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A brightly colored custom background for Teams with a rainbow, and unique color-coded shapes representing different groups of people for Pride.

How to activate Pride themes in your Microsoft apps

Posted by Nick Heynen on June 14, 2023

To celebrate Pride Month, Microsoft has rolled out app themes and backgrounds that celebrate the identities that make up the LGBTQIA+ community. Here’s how you can turn on these themes if you want to join in on your Mac, iOS and Android devices.

Of course, as with all tech-related how-tos, step 1 is to make sure you’re running the latest version of the app. So update your software before trying the steps below. Once you’re updated, here’s how to activate the Pride themes in your Microsoft apps:

Pride in Microsoft 365 apps

Outlook

Screenshot of colorful theme options in the Microsoft Outlook app for Macs, including new themes based on pride flag colors.

You can choose from 5 themes inspired by the Pride, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary and transgender flags in the Outlook apps for iOS, Android and Mac:

  • Outlook for Mac: Go to Settings > Personal Settings > General. You should see the new pride themes under the Appearance subheading.
  • Outlook for iOS and Android: Open the Outlook app, tap on your avatar in the upper left corner, then tap the gear icon to open Settings. Then scroll to Preferences and tap on Appearance to select your theme.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote

Screenshot of icons in a Mac dock for the Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps featuring rainbow-colored borders around the icons.

Activate the new “show your Pride” option to add rainbow colors across the app in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

  • On a Mac: Go to Preferences. Under Personal Settings, click Show Your Pride and check the Show Your Pride box.
  • On iOS and Android: Open the app, tap on your avatar in the upper left corner, then tap on the gear icon to open Settings. Then simply check the Show Your Pride box.

Teams

Pink, blue and white ribbons wrapped around sticks in an abstract shape, representing transfeminine pride.

Microsoft isn’t offering themes for the Teams app in 2023, but Microsoft did roll out new pride-themed virtual meeting backgrounds. Click here to download a ZIP file containing dozens of Teams backgrounds inspired by almost 50 flags of the LGBTQIA+ communities.

Screenshot of a smiling face emoji with diagonal stripes of white, pink, blue, brown, black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.Teams also has a rainbow smile emoji featuring the colors of the progress pride flag that you can use in chats or as a tapback reaction.

Desktop wallpapers

You can also download Microsoft’s custom desktop wallpapers. Click here to download a ZIP file with 6 Pride-themed images you can use as a desktop background (even if you’re not using Windows).

More ways to celebrate Pride