# Adding a custom theme as a file

1. Create a new Windows Application and drag a RadControl, i.e. RadButton, from your Toolbox to your form.

2. Create a new custom theme and save it somewhere on your hard drive (save it as XML files).

3. Right-click the project node in the Solution Explorer, choose **Add >> Existing Item** and add the custom theme file. This will automatically copy the custom theme file in your project's directory.

4. Add **a RadThemeManager** to the form.

5. From its Action Menu (click the Smart Tag to open it) choose **Load Theme from file**, then browse to the theme file in the project directory and select it, click Open.

6. Again from the RadThemeManager's Action Menu, choose **Edit Themes**, set the **ThemeLocation** property according to the following pattern: "\~**..\\..\ThemeFileName.Extension**", assuming that the theme file is in the project directory.

7. Now apply the theme to the RadButton.

> important If the form with the theme manager will be opened multiple time in the life cycle of the application, the theme manager needs to be disposed explicitly. A suitable place to call its Dispose method is the Closing event of the form.

## See Also

* [Adding a custom theme as a resource](https://www.telerik.com/products/winforms/documentation/styling-and-appearance/advanced-topics/adding-custom-redistributable-themes-to-your-application/adding-a-custom-theme-as-a-resource)

* [Creating a theme component](https://www.telerik.com/products/winforms/documentation/styling-and-appearance/advanced-topics/adding-custom-redistributable-themes-to-your-application/creating-a-theme-component)