WinPaletter

WinPaletter is back! Project Scope:

This return release concentrates on cleaning up legacy issues and providing a better-honed experience. While significant new features are not anticipated, the goal is to place the project in a stable, workable condition.

Area	Update Description	Progress
Windows 8 Support	Adding support for Windows 8 build 9200 (and builds below Windows 8.1)	⌛ In progress
Bugs fixes	Fix reported and non reported bugs and issues	⌛ In progress
Simplified UI Components	Streamlined user interface for enhanced workflow	⌛ In progress
Wiki rewrite	Wiki will be improved and rewritten to make users can understand WinPaletter more after its massive UI refresh	⌛ In progress
Logging System	New "WinPaletter Log" for sophisticated user diagnostics	⌛ In progress
Developer Support	Better in-code documentation and organized comments for developers	⌛ In progress
System Restore Point	Automatically create a restore point before applying any theme	✔️ Done
Multi-user Improvements	More stable and predictable behavior in multi-user scenarios	✔️ Done
WinPaletter setup	A setup dialog will appear on first launch, allowing you to configure WinPaletter preferences to best suit your needs	✔️ Done

Important

Development during this comeback phase will be limited. The developer will be available only one or two days per week (or every two weeks), and not for the full day. As a result, progress will be slower compared to the more active development period prior to archiving.

Warning

Development may stop in February 2026, and the project will be archived once more. This end is not confirmed.

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WinPaletter is a portable tool designed to elevate your Windows desktop experience. Whether you're a designer, developer, or someone who loves personalization, WinPaletter offers an intuitive interface and robust features to streamline the management and application of colors and effects on your Windows system.

With WinPaletter, you can customize a wide range of Windows aspects, including Windows Colors, Visual Styles, Classic Colors, Lock screen (LogonUI), Cursors, Metrics and Fonts, Terminals and Consoles, wallpaper, sounds, screen savers, Windows effects (tweaks), and Windows icons according to your preferences.

Key Features

• Intuitive Interface: WinPaletter boasts a user-friendly interface, making color palette management accessible to users of all levels of expertise.

• Themes Import/Export: Explore a world of creativity with the ability to import and export themes. Visit the WinPaletter Store to discover a diverse collection of themes shared by the community.

• Real-time Preview: Witness your color choices come to life with the real-time preview feature, allowing you to fine-tune your color scheme effortlessly.

Getting Started

1. Requirements:

Windows Version	Supported WinPaletter Version	.NET Framework 4.8 Requirement
11	Any version	Pre-installed
10	Any version	Might require manual update if build is less than 1709
8.1	1.0.5.0+	Install from Microsoft
8	1.0.9.5+	Install via custom method
7	1.0.5.0+	Install from Microsoft
Vista	1.0.7.1+	Requires repacked version — see guide
XP	1.0.7.1+	Requires OneCoreAPI + repacked version — see guide

3. Download:

   • You can download the latest release from the releases page.

     Note: It is the first source to be updated.

   • Alternatively, you can use:

     • Microsoft WinGet:

       winget install Abdelrhman-AK.WinPaletter -l "UnzipPath"

     • Chocolatey:

       choco install WinPaletter or choco install WinPaletter --version x.x.xx

     • Visit this for advanced instructions.

4. Launch: Once downloaded, launch WinPaletter and start exploring its features to enhance your desktop aesthetics.

Wiki (Help)

Click here to learn more about WinPaletter.

Changelog

Click here to view all changes that have been made to WinPaletter since its initial release.

Languages

Click here to get languages for WinPaletter.

Do you have an antivirus or browser issue?

Click here to read instructions.

Credits

WinPaletter is developed and maintained by Abdelrhman-AK and the incredible open-source community:

• Modifying Modern Windows Elements Inspired by u/aveyo and u/Egg-Tricky on Reddit: Link 1, Link 2

• Patching UxTheme.dll to apply unsigned Visual Styles by SecureUxTheme, developed by namazso

• 3D and flat degrees modification in 3D objects (Classic Colors) is inspired by Desktop Architect

• Colors picking controls by Cyotek

• Image to palette conversion mechanism by ColorThief, developed by KSemenenko

• Bitmap effects powered by ImageProcessor

• Bitmaps to cursors conversion mechanism developed by Evan Olds

• Retrieving elements of Windows XP visual styles (*.msstyles) using the Advanced UxTheme wrapper

• Extracting elements from visual styles (*.msstyles) using nptr/msstyleEditor

• Patching PE files by Ressy, developed by Tyrrrz

• Handling JSON files using Newtonsoft JSON by James Newton-King

• Processing and handling command lines arguments by CommandLineParser

• Icons designed by Pichon

• Animation and transition effects for controls by FluentTransitions, developed by Andreas Wäscher

• Animation for Controls by Pavel Torgashov

• Modern dialogs design (messages boxes) by Ookii.Dialogs.WinForms

• Using JetBrainsMono as a monospaced font for WinPaletter

• These items are provided by Microsoft: Classic color schemes, Luna theme preview (Luna.msstyles) and Command Prompt and PowerShell raster fonts previews

License

WinPaletter is licensed under the MIT/LGPL Dual License. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute it in accordance with the terms of the license.