Knowledge Base

How to Change Fonts and Colors of Desktop Items

Article ID: 140752

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

APPLIES TO

This article was previously published under Q140752

SUMMARY

This article describes how to change the fonts and colors for desktop items.

MORE INFORMATION

To change the fonts or colors for desktop items:
  1. Right-click an empty area on your desktop, and then click Properties.
  2. Click the Appearance tab.
  3. In the Item box, click any of the following items:
    • Active Title Bar
    • Icon
    • Inactive Title Bar
    • Menu
    • Message Box
    • Palette Title
    • Selected Items
    • ToolTip
    • Window
  4. In the Font box, click the font that you want to use for the item.
  5. In the Size box, click the size that you want to use for the item.
  6. In the Color box, click the color that you want to use for the item.

    NOTE: You cannot choose a color for the Icon and Palette Title items.
  7. To apply a bold font for an item, click that item in the Item box, and then click the B button. To italicize the font for an item, click the I button.
NOTE: If you click Window in the Item box, and then modify the font color for that item, the automatic font color that is available in many programs is also modified. Any documents that use the automatic font color are affected if you change this setting. Many programs, including WordPad and Microsoft Word for Windows, use automatic as the default font color. Any new documents that you create in these programs use the new font color that you select for the Window item.

To use a different default font color in programs that use automatic as the default font color, you may be able to create a template that uses the font color that you want as the default font color, and then use that template instead of the default template. For information about how to do this, view the documentation that is included with the program, or contact the program manufacturer.

As you modify items, note their appearance in the window. Note that you must use the same font and size for the Active Title Bar and Inactive Title Bar items, and that bold or italic selections for either item are applied to both items. If you choose a desktop theme after you change fonts or colors, the fonts and colors for that desktop theme are used instead of your selections.

You can change the color of any desktop item except the following items:
  • Caption Buttons
  • Icon
  • Icon Spacing (Horizontal)
  • Icon Spacing (Vertical)
  • Message Box
  • Palette Title
  • Scrollbar
You can change the size of the following items:
  • Active Title Bar
  • Active Window Border
  • Caption Buttons
  • Icon
  • Icon Spacing (Horizontal)
  • Icon Spacing (Vertical)
  • Inactive Title Bar
  • Inactive Window Border
  • Menu
  • Palette Title
  • Scrollbar
  • Selected Items

How to Troubleshoot Video Problems

If you are having problems changing your display settings, view the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

127139 Troubleshooting Video Problems in Windows

Keywords: kbdisplay kbenv kbfaq kbfaq kbhowto KB140752


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