Office 2013 – Changing your theme

Office 2013 is coming to the University of Stirling for staff and lab computers. Cue echoes of ‘Where’s that button gone?’ and ‘Why have they changed that?’ around the campus. Don’t panic – we’re here to help. And we’ve already been asked one question several times.

How do I change my Office 2013 theme?

Office 2013 comes with a stylish new look but all these softer colour schemes and pretty patterns can mean less contrast and a spot of eye strain.

Here’s a couple of things to try that might help.

In any Office application open the File menu and select Options. Under the General tab you will find two drop down menus labelled Office Background and Office Theme.

Office background changes the patterns in the menu bar. Select No Background to be clutter free.

Office Theme makes the biggest change. Here you can choose from White, Light Grey and Dark Grey for the Office background. I say the biggest change…I’m afraid it doesn’t give the high contrast you might be looking for but choosing the Dark Grey does help a little, especially in the menus.

Need more contrast? You will have to change the colour scheme for Windows as a whole. On your keyboard press Alt + Shift + Print Screen to switch to the Windows High Contrast scheme. Use the same keystroke to turn it off again. Give it a go – you might like it!

Still not what you’re looking for? Contact the Disability Service and we’ll try to help.