Theming

AvalonDock v5.0.0 ships with six built-in themes that can be applied and switched at runtime with a single line of code.

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Applying a Theme

In XAML

<avalonDock:DockingManager>
    <avalonDock:DockingManager.Theme>
        <themes:ArcDarkTheme />
    </avalonDock:DockingManager.Theme>
    ...
</avalonDock:DockingManager>

In Code

using AvalonDock.Themes;

dockManager.Theme = new ArcDarkTheme();

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Available Themes

Arc Theme (New in v5.0.0)

Modern theme with compact tabs, rounded corners, and semi-transparent elements. Inspired by contemporary IDEs.

dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Arc

Variant	Class	Look
Dark	ArcDarkTheme	Dark background with subtle contrasts
Light	ArcLightTheme	Clean white background with soft borders

VS2013 Theme

Classic Visual Studio 2013 look with three color variants.

dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.VS2013

Variant	Class
Dark	Vs2013DarkTheme
Light	Vs2013LightTheme
Blue	Vs2013BlueTheme

VS2010 Theme

Visual Studio 2010 styling.

dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.VS2010

Expression Theme

Expression Blend inspired styling with dark and light modes.

dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Expression

Metro Theme

Modern Metro / WinUI style with clean lines and flat design.

dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Metro

Aero Theme

Classic Windows Aero glass-inspired look.

dotnet add package Dirkster.AvalonDock.Themes.Aero

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Switching Themes at Runtime

Themes can be changed dynamically. The DockingManager will update all controls immediately:

// Theme selector
public void ApplyTheme(string themeName)
{
    dockManager.Theme = themeName switch
    {
        "Arc Dark"    => new ArcDarkTheme(),
        "Arc Light"   => new ArcLightTheme(),
        "VS2013 Dark" => new Vs2013DarkTheme(),
        "VS2013 Light"=> new Vs2013LightTheme(),
        "VS2013 Blue" => new Vs2013BlueTheme(),
        "VS2010"      => new VS2010Theme(),
        "Metro"       => new MetroTheme(),
        "Aero"        => new AeroTheme(),
        _             => new GenericTheme()
    };
}

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Using Theme Brush Resources

You can import theme brushes into your own resource dictionaries to keep your application visually consistent:

<ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
    <ResourceDictionary Source="/AvalonDock.Themes.Arc;component/DarkBrushs.xaml" />
</ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>

Theme brush resources only cover AvalonDock controls. For full application theming, combine with a WPF theming library like MahApps.Metro, MLib, or MUI.

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DictionaryTheme

If you have a custom resource dictionary with AvalonDock styles, you can wrap it in a DictionaryTheme:

var resourceDict = new ResourceDictionary
{
    Source = new Uri("pack://application:,,,/MyApp;component/Themes/CustomDockTheme.xaml")
};

dockManager.Theme = new DictionaryTheme(resourceDict);

See the Custom Themes guide for more details on creating your own theme from scratch.