How to Change Menu Background, Font, and Window Colors (164518)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
  • Microsoft Office for Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q164518

SUMMARY

You can change the background color of the Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar, the Microsoft Windows taskbar, and all Microsoft Office program windows. You can also change the font color of the Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 taskbar and Microsoft Office programs.

MORE INFORMATION

To change the background color or font color of the Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar without affecting other programs, use the following methods.

Changing the Color of the Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar

  1. On the Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar, right-click any blank area, and click Customize on the shortcut menu.
  2. In the Customize dialog box, click the View tab.
  3. On the View tab, click to clear the Use Standard Toolbar Color check box.

    Clearing the check box allows you to customize the color.
  4. Click Change Color. Click a color under Basic Colors or Custom Colors, and click Define Custom Colors to define a different color.

    To define a custom color, see step 7 in the following section.
  5. Click OK to close the Color dialog box. Click OK to close the Customize dialog box.

Changing the Background Color or Font Color

To change the background color or font color for the Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar, the Microsoft Windows 95 taskbar, and all program windows, including Microsoft Office program windows, modify the 3D Objects properties. To do this, use the following steps: NOTE: Changing the color for the 3D Objects changes the border color of all windows.

  1. On the Start menu, point to Settings and click Control Panel.
  2. In Control Panel, double-click Display.
  3. In the Display dialog box, click the Appearance tab.

    Note the colors before you make changes. If you do this, you can reuse the original colors. You can also define the current color scheme as a custom scheme so that you can easily reuse the original settings. To define a custom scheme, click Save As and type a name for the current color scheme.

    After you change the colors, you can reset the colors to the original settings. To do this, click the custom scheme in the Scheme box, and then click OK.
  4. On the Appearance tab, click 3D Objects in the Item list. If you want reuse the original setting, note the color in the Color list to the right of the Item list.
  5. Click the Color arrow and click a new color in the palette.

    To customize the color, click Other in the color palette. To define a custom color, click a color in the color palette that is close to the color you want to use. Click the color spectrum or drag the pointer in the color spectrum to adjust the color. Moving the pointer to the right of the color spectrum adjusts the darkness of the color. After you define the color you want, click Add to Custom Colors, and then click OK. If you want reuse the original Font color, note the color in the Color list to the right of the Font list.
  6. To adjust the Font color, click the Color arrow (to the right of the Font list) and click a color in the color palette or define a custom color as described in step 5.
  7. Click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box. Close the Control Panel by clicking the Close button in the upper-right corner of the window.
  8. If you change the color of 3D Objects, it may take a moment for the system update the colors of the Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar and the Microsoft Windows 95 taskbar.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:kbhowto kbui KB164518
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