Tkinter Colors: Color Names, HEX Codes and RGB Values

Tkinter widgets can use named colors such as red, lightblue and AntiqueWhite2, or hexadecimal color values such as #FF0000 and #ADD8E6.

For classic Tk widgets, colors are commonly assigned with bg or background for the background and fg or foreground for text and foreground elements.

Set Tkinter Background and Foreground Colors 🔝

Use bg for the background and fg for the foreground or text color of classic Tkinter widgets.

import tkinter as tk

root=tk.Tk()
root.geometry('320x180')

button=tk.Button(
    root,
    text='Hi, Welcome',
    bg='AntiqueWhite2',
    fg='green',
    width=20
)

button.pack(
    pady=40
)

root.mainloop()

The longer option names can also be used:

button=tk.Button(
    root,
    text='Hello',
    background='lightblue',
    foreground='darkblue'
)

Use HEX Color Codes in Tkinter 🔝

A HEX color starts with # followed by hexadecimal values for red, green and blue.

label=tk.Label(
    root,
    text='Tkinter Colors',
    bg='#ADD8E6',
    fg='#00008B'
)

In the common six-digit form:

#RRGGBB

#ADD8E6 represents RGB (173, 216, 230).

Color Formats Accepted by Tk 🔝

Tk accepts symbolic color names and hexadecimal color specifications. Common forms include:

'red'
'light blue'
'#F00'
'#FF0000'

Tk also supports higher-precision hexadecimal forms with 12 or 16 bits per RGB channel:

#RRRGGGBBB
#RRRRGGGGBBBB

Get RGB Values with winfo_rgb() 🔝

winfo_rgb() asks the current Tk installation to resolve a color and returns red, green and blue values in the range 0 to 65535.

import tkinter as tk

root=tk.Tk()

rgb=root.winfo_rgb(
    'lightblue'
)

print(rgb)

root.destroy()

For lightblue, a typical result is:

(44461, 55512, 59110)

Tk uses 16-bit channel values here. To convert them to the familiar 0 to 255 range, divide each value by 257.

rgb16=root.winfo_rgb(
    'lightblue'
)

rgb8=tuple(
    value // 257
    for value in rgb16
)

print(rgb8)

(173, 216, 230)

Convert a Tkinter Color Name to HEX 🔝

import tkinter as tk

root=tk.Tk()

color='AntiqueWhite2'

rgb16=root.winfo_rgb(
    color
)

rgb8=[
    value // 257
    for value in rgb16
]

hex_color=f'#{rgb8[0]:02X}{rgb8[1]:02X}{rgb8[2]:02X}'

print(hex_color)

root.destroy()

#EEDFCC

Check Whether a Tkinter Color Is Valid 🔝

An invalid color name raises tk.TclError. We can use this to validate user input.

import tkinter as tk

root=tk.Tk()

color='lightblue'

try:
    root.winfo_rgb(color)
    print('Valid color')
except tk.TclError:
    print('Invalid color')

root.destroy()

Colors in ttk Widgets 🔝

Classic widgets such as tk.Label and tk.Button commonly use bg and fg. Themed ttk widgets are generally styled through ttk.Style().

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

root=tk.Tk()

style=ttk.Style()

style.configure(
    'My.TLabel',
    foreground='darkblue',
    background='lightyellow'
)

label=ttk.Label(
    root,
    text='Styled ttk Label',
    style='My.TLabel'
)

label.pack(
    padx=20,
    pady=20
)

root.mainloop()

Common Tkinter Color Names and HEX Codes 🔝

The following commonly used symbolic names have straightforward RGB equivalents. HEX codes are often easier to reuse consistently across Tkinter projects.

Extended Tkinter / Tk Color Reference 🔝

The extended table below contains the larger color-name reference maintained with this tutorial, including numbered variants and legacy X11-style names.

Download and Use the Excel Color List 🔝

The Excel file can be loaded into a Pandas DataFrame. The color-name column can then be converted to a Python list.

import pandas as pd

df=pd.read_excel(
    'tk-colours.xlsx'
)

my_list=df[
    'Color Name'
].tolist()

print(
    my_list[:10]
)

Color Chooser and Autocomplete Projects 🔝

A long color list is easier to use when users can search or choose a color interactively.

Summary of Tkinter Colors 🔝

• Classic Tkinter widgets can use named colors or hexadecimal color strings.
• bg and background set the background color.
• fg and foreground set the foreground or text color.
• #RRGGBB is a common and portable way to specify an exact RGB color.
• Tk also supports shorter and higher-precision hexadecimal color specifications.
• winfo_rgb() resolves a color using the current Tk installation.
• winfo_rgb() returns three channel values from 0 to 65535.
• Divide a 16-bit Tk channel value by 257 to convert it to the 0 to 255 RGB range.
• An invalid symbolic color name raises tk.TclError.
• Use ttk.Style() when styling themed ttk widgets.
• System-specific and legacy named colors can vary, so HEX values are preferable when an exact color is required.

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author & Instructor at plus2net

I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.

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