There is a new “Themes” section in the Microsoft Store for Windows 11. It contains hundreds of curated themes including background images, theme colors, and other visual elements that you can download and apply with a single click. The new Themes section is designed to make personalization easier for users.
As users have become accustomed to rich themes on smartphones and tablets, Microsoft has had to deal with increasing complaints that Windows PCs don’t offer the same level of customization (with the same level of usability). The new theme section contains over 400 themes, “of which over 35 are new to the store.”
Although there’s a new way to discover themes, managing them through the Settings app remains a familiar experience. Although Windows allows users to customize their desktop with wallpapers, color schemes, and sounds, the new update streamlines the theme detection process.
Store-first themes streamline customization
Whether you want seasonal wallpapers, color-matching accents, or officially licensed packs of popular games and franchises, the new themed section should have it all. Microsoft also highlights some topics on the official blog page, including Luminous Flow, Mountain Dwellings, Dreamscapes, Sea of Thieves Official, and Blooming Dimensions.
If you’ve always wanted to customize the look of your Windows 11 desktop or laptop but the lack of a consolidated solution has stopped you from doing so, this update should make that easier as it’s easy to find in the dedicated Themes section and can be installed with one click, eliminating the hassle of manually selecting everything.
Microsoft’s shift to a store-first themes strategy reflects a broader effort to centralize content and experiences in the Microsoft Store, similar to how app discovery works there. In the future, we should see more curated topic collections and personalized recommendations in the Topics section.
In the meantime, long-time users may want to archive their favorite topics before the old web gallery disappears.
