versus the Start menu. The workaround is to turn off accent for other surfaces, as described.

Will this affect the color of the action center? The action center will only show the accent color if “Show accent color on the following surfaces” is on. Turning it off removes the accent from the action center, so it will use the default dark or light background.

How do I reset to the default taskbar color? Go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and turn off “Show accent color on Start and taskbar”. The taskbar will revert to the default dark or light color based on your app mode.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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