Issue with dark theme in File Explorer on Windows 11. Troubleshooting steps.
Issue with dark theme in File Explorer on Windows 11. Troubleshooting steps.
Previously, I experimented with changing the appearance of Windows 11 21H2 to a WinXP/Win98 theme. After some time, I attempted to revert it back, and everything returned to its original state except for one problem: when switching to dark mode (after using a light theme for the WinXP version), File Explorer displays folder names in black on a dark background, making them hard to view. The drive and sidebar links remain unaffected. There’s also a white bar at the top that doesn’t change. This seems to be the only issue not resolving properly. Everything works perfectly with the light theme—main window uses black text on white, and the sidebar is fine. It appears I’m stuck using the light mode, which I don’t prefer. Anyone have suggestions on how to fix this? I’ve tried restarting File Explorer, rebooting the PC, and updated through several Windows 11 versions since the problem started. I suspect I may need a complete reinstall of Windows. Thanks!
Avoid using this software again, okay? Try executing those commands in the console: SFC /scannow DISM /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth and if necessary, DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. A little tweaking of the Widows theme colors might help.
Thank you for your message. I tried running the initial commands and they produced these outcomes. Despite the SFC scan indicating repairs, and after reviewing the logs, some files were replaced with new names—though honestly I’m not sure what I was doing at the time. Still, the problem remains. Recently, I noticed the issue only appears when opening File Explorer to upload a file; it doesn’t happen otherwise. You can compare them in the attached screenshot. I won’t be messing around with reskinning again for now, though that’s certain. Just in case this happened before or if it’s a known issue with any of these tools, I’m pretty sure the programs I used—Stardock WindowBlinds, Winaero Tweaker, OpenShell, SimpleClassic Theme, and RetroBar—were involved. I only use RetroBar now because I like its appearance. Even though I’m confident I removed the others, maybe some settings from them lingered. Probably Winaero Tweaker caused the most trouble with File Explorer.
I also faced several problems with WinAero, especially concerning registry modifications which aren't very secure. Are you keeping backups regularly to enable system restore points? Any tools that automatically create them would be helpful? Restoring to the most recent stable version would be best. Consider removing all recently used tweaking applications to revert to defaults, and limit future changes since multiple hidden updates at once can cause issues. My preferred solutions are Star11 for taskbar and start, and Ashampoo Winoptimizer for other tasks.
So honestly I wasn't sure what I did at the time, but it seems I accidentally changed some settings before realizing the problem. I was using SimpleClassicTheme software. Following your advice to check all recent tweaking apps, I reinstalled it and experimented with colors, turning it on and off. It worked surprisingly well in dark mode! After that, I noticed a few oddities—like my screen going grey when opening File Explorer or the taskbar disappearing—but once I realized it fixed itself, things seemed normal again. I'm keeping an eye on it and won't make any more changes just yet.