[Update June, 2017 – *Updated tutorial *Added new themes *Added themes preview]

Finally, some dark themes for Windows 10!

I have been waiting so long for this and I’m very happy to share the good news : you can finally get rid of the white background in Windows 10, especially the File Explorer. Don’t believe me? See it yourself in a bit:

Yes. I’m going share with you, the best and truly dark themes for Windows 10. But installing these themes isn’t as easy as you may think because these aren’t ‘official’ Microsoft approved theme but rather are custom-made themes.

Here are some snaps :

DarkTen - An Ideal Windows 10 Visual Style/Theme by sash-in

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So, if you can’t wait more the see themes like these in action, start following the steps below.

Important note : These themes and tutorial are intended ONLY for Windows 10 versions 1703(Creators update),  1607(Anniversary update) and Build 10586(November update). You must create a System restore point before you proceed any further just to have little hope in case anything goes wrong. Strictly don’t follow/use this tutorial/theme on other versions and don’t try to install theme intended for one version on another(for example, a theme for version 1703 must not be used in version 1607 and so on). Failing to do so may have ugly results (pun intended).

[ Go to Settings > System >About on your PC to see the version of Windows 10. ]

So, let’s make your desktop dark in 3 simple steps :

1. Patch and prepare Windows:

If you know your way around installing custom themes, then skip these steps. Just download and install the theme, the usual way.

However, if you’re a newbie or if you haven’t already patched your system, to be able to install 3rd party themes like these, you must bypass restrictions in Windows(by default, Windows doesn’t allow custom themes for file integrity reasons). So, do the following:

Note : If you’re running Windows 10 Build 10586(November updare), patching Windows is little more tedious. Go to this link and follow the instructions for Build 10586. Then comeback here and jump to Step 2

Download Theme patcher[for enabling 3rd party themes]. There’ll be two folders in the archive. Just extract the files from the folder corresponding to your Windows version and install the patching tools in it.

Once you finish installing patches, set your current theme to default Windows theme to avoid glitches when you apply the dark theme.

2. Download the best dark themes :

I’ve picked only the best dark themes for Windows 10. You can try any/all of them and you’ll not be disappointed.  You can also check the gallery below to preview them before downloading :

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Some of these themes have variants. Here are my favorites among them –

DarkTen| Paper | Dark Edition | arc plat dark | Arc-dark flatabulous | Version 4b

3. Install the theme :

[If you haven’t restarted your PC after patching Windows as in step 2, restart it before you install these themes]

Extract the contents of zip files you downloaded earlier (only the theme files from corresponding version folder) and place them in C:\Windows\Resources\Themes. Now, in your Themes settings, you should see the dark themes under Installed themes. Click on the desired theme to apply.

Ta-da! Enjoy your dark fantasy come true (bad pun intended, again). Hope this tutorial has brought beauty to your desktop and smile on your face 🙂

Let me know your thoughts/issues in the comment section below. You can also report broken links, if any, in comments.