How to Install & Use 3rd Party (Custom) Themes in Windows 7?

Windows 7 look is very much similar to Vista with a few minor changes here and there and if you are a customization lover like me, you might want to change its look and apply some 3rd party themes. But the question is, how to use 3rd party themes in Windows 7?

Like other Windows versions, Windows 7 also doesn't allow 3rd party themes to be used by default and you'll need to patch following 3 system files to be able to use 3rd party themes in Windows 7:

uxtheme.dll
themeui.dll
themeservice.dll

All these 3 files are stored in "%windir%\System32" folder. Manually patching these files is a risky and time consuming task, so we are sharing a small utility which can help you in patching these files easily and quickly.

"Universal Theme Patcher" is an excellent UxTheme Patcher which supports Windows XP SP2/SP3, Server 2003, Vista SP1/SP2, Server 2008 and Windows 7. It can be used in both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) systems.

You can download it using following links:

Download Link

Mirror1

Mirror2

Following are simple steps to use this awesome tool:

1. You just need to run its EXE file and it'll ask you to select the language:

2. Click on OK button and it'll detect the OS and condition of the system files. It'll show you the information and will ask you for confirmation:

3. Click on Yes button. Now you'll see the main interface of this tool. You just need to click on the "Patch" button given for each file:

4.Once you patch a file, the "Restore" button gets activated so that you can restore the default file in future:

5. Restart your system and you'll be able to use 3rd party themes in Windows 7 without any problem.

6. At last simply copy the .theme file and its theme folder to "%windir%\Resources\Themes" folder (where %windir% means "Windows" directory present in system drive where Windows 7 is installed. Most probably C: drive). Now double-click on .theme file and it'll apply the theme or you can apply it using Desktop Personalization window.

Following is a screenshot of Windows 7 RTM using 3rd party theme "Gel XP Blue":

PS: It supports all Windows 7 builds including public Beta and RC.

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This article was posted in 7 Themes, Troubleshooting, Windows 7.

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50 Comments

Michele

i have a problem, i have x84 and there's one more file i need to patch but the program wont let me do it. help?
bob

I just download that and patched it. How do I delete this?
JohnnakosGreece

Man it works! nice job! actually i spent 30 min to apply theme because it's complicated...
Can you tell me some another themes for download? Also i would appreciate if you tell me if I can apply vista themes on windows 7....
VG

^^ Vista themes don't work in Windows 7. You can try following link which contains lots of Windows 7 themes:

http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/skins/windows7/
Guest

hey,
im running a windows7 home basic build 7600
is there any way for me to patch my system files?
"Universal Theme Patcher" didn't work.
VG

^^ Did you try VistaGlazz?
Guest

yepp, i tried, failed again
im gonna cry
gearboy

i tired patching my windows 7 ultimate and restarted, but the windows luna themes you made dont work...
danx

I want to ask you how to create installations such as (Seven Transformation)
because I am very interested,
I also have been made:
shell32.dll
msgina.dll
mydocs.dll
Ntoskrnl.exe
xpsp1res.dll

please help me
Thomas

I've translated \lang file to French. Shared here:
http://flameupload.com/files/3KFWUGEQ/ThemePatcher_FRA.zip