Windows 11 just got a new Themes hub in the Microsoft Store

Microsoft introduces a dedicated Themes hub in the Store for easier discovery.
Windows 11 users can choose from over 400 curated themes, including 35 new collections.
Themes can be applied with one click from the new paintbrush icon on the left pane.
Windows Spotlight remains an option for automatic daily wallpapers.

Microsoft is adding a new “Themes” hub to the Microsoft Store app to make it easier to discover wallpaper collections you can download and apply to Windows 11, refreshing your desktop with fresh imagery and colors.

On Windows 11, the ability to use themes to change the desktop background isn’t new. This concept has been available since Windows 95 with the release of the “Microsoft Plus!” package. In the latest version, the operating system still uses the legacy Windows 8-era “deskthemepacks” wrapped in an MSIX package.

However, this is one of those features that are usually ignored by the average user, because they don’t even know they exist, but this is about to change as the company is adding a new “Themes” hub in the Microsoft Store app to make these collections more discoverable.

The Store has had hundreds of themes for a long time, but they were not organized properly. It was a mess. Now, in addition to adding the “department,” the company is adding new collections of wallpapers.

“We are beginning to roll out a new Themes department in the Microsoft Store on Windows, where visitors can quickly find curated and trending themes to customize their Windows devices with a single click,” Microsoft Store Vice President Giorgio Sardo said in the official announcement.

“We’ve heard from so many of you that you want your PC to feel like your own. Maybe you’re a gamer who wants to celebrate the latest release, a fan who finds joy in seeing beloved characters each morning, a designer searching for an artfully composed background that sparks creativity every time you log in, or someone who simply wants their desktop to feel fresh and uplifting.”

The new hub offers over 400 themes, with around 35 new to the Microsoft Store. You can access them from the paintbrush icon in the left pane. However, the company is rolling out this feature gradually, meaning that it could take some time before it’s available to everyone.

Since we’re in the holiday season, you can check out these themes to make your desktop experience a little more festive.

It’s worth noting that you can also enable the Windows Spotlight feature to change desktop wallpapers automatically to have a fresh desktop every day of the year.