What are Themes?
Themes are a way to personalize the look and feel of your Ask.com home page. Instead of the default white background, you can choose one of our pre-installed images or upload your own. You can also adjust the appearance of the search box to match your picture.
Can I use my own pictures?
Yes! Simply click on the Themes link under the search box, and then on "Upload Your Own". There you can either upload a picture from your computer or enter the URL to an image that is already on the web.
How can I customize the behavior of my theme?
Sure. You can choose a name, the text color and the location your theme is anchored.
What does it mean to anchor a theme?
You anchor a theme by selecting the initial position of the viewable area to match the content of your picture.
Who can see the themes I upload?
Only people who use your computer or people you email your themes to.
What are the requirements for images I can use?
- The minimum resolution is 800x600, smaller pictures would not work well as background.
- Landscape format (more wide than high).
- Maximum file size is 5 MB.
- Image format: BMP, JPG, GIF or PNG.
I uploaded a large image, but I can't get to see all of it. What happened?
Often the browser window is smaller than the theme image. In that case only part of the image will be visible. To see more of the picture, enlarge the browser window.
I uploaded a large image, but it looks smaller than on my desktop. What happened?
The maximum view area for background images is 1600 * 1600 pixels. If one or both dimensions of your image exceed these limits, it will be proportionally scaled down to fit into this frame.
Why did the theme I chose disappear?
You need to have cookies enabled in your browser. These are little data pieces that help us identify your computer so that we know which theme to apply to your homepage.
If you think that you might clear or disable your cookies at some point, you can still keep your themes by saving them to a free MyStuff account. This also allows you "take your themes with you". Simply log into MyStuff on another computer and enjoy your familiar setup.
How can I use the theme I uploaded on another computer?
You need to sign in to your MyStuff account.
As long as you are not signed in yet, your theme will be saved in a guest account, which is tied to your computer. When you sign in, all themes from your guest account, as well as all newly uploaded themes will automatically be saved in MyStuff and will be available on any computer you sign in on.
Can I use pictures I have saved in MyStuff as themes?
Unfortunately, a direct integration is not yet implemented.
How can I revert to the default white background?
Click on Themes, then on the right arrow next to the row of thumbnails until you see the Default theme. Click it and you're done.
How can I delete themes I have saved?
Click on Themes -> See All Themes, roll over the theme you would like to delete and click Delete.