How to Fix Windows Explorer Border Missing in Windows 10/11

There is this issue where the Windows Explorer borders are missing in Windows 10 or 11, and the different windows overlap due to having no border lines. But the borders aren’t missing; they are just white.

This often happens when you disable visual effects to improve performance and Windows stops showing the accent color on window borders. There are two ways to fix this:

You can go to Windows Color Settings, turn off Automatically pick an accent color from my background and then turn on Show accent color on title bars and Window borders, as I’ve shown below. Or, you can enable visual effects to have your Windows Explorer border back.

Next, I will show you both processes step-by-step.

How to Fix Windows Explorer Border Missing in Windows 10/11 Without Turning On Visual Effects

This first method does not require you to turn on visual effects, so it is perfect for those who want to keep a faster performance. Here is how to do it:

On Windows 10

1. Enter Settings on Windows Search and click on Open:
   
2. In the Settings window, click on Personalization:
   
3. On Personalization, click on Colors on the left sidebar.
4. Disable Automatically pick an accent color from my background:
   Then browse down to Show accent color on the following surfaces and enable Title bars and window borders:
   

You can select the accent color for your window borders here; make sure to pick a dark accent color.

On Windows 11

1. Enter Settings on Windows Search and click on Open:
   
2. In the Settings window, click on Personalization in the left sidebar.
3. On Personalization, click on Colors:
   
4. On Colors, change Accent color to Manual:
   
5. In the same window, turn on Show accent color on title bars and Window borders:
   

Now you can pick your preferred accent color for your Explorer borders.

(If you want to customize your Windows Explorer further, learn how to change folder background color in Windows 10.)

As I said above, this will fix the issue of missing borders without enabling visual effects. If you not only want your borders back but want all visual effects back, you can choose to turn on visual effects, which will fix this issue, plus restore all other visual effects in Windows 10.

How to Enable Visual Effects in Windows 10/11

This will not only fix your Windows Explorer missing borders but also bring back all the missing animations and visual effects in Windows 10.

Here is how to do it:

1. Enter Advanced System Settings on Windows Search and open it:
   
2. In the Advanced tab, click on the Settings button under Performance:
   
3. In the Visual Effects tab, check Adjust for best appearance, then click OK:
   

This will also fix the missing borders on Windows explorer.

(Did you know that you can have tabs in your folders just like your favorite internet browser? I´ve written this article on how to have tabs in Windows Explorer.)

Conclusion

The Windows explorer border lines not showing has to do with turning off the visual effects on Windows 10/11 for better performance. There are two ways to fix the borderless window issue.

The first method is to go to Settings > Personalize > Colors and turn off automatically pick an accent color for the background, then enable to show accent color on window borders.

The second one is to turn on Visual Effects again by going to Advanced System Settings and selecting Adjust for Best Appearance under Visual Effects.

If the bright white of Windows Explorer hurts your eyes, consider keeping the night light always on to ease the strain on your eyes.

If you are having other visual issues on Windows, then it is likely a driver issue, so remember to check our article on how to update all drivers at once.