{"id":4883,"date":"2016-12-19T12:29:06","date_gmt":"2016-12-19T06:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=4883"},"modified":"2021-04-28T08:57:09","modified_gmt":"2021-04-28T03:27:09","slug":"deskthemepack-extract-themepack-wallpapers-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/deskthemepack-extract-themepack-wallpapers-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"Extract Wallpapers from DeskThemePack and ThemePack Files"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article shows you different ways of extracting wallpaper images from a theme pack file in Windows.<\/em><\/p>\n

A theme is a combination of desktop background pictures, window colors, and sounds. Windows themes come in the form of theme packs. Theme packs are essentially CAB files that enclose resources such as wallpapers, sounds, etc., along with the .theme file, which contains the instructions to apply the theme.<\/p>\n

Theme packs come in two types: one with a .themepack<\/code> file extension and the other with a .deskthemepack<\/code> extension.<\/p>\n

The .themepack file format was first introduced in Windows 7 to help users share themes. Later, Microsoft brought in another format (*.deskthemepack) for Windows 8 and higher. The Panoramic theme packs for dual-monitor systems come in .deskthemepack format.<\/p>\n

If you need to extract wallpaper images from a .themepack or .deskthemepack file, one of the following methods in this post should help. The instructions apply to any Windows OS, including Windows 10.<\/p>\n

\n

Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Method 1: Apply the theme pack and copy files from the Themes folder<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Method 2: Change theme pack file extension to .CAB and extract it<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Method 3: Using a 3rd party archiver like 7-Zip, WinZip, or WinRAR<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Method 4: Using the built-in Expand.exe command-line tool<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    Extract Wallpaper Images from a Theme Pack<\/h2>\n

    <\/a>Apply the theme pack and copy files from the Themes folder<\/h3>\n

    The easiest way to extract resources from a theme pack is to apply it. First, you may want to save the current theme so that you can revert to it later.<\/p>\n

    (If you want to extract wallpapers and other resources in a theme pack file without applying it, try the other methods discussed in this article.)<\/em><\/p>\n

    When you double-click a .themepack or .deskthemepack file, Windows extracts the contents of the theme pack to the following folder and applies that theme.<\/p>\n

    %localappdata%\\Microsoft\\windows\\themes<\/pre>\n
    For example, I downloaded a theme pack from Microsoft<\/a> and double-clicked the file to run it.<\/p>\n
    \"extract<\/p>\n
    The contents were unpacked to the themes folder from where I could copy the required wallpapers. Once done, I switched back to the original theme I was using.<\/p>\n
    RELATED:<\/strong> Windows can’t find one of the files in this theme error<\/a><\/div>\n
    \n
    <\/a>Change theme pack file extension to .CAB and extract it<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Change the theme pack’s file extension to .CAB from .themepack or .deskthemepack.<\/li>\n
    2. Double-click to open the file.<\/li>\n
    3. Select all files and right-click on the selection. You\u2019ll get the following warning.
      \n<\/li>\n
    4. Click OK, and then click Extract in the context menu. Select the destination folder.\n
      \"extract
      Extract all files from the CAB folder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"extract<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      RELATED: Fix .themepack and .deskthemepack file association. Cannot install themes<\/a><\/div>\n
      \n
      <\/a>Using a 3rd party archiver like 7-Zip<\/h3>\n
      If you’re using a 3rd party decompression tool such as 7-Zip, WinZip, or WinRAR, you can open the .themepack or .deskthemepack file in it and copy the contents to a folder.<\/p>\n
      \"extract<\/p>\n
      \n
      <\/a>Extract theme pack using the Expand command<\/h3>\n
      As theme packs are CAB files, you can extract the contents using the expand.exe console tool. Here is the command line you use to extract the complete contents of a theme pack file.<\/p>\n
      Open a Command Prompt window and type:<\/p>\n
      expand -F:* [themepackfile] [destination folder]<\/pre>\n
      Note:<\/strong> The destination folder must be created before using the expand command to extract the theme pack file contents.<\/p>\n
      Example<\/h4>\n
      expand -F:* \"D:\\ThemePacks\\PanoramasEurope.themepack\" \"D:\\Resources\\Europe\"<\/pre>\n
      \"expand<\/p>\n
      That would extract all the contents of the theme pack file to the destination folder “D:\\Resources\\Europe,” preserving the directory structure as in the CAB file. The Expand<\/code> command works for both .themepack and .deskthemepack files.<\/p>\n
      RELATED:<\/strong> How to Install a Desktop Theme For All Users in Windows<\/a><\/div>\n
      Tip:<\/strong> To extract all files without maintaining the directory structure, use the \"-i\"<\/code> parameter with the Expand<\/code> command.<\/p>\n
      Preserving the directory structure when extracting a theme pack<\/h3>\n
      Of the above methods discussed, methods 1, 3, or 4 allow you to maintain the directory structure of the theme resources, exactly as in the CAB file. For example, the directory structure looks like this:<\/p>\n
      \r\nFolder     :<\/strong> D:\\Community\r\nFiles      :<\/strong>\r\n             D:\\Community\\Community.theme\r\n             D:\\Community\\s_asterisk-error_seagull4.wav\r\n             D:\\Community\\s_balloon_waterdrop2.wav\r\n             D:\\Community\\s_batterycritical_seagull11.wav\r\n\r\nSubfolder  :<\/strong> D:\\Community\\DesktopBackground\r\nFiles      :<\/strong>\r\n             D:\\Community\\DesktopBackground\\1_janapanfilova.jpg\r\n             D:\\Community\\DesktopBackground\\2_ivanbertusi-raindropletscountryside.jpg\r\n             D:\\Community\\DesktopBackground\\3_brianlaiphotography-waterfall4.jpg\r\n             D:\\Community\\DesktopBackground\\4_scottgward-poolsunset.jpg\r\n             D:\\Community\\DesktopBackground\\5_arnabchandra-pambanbridgerameswaramtamilnaduindia.jpg\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
      Windows 8 and Windows 10 support both .themepack and .deskthemepack formats. And, these Operating Systems support specifying if the window color would be automatically selected based on the accent color of the current desktop wallpaper. That’s done using the “AutoColorization<\/code>” directive in the .theme file, which the *.deskthemepack files usually make use of.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
      This article shows you different ways of extracting wallpaper images from a theme pack file in Windows. A theme is a combination of desktop background pictures, window colors, and sounds. Windows themes come in the form of theme packs. Theme packs are essentially CAB files that enclose resources such as wallpapers, sounds, etc., along with … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[106],"class_list":["post-4883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows","tag-command-prompt"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4889,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/themepack-deskthemepack-association-fix\/","url_meta":{"origin":4883,"position":0},"title":"Fix .themepack and .deskthemepack file association. Cannot install themes","author":"Ramesh","date":"December 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're unable to install themes shipped as .themepack or .deskthemepack files on your Windows computer, the file association settings may need to be fixed. Broken file association for theme pack file types causes one the following problems. Nothing happens when double-clicking a .themepack or .deskthemepack file. Themes can't be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1035,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/share-desktop-theme-common-all-users\/","url_meta":{"origin":4883,"position":1},"title":"How to Install a Desktop Theme For All Users in Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10","author":"Ramesh","date":"April 21, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"A theme is a combination of desktop background pictures, Window colors, sound scheme and a screensaver. Windows 7 introduces a new file format (.themepack) which is basically a .cab file that can contain images, audio files for sound scheme, mouse cursors, icons and the .theme file itself. This file format\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/w10\/fruitninja-pg2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9030,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/windows-cant-find-one-of-the-files-save-theme-sync\/","url_meta":{"origin":4883,"position":2},"title":"[Fix] Windows can’t find one of the files in this theme error","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"At regular intervals, you may see an unprompted \"Save a Theme\" error message dialog on your Windows 10 computer. When you dismiss the prompt by clicking either \"Yes\" or \"No,\" the pop-up may reappear. Save a Theme Windows can't find one of the files in this theme. Do you still\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"save a theme error - windows can't find","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/disable-theme-sync-ramesh.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/disable-theme-sync-ramesh.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/disable-theme-sync-ramesh.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1123,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/unsaved-theme-shown-listing-windows-7-vista\/","url_meta":{"origin":4883,"position":3},"title":"What Causes “Unsaved Theme” to Appear in Personalization window?","author":"Ramesh","date":"March 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"A desktop theme contains various settings such as cursors, icons, wallpaper, screensaver, and other UI settings. It's obvious that when one of those theme parameters is changed, Windows saves the customized setting in a separate theme file named Custom.theme, which is displayed in the Personalization window as \"Unsaved Theme\". RELATED:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 7"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 7","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-7\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Unsaved Theme Appears in Personalization window","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/unsavedthm-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/unsavedthm-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/unsavedthm-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9392,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-use-windows-spotlight-as-desktop-wallpaper-slideshow\/","url_meta":{"origin":4883,"position":4},"title":"How to Use Windows Spotlight as Desktop Wallpaper Slideshow","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Windows Spotlight brings fresh wallpaper images for your lock screen daily. The wallpapers are stored in the Assets folder wherein the older wallpaper images will be purged automatically as the new set of images get downloaded. We saw how to save the lock screen wallpapers using various methods, including\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Utilities"","block_context":{"text":"Utilities","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/utilities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"spotlight image as desktop wallpaper - bing images - dynamic theme","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/dynamic-theme-options-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/dynamic-theme-options-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/dynamic-theme-options-2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/dynamic-theme-options-2.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1140,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/extract-msi-contents-add-extract-all-right-click-menu\/","url_meta":{"origin":4883,"position":5},"title":"Extract Contents of .MSI File and Add “Extract All” to Right-Click Menu","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 11, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"There are situations when you need to pick a single file from a .msi package without going through the installation phase. 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