Can’t Change Color of Taskbar on Windows 11? Here’s How to Fix It

Wondering how to change the color of taskbar on Windows 11?

Windows 11 taskbar comes with lots of improvements. It has a center alignment, redesigned Start button, and new buttons for Search, Task View, Widgets, and Chat. Also, there are new animations for launching, minimizing, maximizing, and installing applications, and Microsoft is improving many aspects of the system tray.

Recently, several users reported that they are having issues with changing the color of the taskbar on Windows 11. We had a look into this issue and discovered that it can be caused by a number of reasons including the ones mentioned below:

  • Windows 11 is not activated on your PC
  • You are trying to modify the accent color of the Start menu and taskbar using Light Mode

If you are facing a similar issue, you are in the right place because in this guide, we will walk you through relevant troubleshooting steps in detail. 

Let’s get started!

1. Activate Windows 11 Installation.

When it comes to convincing potential users to activate Windows 11, Microsoft has taken things even further, as it does not allow the users with unactivated Windows 11 to make changes like the one under consideration.

Changing the color of your Windows 11 taskbar isn’t possible unless your operating system is activated, in which case you’ll need to obtain a current license key.

Once you do that, here is what you need to do next:

  1. Type Activation settings in the search bar and click Open.
  2. In the Activation window, check if the Activation state is set to Active
  3. If not, then click on the Change button and insert a viable license key in the next window. 

Wait for the activation process to complete and then restart your PC.

2. Try Using CleanMyPC.

How recently did you clean up your computer and remove files that were taking up too much space? Most likely, you are experiencing the error under consideration because you haven’t removed these corrupt junk files recently. 

The simplest way to remove these junk files is by using an efficient PC cleaner. If you’re looking for a recommendation, we recommend CleanMyPC

Install CleanMyPC on your PC

A simple yet effective cleaner, CleanMyPC will scan your operating system and fix any issues on its own. It comes with a wide range of system maintenance tools like a Multi-Uninstaller, Registry Cleaner, and Speed Booster that can take care of all your PC-related issues in no time. 

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3. Switch to Dark Mode.

The greyed-out option of changing the accent color of Start menu and Taskbar is most likely an indication that you’re using Light mode, since this mode cannot benefit from this menu.

If you would like to change your start menu and taskbar to a custom color, you can do so by switching to dark mode. 

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Launch Windows Settings by pressing Windows + I keys simultaneously on your PC.
  2. Select Personalization from the left pane and then click on Colors in the right pane.
  3. In the next window, expand the drop-down menu against Choose your mode and select Dark.
  1. You should now see the Show accent color on the Start and Taskbar option on your screen. Click on it and customize the taskbar as desired.

This brings us to the end of our guide on ways to fix the color changing issue of taskbar on Windows 11. We tried walking you through all the steps in detail and hope that one of the methods mentioned in this post did the trick for you. In case you still have any confusion about the steps, please let us know in the comment section below!

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Zainab Falak

    Zainab Falak is a staff writer for Saint and an expert in Microsoft Windows, having authored more than 200 posts. She has a Bachelors in Actuarial Sciences and her passion for computers extends to exploring various aspects, from UI customization to the Windows registry and exploring error codes. Twitter LinkedIn

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