How to Create Google Chrome Themes

Make your own Chrome theme with Google's Theme Creator

By
Nicholas Congleton
Nick Congleton
Nicholas Congleton
Writer
  • William Patterson University
Nick Congleton has been a tech writer and blogger since 2015. His work has appeared in PCMech, Make Tech Easier, Infosec Institute, and others.
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Updated on December 22, 2020

What to Know

  • Go to the Chrome Theme Creator page. Select Add to Chrome > Add app > Theme Creator. Name the theme.
  • Select Upload an Image. Make adjustments if needed. Select Generate Colors. Go to Basic and select Pack and Install > Keep.
  • Go to Chrome menu > More Tools > Extensions. Turn on Developer Mode. Drag the CRX file to the browser window. Select Add theme.

This article explains how to create Google Chrome themes using the Google Theme Creator. Instructions in this article apply to the desktop version of Google Chrome for all operating systems.

How to Create Google Chrome Themes

There are plenty of great Google Chrome themes. Still, it's possible to make your own Chrome theme. The Google Theme Creator extension for Google Chrome allows you to easily build and export your own themes from a simple graphical interface.

To customize Chrome with the Chrome Theme Creator tool:

  1. Go to the Chrome Theme Creator page and select Add to Chrome.

    The Add to Chrome button

  2. Select Add app to install the Theme Creator.

    The "Add app" button

  3. Chrome automatically opens the Apps tab. Select Theme Creator.

    Theme Creator in Chrome

  4. Give your new theme a name in the field in the upper-left corner of the page.

    Theme name in Chrome

  5. Select Upload an image and choose a high-resolution image to base your theme around.

    Select Upload an image and choose a high-resolution image to base your theme around.

    Unsplash is a website where you can find tons of great images free of charge. Vector patterns tend to work best.

  6. After you upload the image, a preview displays on the right side of the screen. Use the controls below the image to make adjustments, including position, size, and repetition.

    Background Image controls in Chrome Theme Creator

  7. Select Generate Colors to create a color scheme for your theme based on the image you uploaded. The website automatically updates the preview to show you the colors it detected from the image you uploaded.

    Select Generate Colors to create a color scheme for your theme based on the image you just uploaded.

  8. If you want to alter any of the colors, go to the Colors tab. Under this tab, you can select any of the colors for the browser window and change colors as you like.  

    The Colors tab in Chrome Theme Creator

  9. Go to the Basic tab and select Pack and Install to package your new theme as an extension for Chrome.

    The Pack and Install command on the Basic tab

  10. You receive a warning from Chrome, letting you know malicious extensions can harm your computer. Select Keep to download your theme.

  11. Go to the Chrome menu > More Tools > Extensions and select the Developer Mode toggle switch the upper-right corner to enable it.

    The Developer Mode switch in Chrome extensions

  12. Locate the CRX file on your computer and drag-and-drop it into the browser window.

    Locate the CRX file you just downloaded on your computer, then drag-and-drop it into the browser window.

  13. Select Add theme in the pop-up window.

    Select Add theme in the pop-up window.

    If you see a cannot decode image error message, use a different image for your custom theme.

  14. Chrome takes a few seconds to apply the theme. If you want to revert to the default, select Undo.

    The Undo button
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