How to change default color of progress bar?

The easiest way is to use android:indeterminateTint attribute:

<ProgressBar
        android:indeterminate="true"
        android:indeterminateTint="@android:color/black"
        ........... />

This is an old question, but using theme is not mentioned here. If your default theme is using AppCompat, your ProgressBar's color will be colorAccent you have defined.

Changing colorAccent will also change your ProgressBar's color, but these changes also reflects at multiple places. So, if you want a different color just for a specific ProgressBar you can do that by applying theme to that ProgressBar alone:

• Extend your default theme and override colorAccent

  <style name="AppTheme.WhiteAccent">
      <item name="colorAccent">@color/white</item> <!-- Whatever color you want-->
  </style>
  

• And in ProgressBar add the android:theme attribute:

  android:theme="@style/AppTheme.WhiteAccent"
  

So it will look something like this:

<ProgressBar
        android:id="@+id/loading"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_gravity="center"
        android:padding="10dp"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme.WhiteAccent" />

So you are just changing a colorAccent for your particular ProgressBar.

Note: Using style will not work. You need to use android:theme only. You can find more use of theme here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AndroidDevelopers/posts/JXHKyhsWHAH

Edit

Here is the code for changing the color of ProgressBar by programatically.

ProgressBar progressBar = (ProgressBar) findViewById(R.id.pb_listProgressBar);
int colorCodeDark = Color.parseColor("#F44336");
progressBar.setIndeterminateTintList(ColorStateList.valueOf(colorCodeDark));

Please make one xml file name progress.xml and put it in res/xml folder and write the below code in that xml file.

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rotate xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:pivotX="50%" android:pivotY="50%" android:fromDegrees="0"
    android:toDegrees="360">
    <shape android:shape="ring" android:innerRadiusRatio="3"
        android:thicknessRatio="8" android:useLevel="false">

        <size android:width="76dip" android:height="76dip" />
        <gradient android:type="sweep" android:useLevel="false"
            android:startColor="#447a29" 
            android:endColor="#447a29"
            android:angle="0"
             />
    </shape>
</rotate> 

after creating this xml file set your progressbars background as this xml ..

Like

<ProgressBar
  android:id="@+id/ProgressBar01" 
  android:layout_width="wrap_content"
  android:layout_height="wrap_content"
  android:background = "@xml/progress">