There is a lot of talk about applications developed by third parties that allow you to run makeup of the Microsoft operating system by changing its behavior and appearance. Have a tool available to make the transparent taskbar in Windows 10 and 11 it’s a pretty common request among Windows users.
Make the taskbar transparent (taskbar) of Windows is more of an aesthetic feature than a functional advantage. Transparency can give a modern and elegant look to your desktop. It can also contribute to a feeling of lightness and cleanliness, allowing you to see your desktop wallpaper or background Open windows behind the taskbar.
Configuring the transparency of the taskbar can contribute to better visual integration with it desktop wallpaper. This can be especially appreciated if you use wallpapers or themes that have interesting visual elements.
How to make the taskbar transparent in Windows 10
In Windows 10 you don’t need to install any third-party apps to make the taskbar transparent or taskbar of Windows. In fact, it is sufficient to apply two simple interventions on the configuration of the system registry.
To do this, just type cmd in the Windows 10 search box, press the Enter key, then copy and paste the following into the window command prompt:
reg add HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced /v TaskbarAcrylicOpacity /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\themes\Personalize /v EnableTransparency /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
To apply the changes, you then need to type the following two commands. Their effect consists in rebooting the interface di Windows:
taskkill /im explorer.exe /f
explorer.exe
At this point, the Windows taskbar will automatically become transparent. Please note that the intervention applies only and exclusively to the local user and has no effect on the other accounts configured on the same machine.
How to disable the change and restore the default configuration
To have an opaque taskbar again, and therefore undo the effects of the applied intervention, simply type again cmd in the Windows 10 search box then write the following by pressing Enter at each step:
reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced /v TaskbarAcrylicOpacity /f
taskkill /im explorer.exe /f
explorer.exe
This second change does not disable operating system-level transparencies, which can be optionally disabled by typing reg add HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\themes\Personalize /v EnableTransparency /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f or by pressing Windows+I by clicking on Customizationare Colors and finally disabling the option Transparency effects.
Have a transparent taskbar on Windows 11
With the release of Windows 11, Microsoft has significantly changed the behavior of the shell system that abandons the “acrylic” style introduced in Windows 10 to use the interface Mica. In the case of the Redmond company’s most recent operating system, the interventions on the Windows registry mentioned above therefore do not lead to the desired result.
The application TranslucentTBwhich can also be downloaded from the Microsoft Store, does not act at the system registry level but uses the mechanism known as function hooking to alter the behavior of the taskbar. In other words, the program stays running and ensures that the bar never becomes dull. As we saw in the article dedicated to another utility that modifies Windows programs and components in memory, without applying any changes at the file system level, TranslucentTB intercepts and modifies the behavior of the taskbar by intervening on the dynamics of the execution flow of this component.
It is not excluded that Microsoft will activate, in the near future, a system functionality to intervene on the performance of the Windows 11 taskbar. The GitHub repository can also download the portable version Of TranslucentTB: As soon as you close the program, the taskbar becomes opaque again.