How to Style a Tab Control in WPF

This topic shows how to style a TabControl and the item controls that it contains. The following gives an example of changes made to the elements that make up the control template of the TabControl.

Example

<Style x:Key="{x:Type TabControl}" TargetType="{x:Type TabControl}">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="3"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="Red"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="LightBlue"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="TabControl">
<Grid>
<Grid.RowDefinitions>
<RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
<RowDefinition Height="*"/>
</Grid.RowDefinitions>
<Border BorderThickness="0,0,1,1" BorderBrush="#D0CEBF" Grid.Row="1">
<Border BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}"
BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}">
<Border Background="{TemplateBinding Background}">
<ContentPresenter ContentSource="SelectedContent"/>
</Border>
</Border>
</Border>
<TabPanel Grid.Row="0" IsItemsHost="true"/>
</Grid>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>

The following example shows how to style a TabItem that is used in the TabControl.

<Style TargetType="TabItem">
<Setter Property="BorderThickness" Value="3"/>
<Setter Property="BorderBrush" Value="Red"/>
<Setter Property="Background" Value="LightBlue"/>
<Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="Center"/>
<Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="Center"/>
<Setter Property="Template">
<Setter.Value>
<ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type TabItem}">
<Border>
<Grid>
<Grid>
<Border CornerRadius="3,3,0,0" Background="{TemplateBinding Background}"
BorderBrush="{TemplateBinding BorderBrush}"
BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}"/>
</Grid>
<Border BorderThickness="{TemplateBinding BorderThickness}"
Padding="{TemplateBinding Padding}">
<ContentPresenter ContentSource="Header"
HorizontalAlignment="{TemplateBinding HorizontalContentAlignment}"
VerticalAlignment="{TemplateBinding VerticalContentAlignment}"/>
</Border>
</Grid>
</Border>
</ControlTemplate>
</Setter.Value>
</Setter>
</Style>