Change Color Scheme in Office 2013?

Hi All,

First let me apologize, I am of limited technical capability.  I just installed Office 365 (Feb 1, 2013) and found the really light color of the ribbon area to be highly distracting.  I was hoping I could get it back to the soft blue color I eventually got use to in Office 2010.  But I could only figure out how to get light gray or dark gray.  I am absolutely convinced these are not the only options Microsoft would build into the program (I mean who would intentionally do that?).  But as I say, I am limited in my capabilities.  Could someone tell me how to change the color scheme?

Thanks a bunch,

Jeff

February 2nd, 2013 3:55am

You can have any color you like as long as it's gray... and yes, they are the only options at this time.
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February 2nd, 2013 6:47am

 I am absolutely convinced these are not the only options Microsoft would build into the program (I mean who would intentionally do that?).  

You can't change the color scheme. You can't buy or add-in any additional themes. You also can't program any themes yourself. Microsoft is not planning on releasing any more themes at this time either. Microsoft really did intentionally limit the color choice to gray. Microsoft can't seem to explain to anyone in any coherent manner why this was a good idea. There are no case studies we can see that would explain this. There have been zero (and I mean ZERO) attempts to explain to us why this was a good thing. It was a completely boneheaded decision apparently made by a few "managers" at Microsoft that have some serious eye-related problems they wish to foister upon the rest of the world.

I've seen suggestions to simply add a simple theme color picker wheel to the Office theme choices (or just adhere to the user designated OS choice) - which would solve the problem for everyone . You know, something that would take any other programmer only a few hours to code and implement and is documented 10000 times. Something they teach in beginning programming classes to 3rd graders. Unfortunately this feature appears to be completely baffling to the Office coders and they can't implement any color anymore. They've gone completely color stupid apparently. The next version of Office, I hear, is going to be black text on a black background with black highlights, so thank your lucky stars we at least have gray and white in this version.

I digress. In any case, to answer your question, Microsoft would intentionally do that. Yes, they would. They have gone completely bat crazy as of late.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/officeitpro/thread/ed1de1dc-1389-4980-acf2-aefc95947ac1

  • Edited by ABCFED Saturday, February 02, 2013 5:11 PM
February 2nd, 2013 8:02pm

Hi,

We have passed this information to the product group for consideration for a future product or update. We are sorry that at this time we have no other option to change the colors beyond what we has already seen.

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February 4th, 2013 10:14am

Hi,

We have passed this information to the product group for consideration for a future product or update. We are sorry that at this time we have no other option to change the colors beyond what we has already

February 4th, 2013 5:43pm

Your color scheme is in breach with ergonomic standards (screen visibility) in several countries throughout Europe. Our medical director has advised the board not to shift to office2013. We have a +80 000 user license with mS Office 2010. In the Dutch press articles start to surface advising to skip office 2013 as it is (screenwise) an ergonomic nightmare.
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February 6th, 2013 11:46pm

It really is amazing how this made it through preview and beta releases without a change. I have had to resort to recommending against upgrading to most of my clients as the ones who have been updated are generally wanting to roll back.

The number one complaint is the blinding themes in Office 2013. Seriously I have a 27" monitor and I get headaches if I am in any office program to long.

If you are going to have different color themes why not make them usefully different, not just minor changes. People who are prone to headaches, have eye floaters, etc, will never be able to use this.

February 7th, 2013 2:18am

No Jeff, there is no color at all....it's horrible. as much as I like to have the new in software, I'm going back to office 10....No Color,  No Contrast, Don't buy this product...at least until Microsoft does some work on it and puts color back into the programs. As it stands now you can only have white, light grey or darker gray and it is horrible. It strains the eyes, you can't find any distinction on the scroll bars, you can't see the corner of the screen where you can shrink or x out of the program. It's abysmal. Outlook is just drab, hard to navigate and depressing! Word and Publisher are worse. I'm going to go back to office 2010...I honestly don't know what they were thinking. Don't take my word for it, Look up "putting color into Microsoft office 2013" on the web...everyone is complaining!!!!

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February 10th, 2013 5:07pm

 As it stands now you can only have white, light grey or darker gray and it is horrible. It strains the eyes, you can't find any distinction on the scroll bars, you can't see the corner of the screen where you can shrink or x out of the program. It's abysmal. Outlook is just drab, hard to navigate and depressing! Word and Publisher are worse. I'm going to go back to office 2010...I honestly don't know what they were thinking. Don't take my word for it, Look up "putting color into Microsoft office 2013" on the web...everyone is complaining!!!!
February 10th, 2013 5:10pm

Agreed - As a decision maker, I've installed this on my laptop to evaluate as part of our IT Department rollout scheme, and after 3 hours of hating Outlook, I am rolling back to Office 2010.

This product will not be deployed to our business until the visuals have been improved on.

Please take action, sooner rather than later. Tech-Ed South Africa is coming up... It would be interesting to hear how many fellow businesses are refusing to deploy.

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March 5th, 2013 4:39pm

Agreed - As a decision maker, I've installed this on my laptop to evaluate as part of our IT Department rollout scheme, and after 3 hours of hating Outlook, I am rolling back to Office 2010.

This product will not be deployed to our business until the visuals have been improved on.

Please take action, sooner rather than later. Tech-Ed South Africa is coming up... It would be interesting to hear how many fellow businesses are refusing to deploy.

Agreed, I will not deploy it to the university of chicago library 
March 8th, 2013 10:17pm

Keep in mind, this is the same company that took the Start Button out of Windows 8... Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, the company should be focusing on new technology, new ideas, not just changing stuff just so it looks different from the previous version.
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March 19th, 2013 6:53pm

I have to agree with the sentiment here.  It seems Microsoft is limiting choices and forcing settings on customers.  I find it strange that as we have computers that can really do so much these days and Microsoft takes us back 30 years and gives us White, Light Gray and Dark Gray, color you don't need no stinking color.  Then they do it again with Windows 8 and the Start button.  Customers want choice and by reducing the choices you give them, then they have to consider other choices such as using a competitors products or not upgrading and just using what works. 
March 20th, 2013 4:20pm

Yes , I agree with you, I am gonna go back also to office 2010. The colors of 2013 are horrible


  • Edited by bajrami1 Wednesday, March 20, 2013 2:31 PM
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March 20th, 2013 5:30pm

My install of Visio 2013 lasted 30 minutes.  My eyes hurt so much and I hunted around for a way to change the color scheme.  Then I found this forum and I have uninstalled 2013.  My recommendation to upper management is going to be to postpone migrating to Office 2013 until this color scheme debacle is taken care of.

I am very disappointed with MS.  I am voting with my $$, Visio 2010 and office 2010 will work fine for us for now!

March 20th, 2013 6:27pm

I just migrated and although I like many of the features, the color scheme is terrible. Talk about a world with no color?
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April 22nd, 2013 2:21am

After a steady stream of complaints since February this year, surely by now, even on the molasses like Microsoft internal communications or what passes for it, someone should have got the message by now? 
April 28th, 2013 10:07pm

Color scheme options are the worst ever. Give us an update with better options than blinding 1,2 & 3!

in a world with unlimited choices you give us 3 of the worst!

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May 8th, 2013 8:04am

I have managed to change all my colours by using High Contrast in the "Display" option where you personalise your screen options. You can have any colour you want!!! :-) Ian

May 9th, 2013 10:48am

In Outlook 2013, go to the FILE menu

Then click on Office Account, and as long as you are signed in with a Microsoft Account, you should have an option to change the Office Theme from White, to Light Gray, to Dark Gray.

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May 10th, 2013 6:39pm

In Outlook 2013, go to the FILE menu

Then click on Office Account, and as long as you are signed in with a Microsoft Account, you should have an option to change the Office Theme from White, to Light Gray, to Dark Gray.

Dude did you even read the post?

Anyway, +1 for more control over themes and colors. So bad on the eyes now!

May 29th, 2013 7:35pm

Add me to the list of disappointed upgraders to Office 365.  Grey only?  Really?  What marketing genius came up with that gem...

There was nothing wrong with the old Office Suite color scheme... if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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June 13th, 2013 10:48pm

Disappointed is an understatement, Just upgraded today and it has given me a migraine.  It's broke now!
June 28th, 2013 5:24am

I'm watching the various forums/tech websites for indications of lawsuits from AARP, ADA, any professional users groups (Medical and legal come to mind) or any combination thereof.

Maybe that'll get Microsoft to make some real changes.


Mind you, I love the product features and performance, and that I can put it on nearly all my machines with one subscription.  I just can't differentiate the so-called "color" themes.
  • Edited by Shawlin Monday, July 22, 2013 11:52 PM Added last paragraph
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July 23rd, 2013 2:49am

It's very difficult moving among informations with this non colour option. 

I'll go back to Office 2010


August 7th, 2013 12:15pm

You all have obviously not learned that most software developers, and especially the LIBERAL Microsoft do not want you to have any choices, whatsoever. They ALWAYS know better than you what you want.  Same goes for Microsoft grammer checker, which insists that "PLEASE ADVISE" is not correct....but their ignorant brains thnk that "PLEASE ADVICE" is correct. 

Think I am going back to ANYTHING not Microsoft.

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August 22nd, 2013 12:51pm

Today is Tuesday, I was given office 2013 yesterday and went to bed last night with terrible eye strain and a headache - thinking that maybe I overdid it yesterday (25 years in IT) I didn't think much more of it.

This morning I thought lets find those themes and get it back to something more classic - and low and behold I have 3 shades of grey.  It's disgusting - sort it out Microsoft.

Also Windows 8 is total rubbish - the first thing I did yesterday was install "Classic Shell" to get my start menu back.

Stop trying to copy Apple with all their fluffy rubbish - be your own person and stick to what has worked for years.

September 17th, 2013 12:27pm

The lack of colours is just pure upsetting

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October 6th, 2013 6:06pm

sure ! we only can choose betwen white, very very light grey and very light grey ! PLZ reajust the 3 color shade by adding a real dark grey ! or add a grey scale selector ! PLZ UPDATE it !
November 4th, 2013 5:43pm

Hi Jaynet,

I asked this question back on Feb 1, 2013.  You can see there are many people unhappy with the color choices. 

It is now November and as far as I can tell MS has made no effort to allow different color schemes.

Your email says you passed this information to the product group for consideration, is there any way to get an update on what changes are coming (if any)?

I expected an update to my Office 365 that would allow color changes, but nothing. 

A lot of the responses to my question were very negative about Microsoft.  I now understand why.

Is there anyone at Microsoft that cares anymore?  Microsoft should consider appointing a "Care Officer".  A Care Officer is the person in charge of caring about the products and services offered. Caring that they are quality.  Caring that they work.  Caring what people think of the products.  Caring that the products appropriately fulfill their purpose.  I really think Microsoft needs a Care Officer because it is pretty clear none of the Microsoft employees care.  I'm just a user but I think I care more than Microsoft employees.  Of course I care only because I have little choice but to use MS Office.

Jeff

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November 6th, 2013 5:31am

My 2013 install lasted 20mins and then the stupid ridiculous insanely bland color scheme upset me so much I just wiped it all and went back to 2007. Way to go MS! It's funny how the most brilliant people in the world can also be the most idiotic.

December 7th, 2013 1:12am

BTW, you do have 2 colour schemes in MS office 2013, not the best, but better than nothing. I wish blue was there.
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December 18th, 2013 5:00pm

Yeah, but they are still just shades of gray. :(
December 18th, 2013 5:06pm

All you have to do is have your programmers do an update of ms word 2013 that would change the colors.  So what is the big deal for MS to do this?
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January 29th, 2014 9:07am

I lasted two weeks and uninstalled 2013 today, moving back to Office 2010.

It's not the white/gray that bothers me, its the lack of contrast and visual delimiters in the working areas and menus, right next to the bright boldly coloured window bars (bottom especially). It just makes it hard to "see" what you are working on. It's like trying to drive on a snowy road while looking into sun glare. This is mostly likely the cause of eye strain that people are experiencing.

It's a shame, because I like the features in Office 2013. It's very annoying that I just cannot use it because of such terrible ergonomics.

February 11th, 2014 9:53am

One Year On.

So now it is one year later, my Office 365 is up for a renewal.  As far as I can tell, Microsoft made no updates to Office 365, much less do anything about the color schemes.  Over the last year, I have occasionally used the Office 365 versions of Word and Excel, but mostly I've just used the 2010 versions.  I really see no reason to continue my subscription to Office 365.  Seriously, can anyone tell me why I should use 365 over 2010?

Thanks,

Jeff

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February 11th, 2014 7:53pm

Yes, this is amazing. I just changed computer and got office 2013 instead of the 2010 I had before.

I just wonder what people at MS thinks? This is just a piece of shit!

Completely unusable. I am snow blind eve if the first thing I managed to do was to get the gray version adjusted at once. I ma still unable to see and read the emails in Outlook properly. It is so horrible I can not understand why MS can ignore something obviously unusable as this is now.

Just have to revert back to something else. Even if every opgrade from Office 2003 is a step back, the 2010 was at least possible to use. The mS 2013 office will just create profit from one group of people: Eye doctors.

The worst is that people have been complaining about this for more than a year and MS do nothing.

MS really deserve to loos money and customers with such ignorance.

I am glad there are so much free and usable office applications out there.

March 6th, 2014 1:46am

I can't believe that an interface that is supposed to be an update would be delivered with such measly and distracting options.

A disgrace to the development community.

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March 10th, 2014 8:04am

ABCFED,

Although I was looking for a marvelous eye strain solution this was the most uplifting statement on Microsoft's use of their programming skills I've read today.

Adding to the world's problems, one line of code at a time.....

Thanks


April 1st, 2014 10:57pm

It makes me feel better to know that my eyesight is probably not failing s fast as I thought it was.

I've been using Office 2013 for a while now and had assumed that I was going blind.  I've spent a considerable amount of time and money at opticians in an attempt to be able to read Outlook more clearly.

Presumably Microsoft have hired some design team who have dictated that all the colours being almost the same, with a lack of clear distinction between foreground an background facilitates a harmonious and karmic atmosphere.

BOLLOX!

It just makes it difficult for anyone over thirty to read!

Get a grip MS.

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April 4th, 2014 10:50am

"Dark Gray" = dull white

"Light Gray" = white

"White" =  blindness.

These are NOT "options."

April 7th, 2014 9:07am

Orukxu hits the nail  on the head. In one word: "snowblind." How hard would it be to give use the kind of currently existing options in global UI Preferences for the Office UI: (1) White to black slider, (2) Color slider, (3) saturation. Is that really such a bad thing to give us this much control over our Office UI?
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April 7th, 2014 9:16am

It's July 2013... and still not color options... Please provide instructions on how to navigate Office 2013 for the blind as our retinas are now rendered useless.  
  • Edited by AirJarvis Friday, July 18, 2014 4:34 PM
July 18th, 2014 7:34pm

It's July 2013... and still not color options... Please provide instructions on how to navigate Office 2013 for the blind as our retinas are now rendered useless.  

New colour them may be useful for users suffering from Colour Vision Deficiency. Depending on your screen quality you may or may not see the white, but if you twist yourself up, down or sideways you may get a glimpse of the word in white colour.

I've uninstalled Office 2013.

I doubt anybody would buy anything they don't like, unless they have been conned and robbed in broad daylight.

M$ Vision of the future: the future is bright, or pastel.

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July 26th, 2014 2:06pm

Dear  Any update when this will be changed or fixed ...
October 25th, 2014 2:38am

I agree...when is this going to be changed. I just got a new laptop and the white screen with dark grey background is pathetic....need more color options....like light blue...what was wrong with 2010 and 2007 color schemes?
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October 30th, 2014 5:54am

I have to agree!  Just three words to describe the new color scheme options....YUCK, YUCK and last but not least YUCK!

November 11th, 2014 8:11pm

My parents used to have a B/W TV some 35 years ago. I still remember the surprise, when I saw a color TV for the very first time. If we are lucky here, maybe we'll experience a similarly surprising view in the next version of Office. Or the one after.
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November 26th, 2014 3:07am

And here we are in 2015 and still, the only options are blinding white and two shades of light gray.

I truly wonder where Microsoft's accessibility and usability principles were the day the project managers approved this junk of a color scheme.

January 2nd, 2015 5:42am

This is no surprise that MS has taken away features in a new product line. Just look at the OS systems. Nothing has been as good as XP and yet they refuse to fix any OS since. They just keep pumping out new OS, claiming it the newest and greatest that you should buy. Then they force you to buy new by not supporting XP.

MS became known for being intuitive in their applications. Since the Ribbon they have taken a NOSE DIVE into obscurity in designing their applications.

Since Win 98 MS has been notorious for coming out with new features and discontinuing great features. Why do you think the public is resistant to moving to the next OS or OFFICE? Too many great features in the past have been forgotten. Only after the public gets into an uproar do they put it back in the next version. They never update the current with the fix, although they pack out updates by the zillions for every software system they have.

If I had another choice, I would get the hell way from MS. Unfortunately, too many companies still buy MS products.

If they followed their own propaganda of being intuitive, making quality programs with quality features, kept standards from version to version, I would have no problem with MS. There are many things I love about MS products but the headaches are just now worth it. Being a customer since 91 has proven to me I wasted too much time and money with MS carelessness to customer needs.

PS Gray is not a color, it is a shade of white. So don't even claim to have a color scheme.

  • Edited by Frhrich 2 hours 54 minutes ago
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February 7th, 2015 4:01am

This is no surprise that MS has taken away features in a new product line. Just look at the OS systems. Nothing has been as good as XP and yet they refuse to fix any OS since. They just keep pumping out new OS, claiming it the newest and greatest that you should buy. Then they force you to buy new by not supporting XP.

MS became known for being intuitive in their applications. Since the Ribbon they have taken a NOSE DIVE into obscurity in designing their applications.

Since Win 98 MS has been notorious for coming out with new features and discontinuing great features. Why do you think the public is resistant to moving to the next OS or OFFICE? Too many great features in the past have been forgotten. Only after the public gets into an uproar do they put it back in the next version. They never update the current with the fix, although they pack out updates by the zillions for every software system they have.

If I had another choice, I would get the hell way from MS. Unfortunately, too many companies still buy MS products.

If they followed their own propaganda of being intuitive, making quality programs with quality features, kept standards from version to version, I would have no problem with MS. There are many things I love about MS products but the headaches are just now worth it. Being a customer since 91 has proven to me I wasted too much time and money with MS carelessness to customer needs.

PS Gray is not a color, it is a shade of white. So don't even claim to have a color scheme.

  • Edited by Frhrich Saturday, February 07, 2015 8:57 AM
February 7th, 2015 11:56am

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