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Windows Logo Color Codes

Which color codes apply to the Windows logo depends on the version. Learn where reliable values come from, why previews mislead, and how HEX, RGB and CMYK fit different uses.

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Contents
  1. The short answer
  2. First, identify which Windows logo you mean
  3. Where trustworthy color values come from
  4. Reading color from a vector file versus a preview
  5. Matching the code format to the job
  6. Knowing the colors is not permission to use the logo

The short answer

There is no single Windows logo color code that can be stated with confidence here. No verified HEX, RGB, CMYK or spot-color values for any version of the logo were available for this assessment. The correct answer also depends on which version of the Windows logo you mean. Treat any code you find as provisional until you have checked it against an authoritative source or an official vector file.

First, identify which Windows logo you mean

The Windows mark has been redesigned several times. Earlier versions used a multicolored, waving flag. Later versions moved to a flat window shape in a single color family. A value that is right for one design is wrong for another. Before you look up colors, pin down the exact asset: the version, whether it is the full-color or monochrome treatment, and whether it is the variant meant for light or dark backgrounds.

Where trustworthy color values come from

Microsoft's own brand materials are the authoritative reference. Brand guidelines state the intended colors and often give separate values for screen and print. Color-reference websites widely repeat hex codes for the Windows logo, and some of those codes may be accurate. Without a confirmed source, though, use them only as starting points to verify. They are not specifications.

Reading color from a vector file versus a preview

If you have a logo file, check what it actually contains. Formats such as SVG, AI, EPS and PDF can hold vector paths whose fill colors you can inspect directly in a vector editor. The extension alone does not prove this, because any of these formats can also wrap an embedded raster image. In that case there are no editable paths, and the color exists only as pixel data. Open the file and confirm that the shapes are selectable paths with defined fills before you rely on the values you read from it.

Sampling a color from a PNG or JPEG preview, or from a screenshot, is the least reliable method. Compression, anti-aliased edges, embedded color profiles and display settings can all shift the sampled value. If a rendering uses gradients, lighting or transparency effects, no single pixel represents the intended brand color.

Matching the code format to the job

  • HEX and RGB: for screens, websites, apps and other digital uses.
  • CMYK: for process printing. Converting from RGB is not one-to-one, so use a published print value when one exists instead of an automatic conversion.
  • Spot colors such as Pantone: use these only if the brand guidelines specify one. Do not guess a match from an on-screen color.

Being able to download a Windows logo file, or knowing its colors, does not give you the right to modify the artwork or use the mark. The Windows name and logo are Microsoft trademarks. Their use is governed by Microsoft's brand and trademark terms, which commonly restrict changes to color, proportions and composition, and prohibit implying endorsement. Review those terms before you use the logo in a product, an advertisement or a redesign. This applies even if your goal is only to match the colors faithfully.