With the default settings, Windows 11 uses a light color theme. As a result, the Start menu and the taskbar have a white color by default.
If you like to customize your operating system, you may also want to change the default color of the Windows 11 taskbar.
Windows 11 offers several options for customizing your taskbar. One of them is the ability to display colors on the taskbar.
Tip: Make Windows 11 taskbar dark / black again without enabling dark mode.
Here’s how to change the taskbar color in Windows 11.
Set your own color for the Windows 11 taskbar
NOTE 1: You cannot set different colors for the Start menu and the taskbar in Windows 11. As a result, when you set a color for the taskbar, the same color will automatically be applied to the Start menu as well.
Step 1: Open the Settings app. Click on Personalization in the left pane, and then click Colors On the right side.
Step 2: At Choose your mode drop-down menu, select the Personalized option.
Step 3: In the drop-down menu next to Choose your default Windows mode, Please select Dark. Then select the Light option from the drop-down box next to the Choose your default application mode option. Please refer to the image below for clarity.
Step 4: Click on Accentuate the color to expand it.
Step 5: To change the color of the taskbar, you must configure Windows 11 to display the accent color on the taskbar. By default, Windows 11 does not display the accent color on the Start and taskbar.
To do that, turn on the Show accent color on Start and taskbar option. The current accent color should now appear on the taskbar and in the Start menu. If you want to change the color for another, you should also follow the next step.
Problem solving: If Show Accent Color on Start and the taskbar is dimmed, you probably haven’t set the correct Windows and application modes. See the instructions in Step 2 and Step 3 to enable the option.
Step 6: Then if you want to change the color, select the Handbook drop-down menu option next to Accentuate the color (same way as shown in the image below) and then click on a color tile to apply the color. If you want to set a color other than the one in the list, click the See colors , play with the color mixer and select a color of your choice.
Finally, click on the Done button.
NOTE 2: Make sure the Accentuate the color is established in Handbook (see image above). If you set it to Automatic, Windows 11 will automatically choose a color to match the current desktop background / wallpaper. If you want to set a color of your choice, you must select the Handbook option.
Tip: You can use Windows hotkey + S to quickly open the search drop-down menu.
You may also be interested in how to display color in title bars and window borders in Windows 11 guide.