Most often than not, we find ourselves struggling with the lighting of our monitor screens. For one, it can be very bad because of eye strain, especially if it is too bright. This is often caused when the contrast is set too high, or the color scheme is composed of bright colors.
No matter the reason, it doesn’t change the fact that it can be bad for you. Although it would still be annoying, you can at least try some methods to reduce the eye strain, and one of those is to use the Windows 7 dark theme. Fortunately, we have in this article four ways to achieve this personalization. Let’s start with the first one.
1. ‘High Contrast Black’ Windows 7 Dark Theme2. Third-Party Theme Tools3. Browser-Exclusive Themes4. Dark ModeConclusionConclusion
1. ‘High Contrast Black’ Windows 7 Dark Theme
When trying to find a method for doing something, we try to find first and foremost the easiest method. That also applies to use the Windows 7 dark theme. Since there are four methods, we’ll be discussing the easiest one out of all of them first. This leads us to the High Contrast Black personalization.
Every Windows PC has the ability to change its themes through its Personalization. And that would be what we’re doing right now. Here’s how you can access ‘High Contrast Black’:
Access Windows Personalization.
On you, Windows PC, head to the desktop. On the desktop, right-click then click on Personalization which should be the last option from the resulting menu. If you can’t do this, then you may also access the Windows Personalization by pressing the Win key on your keyboard then type in “Personalization”. Now select the first option that pops up.
Enable High Contrast Black.
There, you will see different themes. It should be categorized as My Themes, Aero Themes, and Basic and High Contrast Themes. Under Basic and High Contrast Themes, there should be a High Contrast Black option. Upon selecting this option, the screen will load up to the theme. Once it’s done, close the Personalization window to apply and save the changes.
That is pretty much everything you need to know in order to change your Windows theme. Of course, you have more options other than High Contrast Black, but it is what we suggest if you want to reduce eye strain as much as possible. To give you a better idea, here are some of your options for each category:
- Aero Themes. (1)DefaultWindows 7 themes, (2) Characters, (3) Landscapes, (4) Scenes, (5) Nature, (6) Architecture, and lastly, the (7) the theme which depends on your country
- Basic and High Contrast Themes. (1)Windows 7 Basic, (2) Classic, (3) High Contrast #1 and (4) High Contrast #2, (5) High Contrast White, and (6) High Contrast Black
To close, there are 13 themes that are available to users by default, seven from Aero Themes and six from Basic and High Contrast Themes. However, if you’re planning on reducing the eye strain, we suggest just picking from the six in the latter category. Additionally, you may add themes by yourself, but that would require a different method, and that is by using third-party software.
2. Third-Party Theme Tools
For most users, the 13 options can be a bit lacking. They are restricted by this number, but that’s not always the case, especially for professionals. This is because they are knowledgeable about the use of third-party tools.
Unfortunately, it is not very easy for someone like a beginner to learn how to use such tools. There is a due process, and it may take a while for you to master. So without further ado, let’s head to our first step.
Preparing for Installation
Basically, you will have to do preparations first, which is very understandable. This is because most of the time, you won’t be able to install third-party theme tools let alone get the Windows 7 dark theme without preparing to some extent.
With that said, you will have to first install a hack that enables you to install third-party tools. This particular hack is a ThemePatcher. It is very easy to install. Simply head to this link then download the program. Once that’s done, double-click on the setup file to install it. You will then be prompted to restart the computer, or you may also postpone it. The decision’s up to you.
This patch would enable you to download files for themes and use them according to your own volition. The themes installed by the users usually appears in the Personalization window. However, you will have to drag the downloaded themes into the Themes folder.
Selecting the Theme
Now that you are able to get the theme of your choosing, you might want to download the themes that fit your criteria as a Windows 7 dark theme.
However, every theme that you get will have different appearances. Some of the themes even created their own fonts and icons. With all the possibilities, it might be tricky for you to get the most suitable theme. Lucky for you, we have some examples of the best themes out there for reducing eye strain.
- Dark Agility. The Dark Agility theme is what you would expect from the name. Most of the objects you will see on your screen with this theme on is dark. However, it’s not one of the themes that change even the icon and fonts so it’s still the same old interface you were using before.
- Dark Pearl VS. While Dark Agility may be very dark, Dark Pearl VS has lighter color. With this theme, the majority of your screen would be color gray, with some having a darker color. It’s a great option if you don’t want to have a screen that is too dark.
- Abisso 2014. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that this Windows 7 dark theme is the darkest of them all. Perhaps the only colors that would stand out other than black are blue and white which is the color of texts and icons.
- Steam VS. As you might expect from the name, Steam VS, it is a theme that features the same colors used in the Steam app. That would mean that it is the perfect Windows 7 dark theme for those that frequent the said gaming platform.
These are the top four recommendations that we have for people who want to get Windows 7 dark themes through third-party themes. Each has its own appeal, but it’s entirely up to you whether you choose any of them.
Now if it’s not Windows 7 dark theme that you’re really looking for, then perhaps you need a different solution for your screen problem. Now our next entry will be most suited for those that only use their computers for browsing.
3. Browser-Exclusive Themes
Sometimes, forcing your eyes to adjust to your screen that you look at 24/7 will do more harm than good. Thus, we suggest only changing the color scheme of your browser, in case you use your computer mostly for browsing. This takes us to browser-exclusive themes.
These kinds of themes will only apply to your browser and not on the entire computer system. Thus, it’s the most suitable option for reducing eye strain without having to adjust too much. Here’s how you can download and use Chrome themes:
- On your computer, launch the Chrome browser.
- Now on the Chrome browser, head to the More icon represented by three dots which should be located at the top-right corner of the page.
- From the resulting menu, select Settings.
- On the left part of the Settings page, click on Appearance.
- Then, click on Themes.
- You will be taken to the Chrome Web Store. From there, find the theme that you want to use. We suggest heading to the Dark & Black Theme section so it can represent the Windows 7 dark theme that you are looking for.
- Once you select the theme that you want, click on the Add to Chrome The browser will download the required theme files, and apply it automatically.
At this point, you now have the theme that you want to use on your browser. The only downside to this is that it may cause problems if the browser theme files were corrupted. And for that reason, we personally recommend the following reliable themes:
- Slinky Elegant. The Slinky Elegant theme is one of the most popular themes. In addition to its color scheme, it also boasts convenience and simplicity.
- Just Black. This theme is perhaps the simplest even among the popular Windows 7 dark theme out there. It simply changes the color of your browser to black. No more, no less, perfect for those that don’t want to adjust too much to the color.
Those are just our recommendations. You may also look for a theme yourself. After all, there should be hundreds of options from the Chrome Web Store. Either way, let’s head to our next and last way to get Windows 7 dark theme.
4. Dark Mode
Our final entry is the Dark Mode. The Dark Mode is a feature in Windows that is quite similar to the High Contrast Black in a way that it can be acquired without using third-party tools. You only have to use the built-in platforms of Windows.
Here’s how to enable the Dark Mode on Windows 7:
- From the desktop or the search bar on the Start menu, head to Personalization >Windows Color.
- Scroll down and click the Dark option under "Choose your app mode".
This will change the colors of your Windows 7 operating system to dark. Of course, since it is only the colors that we changed, there will be no change in appearances of fonts, icons, and such.
Additionally, the colors will reflect other apps as well, such as File Explorer, browsers, and other software installed on the system. Unfortunately, there may be models of Windows that don’t support this Dark Mode setup, so we suggest that you look for other options as well and not rely solely on the Dark Mode.
Conclusion
These are the four different ways for you to get the Windows 7 dark theme that you want. It may not be easy to get the theme that you want, but it would still be worth a shot considering that it would bring benefits to your eyes. Nevertheless, remember to use your computer in moderation so that you can let your eyes rest from the stress given off by the computer screen. Hopefully, this would help you be more productive when using your PC.
/