Do you want to make your desktop look cohesive and unobstructed by
the usual color block that Windows assigns to the taskbar?
Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can use to make it a
less-harsh line of color on your screen. This article teaches you
how to make a taskbar transparent in Windows 10 and 11.
- Open "Colors" in Settings to enable "Transparency effects" so
your taskbar is less of a harsh color block.
- To make your taskbar more transparent, you can also add a
DWORD(32-bit) value in Registry Editor.
- Alternatively, download and install a 3rd party app called
Translucent TB.
[Method 1] Using Settings
1. Press ⊞ Win+I. This keyboard shortcut opens Settings, but
you can also click the gear icon in the Start menu.
- This method makes the taskbar more transparent than opaque,
but it's still a color block
Go to the Colors menu. Click Personalization and Colors. For Windows
11, you'll find "Personalization" in the menu on the left and
"Colors" on the right. For Windows 10, "Personalization" is on a
tile next to a monitor and paintbrush icon, then "Colors" is in the
panel on the left side of the screen.
Click the toggle next to "Transparency effects" to turn it on. Doing
this will allow the background colors to show through your system
windows a little. This includes settings windows, pop-up windows,
and your taskbar.
- If you're using Windows 11 and you notice that the taskbar is
still opaque, you need to enable "Transparency effects" in
Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects.
[Method 2] Editing Windows Registry
Open Registry Editor. To do this, press Win
+ R then type regedit and press Enter.
- Be careful editing the Registry because incorrectly editing it
can cause your computer or laptop not to run. It's a good idea
to make a backup before you edit, so you can restore the
original in case your changes damage your computer's files.
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft >
Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advanced.
While you can use the folders and directories to manually navigate
to this destination, save time by copying and pasting this file
path.
Right-click an empty space. Make sure you're
right-clicking in the right panel, since you want to add to the
"Advanced" folder.
Hover your mouse over "New" and select DWORD(32-bit) Value.
A new window will appear.
Name it UseOLEDTaskbarTransparency and set the value to "1."
If you can't immediately set the value, go ahead and create the new
DWORD with the new name. Then right-click the newly created entry
and select Modify in the pop-up. Then change the
value from 0 to 1 and click OK.
Restart your computer. Close Registry Editor and
restart your computer.
- If you don't see a difference in the opacity of your taskbar,
right-click an empty space on your desktop and select Personalization
> Color > Transparency effects.
[Method3] Getting Translucent TB
Get TranslucentTB from the Microsoft Store. You
can go to the store's page and click Get in Store app
or you can open the Microsoft Store app and search for "TranslucentTB."
- Click Get to download and install the app.
- TranslucentTB is a much faster method to make your taskbar
completely transparent without using Registry Editor.
Open TranslucentTB. Once it's installed, click the
app in your Start menu to run it.
- Click Continue to give it permission to run on Startup.
- You should notice immediately that your taskbar turns
translucent, or invisible.
Change how TranslucentTB appears by clicking the app icon in
your tray. This might be invisible if you have Dark Mode
enabled and you're looking at a white background, but open a page or
something with a dark background to see the TB icon. The reverse is
true if Light Mode is enabled. |
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