How to Create Your Own High Contrast Theme in Windows 11

Getting to the Contrast Theme Settings

Windows 11 high contrast settings are easy to find right in the main Settings app, under the Accessibility tab.

1. ⚙️ Open Settings: Click the ⊞ Start button. It’s usually in the bottom-left corner. Then, click the gear icon to open ⚙️ the Settings app.
2. Go to Accessibility: In ⚙️ the Settings window, look for “Accessibility.” Click on it.
3. Find Contrast Themes: In the Accessibility section, you’ll see “Contrast themes.” Click this.

This is where you can change the colors. You’ll see some pre-made themes. You can also turn them on or off here.

Customizing Your Own High Contrast Theme

Windows 11's default high contrast theme allows easy customization, letting users personalize screen colors for better visibility. This personalization helps individuals with vision impairments see text and elements more clearly on their computer screens, improving the overall user experience.

1. Choose a Starting Theme: You start customizing from one of the existing themes. Pick one from the dropdown that is closest to what you want, or just pick any theme to start editing.
2. Enter Editing Mode: After picking a theme, click the “Edit” button below the dropdown menu. This opens the color editing panel.

See the Screen Elements: You’ll see a list of different parts of Windows that you can change the color for. These include:

• Background: The color of most windows and the desktop.
• Text: The color of normal text you see, like in documents or on websites.
• Hyperlinks: The color of links on the web.
• Inactive Text: The color for text that is not active or is grayed out.
• Selected Text: The color when you highlight text or choose an item in a list. For example, if you select text in a Word document, this is the background color of that selection.
• Button Text: The color of the text on buttons.

Pick Your Colors: For each part you want to change, click the colored box next to its name. A color palette will show up.

• Click a color in the palette to choose it.
• Below the palette, there’s a slider. Use this to make the color brighter or less bright.

Windows 11's high contrast settings allow users to customize colors for specific parts. After choosing a color for an element, click 'Done.' Repeat this color selection process for all other parts you want to change. Consider how the chosen colors appear together, ensuring text clearly stands out from its background. For instance, bright yellow text on a black background is a popular high contrast choice, and users are encouraged to experiment with different combinations.

Saving Your Custom Theme

Saving your custom high contrast theme in Windows 11 is simple, letting you easily switch back to your personalized look anytime.

1. Name Your Theme: A box will appear asking for a name for your new theme. Give it a clear name, like “My Bright Text Theme” or “Easy Reader.”
2. Save Your Custom Theme: After you finish editing colors and click “Done” for the last part, you’ll be back on the main Contrast themes screen. Look for a button that says “Save as.” Click it.
3. Finish and Apply: After typing the name, click “Save.” Then, make sure your new theme is selected in the “Contrast themes” dropdown menu. Click “Apply” one last time.

Your personalized high contrast theme is now active! You can switch between this theme and others anytime from the same settings menu.

Saving your Windows 11 theme changes regularly prevents data loss. Users should use the "Save as" option and assign a unique name to each saved version, such as "My Theme v2." This practice ensures that older, preferred theme configurations remain accessible and that progress is not lost if errors occur during modification.

Turning Off High Contrast Mode

Turning off high contrast mode in Windows 11 is simple: just go back to Accessibility settings and pick ‘None’ from the contrast themes list.

1. Go Back to Settings: ⚙️ Open Settings (⊞ Start button > Gear icon).
2. Go to Accessibility: Click “Accessibility.”
3. Select Contrast Themes: Click “Contrast themes.”
4. Choose “None”: In the “Contrast themes” dropdown menu, select the option that says “None.”
5. Apply the Changes: Click the “Apply” button.

Just as when you turned it on, Windows will display a “Please wait” screen for a moment while it restores your default colors. You’re back to normal!

High contrast mode in Windows 11 uses the keyboard shortcut Left Alt+← Shift + Print Screen. This shortcut effectively turns high contrast mode on and off. Users can press the three keys together to activate or deactivate the feature.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/windows/change-color-contrast-in-windows

Summary

Creating a custom high contrast theme in Windows 11 makes your computer easier and more comfortable to use, especially if you have vision problems or want to reduce eye strain.