Are you looking to change the look of your Windows 11 desktop, but you don’t have a Windows Activation?
Well, there are easy hacks to do that, but most users struggle to apply that. Maybe they are unsure how to do it or afraid of breaking the system. Whatever the reason, this comprehensive guide will show you how to change themes in Windows 10/11 and switch to dark mode without activating Windows. We’ll walk you through each step so that you can customize Windows desktop the way you want it.
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How to personalize Windows 10/11 without Activation?
Before moving further to apply the hacks for enabling the personalization on an unactivated Windows OS, let us discuss what’s the issue and the process to apply the fix.
When you install Windows 10 or 11 on your PC or laptop, it asks for the license key during installation. However, if you don’t have a genuine Windows license key, Windows allows you to skip this step and continue with the installation.
Although Windows will be installed without activation, you will be restricted from accessing some features, including personalization. When you try to customize any personalization settings on Windows, such as changing the background, you will get the You need to activate Windows before you can personalize your PC error message.
All the personalization options will be grayed out, and you won’t be able to configure them.
On an activated Windows 10/11 OS, you can simply change the theme either by accessing Windows settings or by downloading “.deskthemepack” from third-party sources or Microsoft repository. After downloading, just double-click on the .deskthemepack, and the theme will be installed.
However, this method won’t work on unactivated Windows OS. You need to make changes in Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor.
Change Windows 10/11 Theme Without Activating Windows using Group Policy Editor
If you are using the Pro version of Windows 10 or 11, you can easily configure the theme settings to let you change the theme without activating Windows. Here are the steps for that:
On the Windows search bar, type gpedit and click on Edit group policy to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.
Local Group Policy Editor will be launched.
Navigate to the following path: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.
On the right side, under Personalization, double-click on Prevent changing theme.
Next, click on the Disabled option and choose Apply & OK to disable Prevent changing the theme.
After applying the above steps, close the Group Policy Editor and restart your system. You will now be able to change the theme on your Windows 10/11 system without activating it.
Change Windows 10/11 Theme Without Activating Windows using Registry Editor
If you are working on Windows 10/11 Home edition, you won’t have access to Group Policy Editor.
Don’t worry; you can still change the theme on your system without activating Windows by applying a simple Registry hack.
Here are the instructions for that:
- On the Windows search bar, type Registry Editor and click on its icon to launch it.
- Copy & paste or navigate to the following path on the Registry editor window: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
- Right-click on the Explorer and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name the value as NoThemesTab.
- Double click on the NoThemesTab and ensure that the Value data is set to 0.
That’s it. Restart your system to make the changes effective.
Apply the Theme on Unactivated Windows System
After modifying the Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to configure the Windows theme settings to allow you to change the theme, it is time to download and apply the theme you like.
- Navigate to the Microsoft Desktop Theme catalog.
- Switch to the Windows version you want a theme for and expand the category of choice to download the theme.
- Click on the theme of your choice to download it.
- After the download is completed, click on it to install.
How to Switch Dark Mode without Activation in Windows 10/11?
One of the popular options in the Windows 10/11 personalization is to switch to Light or Dark Mode. By default, Windows is configured as the Light mode, and you can switch to the Dark mode pretty easily from Personalization settings. However, if your Windows is not activated, you won’t be able to switch between light and dark modes from the Settings.
If you want to switch to dark mode without activation in Windows 10/11, you can do that using a registry hack. Follow these steps:
- On the Windows search bar, type Registry Editor and click on its icon to launch it.
- Copy & paste or navigate to the following path on the Registry editor window: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
- To switch the App mode to dark, look for the AppsUseLightTheme DWORD and double-click to open it.
- Set the Value data to 0 to enable the dark mode on apps.
- Now, to switch the system theme to dark mode, look for the SystemUsesLightTheme DWORD and double-click to open it.
- Set the Value data to 0 to enable the dark mode on Windows.
That’s it. If you want to switch back to the light mode, modify the Value data of both the DWORDs to 1.
Final Words
Windows personalization is a great way to make your system look attractive and different. But if you are using the unlicensed Windows version, it becomes difficult to provide a different look to your system. In this post, we have explained how to change the theme and apply other personalization without activating the Windows using Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor. Hopefully, by following the detailed instructions in the post, you are able to customize your PC with ease.
You can change the theme on your system without activating Windows by applying a simple Registry hack, as mentioned in this post.
You can switch to dark mode without activation in Windows by following the steps mentioned in this post. Just make sure that you set the Value data of both DWORDs to 0 when making changes.
Yes, you can change the theme and other personalization settings without activating Windows. However, some features might be restricted, i.e., you might not be able to change the wallpaper or lock screen.
You can purchase a valid product key from Microsoft and enter it into your system to activate Windows. Once activated, you will have access to all features of the Operating System.
Peter is an Electrical Engineer whose primary interest is tinkering with his computer. He is passionate about Windows 10 Platform and enjoys writing tips and tutorials about it.
