The Windows operating system is about customizations and personalizations. This is why Microsoft included a few hidden theme packs in Windows 11 2022 Update (22H2). These hidden themes are known as the “Education Themes.”
Microsoft intended these themes for students willing to personalize their computers, making it seem like they own their computers, and end up taking better care of them. That said, any user with Windows 11 22H2 or above can activate the Education Themes. These themes are unique, and the quality is exquisite.
Before we begin to show you how to enable and use the hidden Education themes on Windows 11, we want to intimate our readers that the name “Education Themes” has nothing to do with the Education edition of Windows. This is how these themes can be for everyone.
Note that changing the theme changes the desktop wallpaper, accent colors, and some other highlights. However, if you want to keep the other things in as-is condition while only changing the background, you can download a separate Education wallpaper pack given below.
How to Activate Education Themes in Windows 11
To enable/activate the hidden education themes in Windows 11, download and run the Registry file and then restart the computer, or perform the steps below for manual configuration.
Enable education themes in Windows 11 (314 bytes, 145 hits)
Note: This process involves making manual changes to the Windows Registry. Misconfiguration of critical values in the system’s registry could be fatal for your operating system. Therefore, we insist that you create a system restore point before proceeding forward with the process.
You can also use our top selection of disk imaging and backup software, so you never lose your data or operating system again.
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Open the Run command box and type regedit.
Open the Registry editor This will open the Windows Registry Editor.
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Go to the following registry key:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\current\device
Navigate to Device Key Paste the path above into the navigation field inside the editor to quickly locate the key.
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Create a new Key under Device and name it “Education”.
Create Education Key Right-click the Device Key, expand New from the context menu, and then click Key. Name the Key Education.
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Create a new DWORD under Education and name it “EnableEduThemes”.
Create EnableEduThemes DWORD Right-click the Education Key, expand New from the context menu, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this DWORD EnableEduThemes.
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Change the Value Data for EnableEduThemes to 1.
Set EnableEduThemes Value Data to 1 Double-click the EnableEduThemes value and enter “1” under Value Data, then click Ok.
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Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
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Please wait a while for the new Education Theme packs to download.
After a few minutes, the new themes will be downloaded to your computer.
Continue to the next section to learn how to apply the new Education Themes.
How to Apply Education Themes in Windows 11
Now that you have enabled and downloaded the new Education Themes in Windows 11 22H2, here is how to apply them:
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Navigate to:
Settings app >> Personalization
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Click on the theme that you want to apply to.
Apply an Education theme
Selecting a theme will change the background, accent colors, and other personalizations.
However, if you only want to change the background, you can find them at the following location:
%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes
Simply paste the following into either File Explorer or the Run Command box.
The wallpapers will be available in separate folders that you can apply directly as a background without applying the entire theme. Of course, these are only available after you have enabled and downloaded the Education Themes.
If you want to apply these backgrounds without activating the hidden themes, you can download the wallpapers from below.
Download Windows 11 Education Themes Background Wallpapers
Education Theme Backgrounds [zip] (4.5 MiB, 151 hits)
Once downloaded, extract the content from the zipped folder. Right-click on the image you want to use as wallpaper, and then click “Set as desktop background.”
How to Disable Education Themes in Windows 11
Follow the steps given below to disable the Education Themes on your Windows PC manually, or run this Registry file and restart the computer:
Disable-Education-Themes.reg (314 bytes, 127 hits)
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Open the Registry Editor.
Open the Registry editor Type in regedit in the Run Command box.
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Navigate to the following:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\current\device
Navigate to Device Key Paste the path given above into the navigation field inside the editor for quick navigation.
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Delete the Education Key.
Delete the Education Key Right-click the Education Key and click Delete.
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Click Yes to confirm.
Confirm action -
Restart the computer.
Education Themes will now be disabled.
Conclusion
Microsoft is making its best effort to make the Windows OS as customizable as possible. It lets the end-users make their PCs unique and change them in a way that works best with their preferences.
Here are a few of the top personalizations you can make in Windows 11:
- Customize the Quick Access menu
- Customize the WinX menu
- Turn off or change notification sounds
- Remove the Chat, Widgets, Task View, and Search from the taskbar
- Enable and add desktop stickers
- Show or hide the taskbar
- Customize widgets
- Change the default display font
- Enable icon animations in Settings app
- Make the taskbar transparent
- Change the mouse cursor/pointer
