Chrome does not get skinned properly even with the right settings applied

from WinCustomize Forums

I have been using WindowBlinds10 for quite some time now and I have grown onto it's features. But on my new custom built Windows 10 machine when I installed chrome the skin doesn't get applied. It just overrides the buttons on the title bar. In windowed mode they are visible by a bit but in windowed fullscreen they are just gone behind the theme and I do not know how to change that. On my laptop however it works just fine.

Here is what Chrome build I am running: (Latest one when this thread was posted) 110.0.5481.104
My laptop uses the same build of chrome (at the time this thread was made)

 

Windows verison I use:                     Windows 10 22H2 (Build 19045.2486)
My laptops version of Windows:      Windows 10 21H2 (Build 19044.2604)

Here's a reference image of what I am trying to describe here.

Chrome Broken Title Bar
Chrome Broken Title Bar Windowed Fullscreen

If anyone has got any ideas on how to fix this, please let me know. I tried multiple things to fix it and it didn't work, as a temporary workaround, which I don't prefer because then it uses Window's metro theme, I disable chrome being skinned for now.

(For anyone asking if: yes, I've included --disable-windows10-custom-titlebar in the shortcut properties otherwise it would just straight up show the metro theme.

chrome skin settings wrong not right not overrides titlebar buttons bug reports
21,749 views 18 replies
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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Psych0sis, reply 2


Reply #2 February 17, 2023 17:53:09 from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

this doesnt seem to work anymore. atleast on windowblinds 11 using windows 10
Works fine on my PC, just tested, but I prefer the original toolbars, dark, in both Google Chrome & Fireox.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Chrome, Edge, and Brave all skinned on Windows 10 with WindowBlinds11

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

As mentioned above. I already did all of that but the skin does not get applied proplerly. It works just fine on my laptop and it doesn't on my PC. I even set all the properties and settings which I have also applied on my laptop. For expample that setting in advanced settings "allow WindowBlinds to customize chrome..." is only there if you haven't set it up youself in the "per application" tab. That is not the issue. The issue is that the app doesn't properly skin chrome with the skin that I have. I even updated the skin to the latest version because I though that it might get fixed, but it didn't. So my last thought is that it might be because of the Windows Build that I am running on my PC. I need someone to look further into this because I am out of options at this point.

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. When you said "The skin does not get applied properly". Is that mean, some part get skin, some not, or something else? Can you post a screenshot of what get skin and what is not.

Thanks
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting LOLOX_HD, reply 5

As mentioned above. I already did all of that but the skin does not get applied proplerly. It works just fine on my laptop and it doesn't on my PC. I even set all the properties and settings which I have also applied on my laptop. For expample that setting in advanced settings "allow WindowBlinds to customize chrome..." is only there if you haven't set it up youself in the "per application" tab. That is not the issue. The issue is that the app doesn't properly skin chrome with the skin that I have. I even updated the skin to the latest version because I though that it might get fixed, but it didn't. So my last thought is that it might be because of the Windows Build that I am running on my PC. I need someone to look further into this because I am out of options at this point.

If it is working fine on your laptop, but not on your other PC, I wouldn't think WB (or the skin) would be the issue, but it could be in conflict with some other application you might have installed on the other PC

Paul Scroggins
Associate Technical Support Analyst

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

using the same method as the original post from way back? i never got it to work back then so i just stopped trying. might give it a try again.

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Psych0sis, reply 8

using the same method as the original post from way back? i never got it to work back then so i just stopped trying. might give it a try again.
The solution on the original post worked excellently for me but it will only work if you use the shortcut with the modified commands. If I try loading Chrome from the Start menu or Windows Explorer, it will never skin.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

ahh, will this also work with Brave browser? as i prefer using brave browser over anything else.. brave browser is also chromium based browser

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Psych0sis, reply 10

ahh, will this also work with Brave browser? as i prefer using brave browser over anything else.. brave browser is also chromium based browser

yes, it's the same process

Paul Scroggins
Associate Technical Support Analyst

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

i just tried it, doesnt work when i do it on brave browser the entire top part is clear/transparent. u cant see the minimize buttons maximise buttons or close buttons. and that whole top bar is clear to where you can see ur desktop wallpaper going through it lol.

when i take out this, "C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" -disable-windows10-custom-titlebar

-disable-windows10-custom-titlebar this part, and save then it goes back to normal, but not skinned at all.. so yea.. it doesnt work..

Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top

It does, as you can see below, Chrome, Edge, and Brave all work

"C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" --disable-windows10-custom-titlebar

 

Paul Scroggins
Associate Technical Support Analyst

Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Psych0sis, reply 15

Reduced 43%
Original 1920 x 1080



 

well it doesnt matter because it still doesnt work lol

It doesn't work for you, have you tried different skins

Paul Scroggins
Associate Technical Support Analyst

Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I have found the cause of the problem. Turns out that if the chrome theme that you use is corrupted in anyway, has an error inside of it or has been deleted from chrome web store but chrome tried to apply it to synch browsers from a different computer, the theme applied from WindowBlinds 10 and Chrome clash and produce this weird issue. There is no way around it, I had to pick a different theme which is a perfectionized dark mode for chrome and also fits with the Aero Glass Theme I have applied.

Chrome Dark Theme with Windows Aero Button Layout

 

Edit: This post is out of date. The issue still remains. When opening incognito tabs the theme is broken again. I do not know what causes it. I would like to know what causes it but I have no idea. So the chrome design I applied is a temporary workaround while this issue hopefully gets fixed soon. Also I updated to WindowBlinds 11 and the issue is still present even with updating. So it clearly is a WindowBlinds issue.

Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top

Since the changes in the coding of the chrome based browsers made skinning them impossible, and that appears to be a final decision by Google, further commenting will add nothing. This thread is locked.