msstyleEditor

msstyleEditor is a lightweight, portable program that enables you to edit themes in Windows, namely the pre-existing msstyles files. Simply put, the application allows you to edit your Windows themes without the help of a PE resource tool or HEX editor.

First off, before you proceed to modify anything, it is recommended you create a system restore point, as editing themes can break your operating system. You need to patch Windows with SecureUxTheme or UltraUXThemePatcher in order to be able to apply any changes. The application is portable, so simply decompress and run the executable to get started.

The interface comes with three different tabs, namely the first tab that lists the classes in a tree view, the preview area and the third tab that shows the editable attributes. The latter becomes available when accessing a part from the first tab. The properties are grouped based on their state and you can add, remove or edit accordingly. When there are too many properties, parts of classes, you can consider using the Ctrl + F hotkey to search for something specific.

It is important to note that the program doesn’t allow you to create themes from scratch, so you need to look for other third-party tools for that. The role is to help you explore the details of the themes installed and make visual modifications by adding/removing/modifying the majority of properties, as well as extract and replace images.

Another noteworthy limitation of the application include the lack of preview, which can essentially cause a lot of issues, unless you really know your way around the classes and properties. Lastly, the tool doesn’t allow you to add new fonts and solely supports PNG images.

In the eventuality that you want to make some visual changes to your current Windows theme, then perhaps you can consider giving msstyleEditor a try.