How to patch up your UXtheme.dll file in XP home or pro
In order to use custom themes or MSStyles on your computer you need to patch up your Uxtheme.dll file. Otherwise you can only use signed themes that are created by Microsoft.
*Replacing system files is not always dangerous but if you want you might want to set a restore point.
Note: There are two ways to accomplish this please try the 1st one first then if you are unsuccessful then you can try the 2nd one.
1. Okay first you need to find out which Service Pack you are running. To do this simple press the Windows flag key+Pause/Break key. This is going to open the system properties window. Here it is going to say which service pack you are running
2. Now you have some downloading to do.
First get: The appropriate Uxtheme.dll file
If you are running Service Pack 1 then get this file.
If you are running Service Pack 2 then get this file.
3. Unzip the file to your desktop
4. Now you need to download the Replacer(I recommend getting a stable version). The replacer efficiently replaces your system files and is supposed to be completely safe. This program also backs up your file in case you need to revert the changes.
5. Unzip the Replacer to your desktop. Make sure you read the “readme” because it has some important tips on how to revert those changes that you made.
Now you are ready to replace your uxtheme.dll file
1. Now double click on the replacer file (replacer.cmd)
2. Then it will ask you to drag and drop the original system file you want to replace. So go to the System32 folder and somewhere near the bottom you are going to see the uxtheme.dll file. Drag and drop it into the window.
Note: your computer may have more than 1 uxtheme.dll file but usually the file that you computer is using is the one in the system32 folder. (usually the location for your Uxtheme.dll file is C:\WINDOWS\system32\uxtheme.dll)
3. Press Enter
4. Then it will ask you to drag the file you want to replace. Open the folder with the downloaded file and drag and drop the file into replacer.
5. Now it will ask you to confirm that you want to replace the files or not. So double check and then press enter.
Replacer will now swap your original file with the new one. Now restart your computer.
Congratulations you can now use custom msstyle themes on your computer. Which is going to make your computer look super cool!
To change your theme just right click on desktop» properties» appearances tab» Windows and buttons
If the above method doesn’t work then don’t loose hope. Just download
this multipatcher (no matter what service pack you have) and it might do the job for you!
Oh yeah and one last step: Don’t forget to enjoy (and show off)your new theme that you are going to installing on you computer!
In case you are looking around for some Visual styles and themes here are some sites that might help you in the quest for the perfect style for you:
- Deviant Art
- Wincustomize
- themexp.org
- WinMatrix
If you are unsure and want some more proof then you can find some here at uneasysilence.com
The Conversation
Follow the reactions below and share your own thoughts.
October 04, 2008 at 2:35 am, Anonymous said:
Hey, I’m using Service pack 3 and was wondering if you could maybe update the software so it was with SP 3 please.
October 04, 2008 at 3:36 pm, katy said:
i cant seem to run the replacer.cmd file. it just flashes open and close again and I cant even read what it says it goes so quick. I caught a bit of it, it was something like something isn’t recognised. help! i haven’t used windows for ages (a linux convert) so I’ve forgotten how i ued to tweek things. What about doin it in safe mode?
October 05, 2008 at 2:41 pm, dude said:
Just open Command line and CD to the right dir.
Then open the file with open replacer.cmd .
October 05, 2008 at 1:12 pm, dude said:
Is this save, or has it a risk?
October 17, 2008 at 3:56 pm, clamum said:
OH IT’S SAVE
October 31, 2008 at 1:34 pm, yana said:
i’m running the service pack 3. which file should i use? or are there any files that i can use aside from those two?
October 31, 2008 at 1:42 pm, yana said:
never mind..i found it.xD
October 31, 2008 at 2:00 pm, yana said:
oh and THANK YOU so much! now it works!
November 16, 2008 at 8:20 pm, jimmy said:
What did u use please tell me cause i can’t find it
November 21, 2009 at 2:08 pm, idk said:
How and where did you found it?
November 05, 2008 at 4:20 pm, Anthony said:
The first method didnt work and the multipatcher doesnt work either, it comes up with a rather confusing error
“UXTheme Multipatcher v6.0 has detected that there’s any Windows NT setup file in C:/WINDOWS/i386″
I’ve got one other ‘uxtheme.dll’ file in C:/WINDOWS/SoftwareDistribution/Downloaddd9ab5193501484cf5e6884fa1d22f9e
Should i replace that aswell using the first method?
November 19, 2008 at 2:42 am, Faye Valentine said:
This is incredible
November 19, 2008 at 10:25 pm, Unnamed said:
And if I’ve Service Pack 3?
November 20, 2008 at 3:21 pm, Stephanie said:
I have service pack 3 and so am a little lost… could you please help me out? Thanks a ton!
stephaniej.reid@gmail.com
November 23, 2008 at 7:14 am, pet said:
i use service pack 3..how then?
November 27, 2008 at 6:37 am, Redydav said:
If replacing fails goto run and type “services.msc” without the ” scroll down to themes right click and press stop, then try again, if it works restart themes and if it dosent work still reenable themes.
November 28, 2008 at 1:11 pm, dick said:
i have ”service pack 3”
what do i do ??
December 04, 2008 at 4:23 am, Sam Elliott said:
LOL, dude go back & lay down in front of the big screen & wait for the next bud….
December 04, 2008 at 6:22 pm, Daniel said:
Is there anyway that I can still get the vista theme, even though I’m running a Service Pack 3?
December 09, 2008 at 7:03 pm, silk said:
why are people ignoring questions from those using service pack 3? I think that is very bad. especially, Yana who was able to found the file ;xd.
March 19, 2009 at 3:13 am, Beatrice said:
Yana didn’t say WHAT she found, so it’d be very useful if someone told us!
December 19, 2008 at 9:18 pm, jamal said:
what if you have number 3
December 22, 2008 at 11:15 am, Vash Prower said:
I noticed you don’t have a file to download for service pack 3…
Will I be able to use the service pack 2 file on my service pack 3 version?
December 28, 2008 at 6:10 pm, ice_hot said:
amazing! worked like magic. having been searching for a while on how i could get rid of my xp blue theme…
Thanks
January 03, 2009 at 4:26 pm, Moop said:
It says i am running service pack 3…
What do i do?
January 05, 2009 at 9:46 pm, ted said:
i have service pack 3. you dont have a file for sp3 what should i do?????
January 07, 2009 at 6:45 pm, deadlyalive22 said:
go to this site and you should find it:
http://www.withinwindows.com/uxtheme-patches/
January 11, 2009 at 3:43 am, Jackie Chin said:
Damn Man, what a good file you uploaded! Thx dude !
January 19, 2009 at 4:29 am, lester said:
what if im running xp pro sp3??? where can i get patched uxtheme.dll file? will sp2 file work? and where can i download the replacer, the safe one?…tnx
January 21, 2009 at 1:46 pm, integrator said:
What if you are running SP3?
January 22, 2009 at 1:39 am, Insect Grain said:
I have service pack 3
January 25, 2009 at 2:57 am, Viper2599 said:
What if you have Service Pack 3…. -_- ,
January 30, 2009 at 10:51 am, wan said:
how to solve the problem in replace your uxtheme.dll for the number 4. It say open the downloaded file and drag and drop the file into replacer. I cannot understand it . help me !
February 05, 2009 at 10:58 pm, blabls said:
whenever i open replacer it says some kind of file is not found. it then crashes whenever i drag anything into it
February 15, 2009 at 5:23 am, casa said:
that is the data file…u hav to extract both files to a location [i.e desktop] and then start the replacer from there
February 06, 2009 at 9:04 pm, Bighead said:
if i’m using Service Pack 3, what’s it gonna be?
tell me..
thank u…
February 08, 2009 at 3:54 am, julieann said:
http://www.filecluster.com/System-Utilities/Other-Utilities/Download-UxTheme-Patch-for-Windows-XP-SP3-.html
copy the URL above & paste it to your address bar, boom you’ll find the patcher for WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 3.
February 13, 2009 at 1:15 pm, Monty said:
I’m current using XP with service pack 3.. what will be the next step?
February 15, 2009 at 5:27 am, casa said:
im using XP, SP 2 and i hav patched the .dll file but i still cant seem to use msstyle themes coz wen i download one and goto properties>themes tab>browse i cant select a .msstyle coz it onli lets me select *Themes or theme files..why is this?
on here it says goto properties» appearances tab» Windows and buttons but with the windows and buttons i only have XP style and classis style.
help appreciated..cheers.
February 25, 2009 at 8:56 pm, Jerry Sturgill said:
What if one is running service pack 3?
February 25, 2009 at 9:01 pm, Jerry Sturgill said:
Sorry for asking, didn’t see the post above.
February 28, 2009 at 10:31 pm, SeanJohn said:
YO NICE (Y) Worked perfectly for me, I am running SP2 and I now have a Vista theme on
March 14, 2009 at 2:39 pm, keyur said:
what if you have service pack 3
March 19, 2009 at 2:58 am, Beatrice said:
What if you have the new system pack 3?
March 22, 2009 at 11:11 pm, ... said:
i have service pack 3
o.o…
March 23, 2009 at 10:04 am, Brendan said:
I Have Service Pack 3 – Do I still use one of the downloads from the first option or do i just go and try the second option?
April 02, 2009 at 6:43 pm, fire magician said:
i have service pack 3
April 18, 2009 at 9:24 am, ahmed said:
i have service pack 3
what do i do/or downoad?
May 03, 2009 at 11:28 am, joe flow said:
service pack 3?
May 08, 2009 at 10:58 pm, Fredo said:
Thanks for the info… was of great help and easy to do.
May 10, 2009 at 12:29 am, er said:
how about for service pack 3?
May 19, 2009 at 3:01 am, twiclo said:
ya… i have service pack 3
May 21, 2009 at 3:25 pm, Scott said:
What if im running service pack 3?
May 21, 2009 at 4:13 pm, anonymous said:
i can not find the uxtheme.dll in system32.
what can i do?
May 23, 2009 at 11:24 am, Connor said:
i have windows service pack 3, so what do i do?
June 02, 2009 at 1:50 am, Cole said:
im on service pack 3 what do i do then??
June 06, 2009 at 2:25 pm, joemar said:
What if ur running system pack 3?
what should i do?
June 15, 2009 at 8:29 am, Jake Parker said:
What do you do if you have service pack 3?
June 19, 2009 at 7:01 am, Bob said:
And what file do you use if you have system pack 3 for windows xp???
June 19, 2009 at 7:12 am, Bob said:
That windows sp3 with free computer scan looks really dodgy and I wouldn’t be suprised if it plants viruses in your computer.
June 19, 2009 at 8:00 am, ayman said:
after putting the uxtheme.dll in the replacer which file do i have to put in the replacer next. (as given in step 4)
June 26, 2009 at 3:26 pm, crazydoodle said:
i have service pack 3…. what do i download?
June 28, 2009 at 10:55 pm, Anonymous said:
I’ve got Service Pack 3… so yeah… :l
June 30, 2009 at 9:37 am, Frances said:
I have service pack 3…
July 08, 2009 at 2:31 pm, jeremy said:
im using service pack 3..how?
July 08, 2009 at 5:22 pm, Jonathan Milton said:
I’m running Service Pack 3.. What do I download?
July 10, 2009 at 1:25 pm, Dominic said:
I am running on servis pack 3. so what do I do?
July 12, 2009 at 8:12 pm, Anonymous said:
Just try service pack 2.
July 21, 2009 at 12:37 pm, Krzysztof Kula said:
Thanks! works for me
July 26, 2009 at 1:45 am, Anonymous said:
Greetings !
I´d like to do a couple of Skins myself. So I would like to ask : DOes it work with SkinStudio ?
Thanks a lot
August 24, 2009 at 3:05 pm, Anonymous said:
How about service pack 3?
October 12, 2009 at 12:23 am, Anonymous said:
Uh dude I have service pack 3…..
October 16, 2009 at 5:50 am, Paul said:
im also running service pack 3 and i cannot find answer among the other comments.
what do i download?
October 26, 2009 at 2:37 pm, Anonymous said:
I have service pack 3? What file do I use?
November 22, 2009 at 8:42 am, Hugh said:
How do you do it with windows xp sp3
November 29, 2009 at 10:15 pm, Anonymous said:
Please help. I followed the steps above^^^ step by step and when I restarted my computer EVERYTHING was gone. The only thing I can see is my wallpaper. no buttons. no start. No nothing. Please help me restore it!!!
November 29, 2009 at 11:16 pm, Anonymous said:
i have system pack 3…
December 05, 2009 at 7:28 pm, chase said:
i have service pack 3
December 07, 2009 at 11:55 am, Name said:
I have service pack 3 what shall I do
December 09, 2009 at 5:20 pm, Anonymous said:
Would if you have service pack 3?
December 28, 2009 at 1:08 am, Name said:
Im another dude that has service pack 3…
January 19, 2010 at 5:29 pm, Anonymous said:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/SP3-UxTheme-Patcher.shtml
ux theme pacher for xp sp3
March 27, 2010 at 11:01 am, Anonymous said:
Is It Possable To Change It Back?
March 27, 2010 at 11:01 am, Anonymous said:
It Looks Cool!
April 01, 2010 at 9:57 pm, Anonymous said:
i have service pack 3 what do i do..?
April 02, 2010 at 7:00 pm, Wisdom of Dogs said:
Do either of those files work with Service Pack 3?
June 18, 2010 at 1:25 pm, Xeni Ziba said:
Lol i am using Service Pack 3
what should i do ?!
June 28, 2010 at 5:29 pm, Ninjaboy1898 said:
I have service Pack 3????
What should i do?
July 17, 2010 at 10:04 pm, Anonymous said:
Really helpful guide thanks. I found a decent programs to manage and find dll files easily yesterday, I really want to get to grips with it as I can never find a theme that I like, the standard ones that are already included are pretty awful in my opinion.
July 29, 2010 at 11:56 am, Anonymous said:
You have to be very careful when patching UXtheme.dll it could damage your computer. That’s why you should back up all your dlls before patching them, or you might need dll search or some other tool to help you find a healthy backup.
August 12, 2010 at 12:14 pm, HELP ME PLZ said:
But wait i have a service pack 3 computer. Do i need to do anything to that file?
September 23, 2010 at 5:27 am, AM said:
after i follow the instructions and restart, i found my computer stuck, and start pop up a warning menu saying that the uxtheme.dll is not windows image… now i can’t use it,, what should i do please help..
thx
October 02, 2010 at 7:25 pm, Anynom said:
I really want this Vista Skin to my XP computer but I when i read this and do what you just said I got a problem… My computer was Service Pack 3… HELP!
October 07, 2010 at 7:09 am, MikeLOne said:
sir i use Service Pack 3. what file do i need to get?
October 11, 2010 at 4:13 pm, Pluto1997 said:
i ve got Service Pack 3
((
October 15, 2010 at 7:56 am, Zoo said:
Where can you download quality .theme files.. ie. windows themes
October 15, 2010 at 11:27 pm, Addie_binds1234 said:
None of this stuff works for me…I have downloaded everything all the right ways as the site says and also have downloaded so many themes and nothing is showing up. I keep going to my Display Properties..nothing is there about what I have downloaded. Then, when I browse the themes I have downloaded and try to get it to use them it says,The theme could not load because the needed files could not be found. etc. etc. Please comment if u know how to help.
November 12, 2010 at 8:35 pm, jdar2 said:
THERES ONE PROBLEM I HAVE SERVICE PACK 3 WHAT DO I DO?1
December 03, 2010 at 8:05 am, theman said:
This on is Written Above:
If the above method doesn’t work then don’t loose hope. Just download
this multipatcher (no matter what service pack you have) and it might do the job for you!
Or you can download here:
http://www.filecluster.com/downloads/UxTheme-Patch-for-Windows-XP-SP3-.html
remember always make a back up file!
March 14, 2011 at 5:14 pm, kave said:
This method works for my problem. thanks a lot!!
April 05, 2011 at 2:03 pm, Naba said:
I use service pack 3.What can i do?
April 14, 2011 at 6:12 am, Mateja Tejč Kunčič said:
I have Service pack 3 !!! What is that all about?
January 17, 2012 at 6:31 pm, XTCrefugee said:
Thanks for this. I had to update an old system of mine and had forgotten how to do this. The replacer script is definitely the way to go, I tried UxStyle earlier but it installs a new service to bypass uxtheme, which kind of defeats the whole point of patching a system file!
January 31, 2012 at 8:36 am, deepesh said:
I do this and restart bt afterit my start button and desktop are gone now what should i do
April 23, 2012 at 11:06 am, Josh said:
Yea im service pack 3..
July 18, 2012 at 7:11 am, Henry said:
GREAT !!! Worked fine. Thanks a lot. Greetings from Germany