How To Make Taskbar Transparent In Windows: 5 Easy Ways

Windows provide many customization options to its users so that they can change the looks of their windows according to their liking. The thing that people usually customize in their Windows appearance is the background wallpaper or taskbar.

Most people want to make their taskbar transparent when it comes to customization of the taskbar. If you want to do the same, you have landed on the right article. In this article, we will be enlisting some easy methods that you can use to make your taskbar transparent. So without any further due, let’s get started.

Solutions How To Make Taskbar Transparent

1. Windows Personalization Option
2. Visual Effects Option
3. Turn on Transparency with Registry Editor
4. Aero Tool for Windows 7
5. Third-Party Apps to Make Taskbar Transparent

Solutions for Making Taskbar Transparent

1. Windows Personalization Option 

Using the personalization options of Windows is the easiest and most common method for

Making the taskbar transparent. Here’s how you can do it by following these simple steps:

1. Press the Windows key to open the start menu and click on settings .
2. Now select personalization on the left side of the screen.
3. Next, click on colors.

4. Switch the toggle in front of the transparency effect to the right side.
5. See if your taskbar is transparent now.

The transparency effect with this method is limited as it only makes the taskbar slightly more transparent. You can pick a color for your taskbar matching your wallpaper and see if it looks better than the transparency effect. 

Otherwise, you can move on to the next solution that would add more transparency to your taskbar.

2. Visual Effects Option

Just like the personalization option, the Visual effect option is also an in-built feature that can make your taskbar transparent. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Again press your Windows key to open the Start menu and go to Settings.
2. Click on Accessibility on the screen’s left side.

3. Now press on the Visual effects option.
4. A toggle would be in front of Transparency Effects. Switch it towards the right to enable the transparency effect.
5. See if it affected the transparency of the taskbar.

If you’re still unsatisfied with the level of transparency, you can try the following method, which would surely increase the transparency.

3. Turn on Transparency with Registry Editor

If you cannot get your desired transparency with the above methods, then the registry editor can help you. Registry editor allows you to tweak Windows settings and achieve even higher transparency than you usually get by turning on transparency effects. There are two methods for making the taskbar transparent with the registry editor, which we will be explaining below.

OLED Taskbar Transparency

1. Open the Windows run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R.
2. Once it opens, type Regedit and click on OK or press Enter.
3. Now Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
4. In the white zone, right-click and choose New, then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Please right-click on the newly created value and rename it to UseOLEDTaskbarTransparency or anything else.
6. Now right-click again, and press modify, then change the value from 0 to 1.
7. Press OK to apply settings and see if there is a change in the transparency of the taskbar.

Customize the ForceEffectMode

1. Follow the previous method till step 3.
2. Then navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\DWM
3. Find ForceEffectMode, right-click on it and choose modify.
4. Change its value from 0 to 1 as you did in the previous method.
5. Please restart the computer and see how it affected the taskbar transparency.

4. Aero Tool for Windows 7

You must enable the Windows aero tool to make the taskbar transparent in Windows 7. By enabling transparency with this method, the margins of all windows and the Start menu will become transparent. Here’s how you can do it.

1. Click the Start button, search Aero, or Change the Windows glass color in the Search box.
2.  No type “Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects” in the search bar and click on it.
3. Select Next to start the troubleshooting process. The process may take a few minutes; don’t close the troubleshooter until the scanning for problems is done.
4. If the troubleshooter detects any problems, it will automatically fix them. Otherwise, if it doesn’t detect a problem and a message appears that a problem wasn’t identified, close the troubleshooter. 
5. Right-click on your desktop screen and select Personalize to open the Personalization section of the Control Panel.
6. Select a theme from the Aero Themes section and click Windows 7 as the transparency option is unavailable in the Basic, Classic, or High Contrast theme.
7. Check the Enable transparency box to make the taskbar, start menu, and windows transparent. 
8. Now adjust the transparency by dragging the color intensity bar left and right. Click Save Changes to apply and save the new settings.
9. You can also change the colors of your windows, Start menu, and taskbar by selecting different colors. If you want to create a custom color, click on Show color mixer and then use the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness bars to customize the color. Click Save Changes once you have created your desired color.

Note:

For the Aero to work properly on your system, you need to install the latest drivers for your video card and then run the Aero Troubleshooter.

5. Third-Party Applications to Make Taskbar Transparent

If you’re looking for more taskbar customization besides transparency, several third-party apps can help you do it. Below we will mention some of the best apps to customize your taskbar.

• TranslucentTB

Translucent TB is a free and easy-to-use app for making the taskbar transparent. It can be downloaded from the Microsoft app store. Here are some steps to make your taskbar transparent using Translucent TB:

1. Download Translucent TB from the Microsoft App store.
2. When the download is complete, press Open.
3. Click on continue on the pop-up menu that appears.
4. Your taskbar will now become transparent.

Other Features that TranslucentTB Offers

The TranslucentTB app will make your taskbar transparent, but that’s not the only thing it does. If you want, you can also make the taskbar translucent or opaque.

In addition, it also lets you change the color of the taskbar and combines states such as Start Menu open, maximized window, Timeline open, and Cortana open, Timeline open. Overall it’s a great app that lets you customize a few things in your taskbar while being free of cost.

• TaskbarX

Taskbar X is another app that can make the taskbar transparent. This paid app can be downloaded from the Microsoft App store. Here’s how you can use it to make the taskbar transparent.

1. Search for Taskbar X on the Microsoft App store.
2. Click on buy and select your payment method.
3. Add in the details for that payment method and press Save.
4. Right-click on the file and unpack the archive once the download is complete.
5. Launch the TaskbarX folder and run the exe file to install the app.
6. When the installation process is completed, the taskbar icons will automatically move to the middle of the taskbar.

Other Features that Taskbar X offers

The Taskbar Offers a wide range of features that can change every aspect of your taskbar and give it a completely new look. 

You can make the taskbar vertical and place it on the left or right side of the screen with the position option.

Other interesting features of this app include Style, which can change the color and transparency level of the taskbar. Animation controls the movement of the taskbar icons when you open a new app.

• TaskbarTools 

Taskbar Tools is a free-to-use app that allows you to make changes to your taskbar. You can use the app to make the taskbar transparent by following the steps below:

1. Download the app from the Internet.
2. Click on the Zip file and run the executable file to run the app.
3. Change the Accent State to ACCENT_ENABLE_TRANSPARENTGRADIENT.
4. In the Options section, Tick mark the Start Minimizing, Apply setting when started, and start with the windows option. Uncheck the last option to use a different setting when the windows are maximized.
5. In Windows accent alpha, slide the button left or right to adjust the transparency of the taskbar.

Note:

Though the latest version of Taskbar tools was received in 2017, this app works for Windows 11 as well.

Other Features that Taskbar Tools Offers

The taskbar tools are the best for making slight adjustments in your taskbar. It can change the color and opacity of the taskbar, whether the windows are maximized or not. Overall it’s a great app for those who want to customize their taskbar for free.

• ClassicShell

The classic shell software empowers you to customize your PC how you like. Therefore it also has the feature of adjusting the opacity of the taskbar to make it transparent. Here are the steps to make the taskbar transparent with Classic Shell software:

1. GO to the classic shell download page and download it from there.
2. Once the file has been downloaded, run the .exe file and start the installation wizard to install the app.
3. When the installation process is complete, the app will automatically run itself. On the top of the screen, click on Show all settings and select the Taskbar tab.

4. Now Click on Customize taskbar. Then, select either Transparent or Glass radio buttons (according to your liking), and then adjust the Taskbar’s opacity by adding a number between 0 and 100 in front of the Taskbar opacity.
5. After you have adjusted everything, click on OK.

Other Features that Classic Shell Offers

• Can customize start menu with multiple styles and skin
• Provides quick access to recent, frequently-used, and pinned programs
• Finds Files, documents, programs, and settings
• Lively Wallpaper

Live Wallpaper is another free-to-use app that you can use to make the taskbar transparent. Here are the steps to make your taskbar transparent with Live Wallpaper:

1. Download the Lively Wallpaper application from its Official Website or Microsoft Store.
2. Once you have installed it, open the application. 
3. After that, click on the Settings icon present on the bottom left. 
4. Find the System tab inside the settings. 
5. You will find the Taskbar Theme option in the System tab, OFF by default. 
6. Click on it and select Clear. Your taskbar will become transparent now. 
7. To ensure this setting doesn’t change every time you boot Windows, move to the General tab and enable Start With Windows.

Other Features that Lively Wallpaper Offers

Besides customization, the main feature of Lively Wallpaper is that it lets you choose animations, GIFs, videos, and even a few games as your wallpaper.

Wrapping it up

All solutions mentioned in this article are effective for making the taskbar transparent. But the extent of their effectiveness is different. If you want to make the taskbar slightly transparent, you can use the built-in features of the computer. 

Otherwise, if you want a completely transparent taskbar and want to add some other customization, you should try third-party apps for windows customization mentioned in this article. 

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