Windows 11 finally caught up to Android phones with this long overdue feature

Everyone loves making their gadgets look and feel like proper extensions of their personality, and this is most certainly true within the PC space. As such, it’s no surprise that theme packs are just about as old as computing itself, with customizable wallpapers, colors, sounds, fonts, cursors, screensavers, and more being an integral part of modern platforms like Windows 11, macOS, Android, and Linux.

With Windows in specific, themes draw their lineage all the way back to the Microsoft Plus! add-on pack for Windows 95, with more robust “Visual Styles” debuting in Windows XP, and a full-blown theming engine arriving with the release of Windows 7. Around the time of Windows 10 in 2015, Microsoft consolidated its theming efforts by distributing individual packs directly through its digital storefront, and by allowing third-party developers to submit their own unique designs.

These days, theme packs continue to be a part of the PC experience in Windows 11, but somewhere along the way, the Microsoft Store removed its dedicated theming section which made discoverability more of a challenge. This all changes today, with the company re-introducing theme packs in a prioritized fashion via its storefront’s dedicated Themes department.

The Microsoft Store gets a new Themes department

It’s easier than ever to customize the look and feel of your Windows 11 PC

Upon updating your PC, you’ll find the all-new Themes section nested as a tab on the left-hand pane of the Microsoft Store interface. Tapping or clicking on this button will load up a purpose-built page that highlights curated theme packs, with options to sort by New releases, Top themes, Naturescapes, Miscellaneous, and more. Near the bottom of the page, there’s an Explore all themes section that lets you sort through all available options in alphabetical order.

Microsoft’s timing here is curious: while many Android phone makers provide their own in-built theming engines that tap into their respective software skins, Google only just launched a native theming engine for Pixel phones mere weeks ago. It’s possible that this reinvigorated interest in Windows platform theming is a direct response to Google’s move on Android, but it’s impossible to tell for sure.

While I applaud Microsoft’s attempts to revitalize the Windows theme pack scene, this all-new implementation isn’t the slam-dunk I was hoping it would be. As was the case in the Windows 10 era, themes from the store are currently still limited to wallpaper slideshows and custom colors — there’s no automatic swapping of system sounds, cursors, screensavers, or fonts to speak of. Considering how flexible Windows is at the platform level, I find this to be a missed opportunity.

Third-party developers are undeniably crafty, and I’d love for the floodgates to be well and truly opened up to maximize creative digital output and expression. After all, many of us spend an awful lot of our time staring at computer screens while getting work done, and a dash of extra personality would go a long way in fostering a fun and productive environment.

Interestingly, recent Windows Insider builds suggest that Microsoft is working to natively integrate live wallpapers into the OS by way of video files (via phantomofearth on X). This has me thinking: why not leverage the Microsoft Store to host third-party themes from the likes of Wallpaper Engine, Lively Wallpaper, Seelen UI, and other alternative theming systems? These days, non- Xbox games are displayed and can be launched directly from within Windows’ native Xbox app, and I don’t see why this same principle can’t also apply for system theming.

Even in its limited state here, I reckon the addition of a Themes department within the Microsoft Store is a net positive for the entire platform, simply for the increase in visibility it provides. If third-party themes catch on to a greater degree than they have in the past, I can envision Microsoft expanding their scope and scale in future updates to the operating system over time.