Learn to use Mica and Mica Alt, opaque, dynamic materials that incorporate theme and desktop wallpaper to delight users and create visual hierarchy.
Table of contents Mica material Article 10/27/2022 11 minutes to read 7 contributors Feedback In this article Mica is an opaque, dynamic material that incorporates theme and desktop wallpaper to paint the background of long-lived windows such as apps and settings. You can apply Mica to your application backdrop to delight users and create visual hierarchy, aiding productivity, by increasing clarity about which window is in focus. Mica is specifically designed for app performance as it only samples the desktop wallpaper once to create its visualization. Mica is available for UWP apps that use WinUI 2 and apps that use Windows App SDK 1.1 or later, while running on Windows 11 version 22000 or later. Mica in light theme Mica in dark theme Mica Alt is a variant of Mica, with stronger tinting of the user's desktop background color. You can apply Mica Alt to your app's backdrop to provide a deeper visual hierarchy than Mica, especially when creating an app with a tabbed title bar. Mica Alt is available for apps that use Windows App SDK 1.1 or later, while running on Windows 11 version 22000 or later. These images show the difference between Mica and Mica Alt in a title bar with tabs. The first image uses Mica and the second image uses Mica Alt. When to use Mica or Mica Alt Mica and Mica Alt are materials that appear on the backdrop of your application — behind all other content. Each material is opaque and incorporates the user's theme and desktop wallpaper to create its highly personalized appearance. As the user moves the window across the screen, the Mica material dynamically adapts to create a rich visualization using the wallpaper underneath the application. In addition, the material helps users focus on the current task by falling back to a neutral color when the app is inactive. We recommend that you apply Mica or Mica Alt as the base layer of your app, and prioritize visibility in the title bar area. For more specific layering guidance see Layering…