How to Change Fonts and Colors of Desktop Items

 Last reviewed: March 11, 1997
Article ID: Q140752
95 WINDOWS 95 kbdisplay kbhowto

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 95

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, follow these steps:

  1. Use the right mouse button to click an empty area on the desktop, and then click Properties on the menu that appears.

  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 you want to use for the item.

  5. In the Size box, click the size you want to use for the item.

  6. In the Color box, click the color 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 this setting is changed. Many programs, including WordPad and Microsoft Word for Windows, use Automatic as the default font color. Any new documents created in these programs will use the new font color that you selected for the Window item.

To use a different default font color in programs that normally use Automatic as the default font color, you may be able to create a template that uses the font color you want as the default font color, and then use that template instead of the default template. For information about how to do so, consult the documentation 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 changing fonts or colors, the fonts and colors for that desktop theme are used instead of your selections.

To change the color of items on the desktop, use the same procedure as outlined above. 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

KBCategory: kbdisplay kbhowto
KBSubcategory: win95
Additional reference words: 95
Keywords : win95 kbdisplay kbhowto
Version : 95
Platform : WINDOWS

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Last reviewed: March 11, 1997
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