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c#windows-10desktop-applicationtilestartmenu

Color tiles in Windows 10 desktop apps

I noticed with the first big Windows 10 update that some desktop apps have tiles in a different color than the one I have for accent color, like Firefox, which has a dark-gray tile color:

Firefox

However, not all apps have this, and use the default accent color, like Blender.

Blender

I wonder if this change is similar to what Windows 8.1 did with an updated Start screen, in which you could set the color of a desktop app tile via XML.

I'm a novice with the Windows platforms in C#, and I think it would be nice to implement in my programs a more customized tile on the start screen, but I don't know how.

Solution

  • In a UWP app, you can set the tile background color in the app manifest, e.g.:

    <uap:VisualElements
  DisplayName="MyApp"
  Square150x150Logo="Assets\Square150x150Logo.png"
  Square44x44Logo="Assets\Square44x44Logo.png"
  Description="MyApp description"
  BackgroundColor="#ffff00">
  ...
  <uap:SplashScreen
    Image="Assets\SplashScreen.png"
    BackgroundColor="#ff0000" />
</uap:VisualElements>

    This sets the tile background to yellow, and independently sets the splash screen background to red.

    For a desktop app, this link is likely more useful.