How to Make Taskbar Translucent or Fully Transparent in Windows?

In Windows, users often want to make the taskbar see-through for a cleaner look. The “Transparency Effects” setting offers basic see-through options but doesn’t allow full transparency. For more control, third-party tools like TranslucentTB and TaskbarTools let users make the taskbar fully transparent or adjust its transparency level. These apps are easy to use, lightweight, and don’t slow down the system.

The built-in way

You can use Windows’ Transparency effects setting under Personalization. This is an easy and reliable way to make the taskbar partly see-through without using extra software.

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run box, type “ms-settings:personalization“, and hit Enter.
   
2. In the Personalization menu, select Colors from the left-hand menu.
3. In the Colors menu, scroll down to More options and enable the toggle for Transparency effects.
   

As you can see, this built-in option only adds a slight degree of transparency which is unfortunate since a lot of users are left looking for a full transparency effect. Depending on the image that you’re using as a background, the difference might not even be noticeable.

If you’re looking for a way to make your taskbar transparent or translucent, you’ll be pleased to hear that there’s a number of third-party tools and registry hacks that will help you achieve this effect. Sure, every method involves a certain degree of tweaking, but it’s nothing too technical.

RELATED: How to Change the Color of your Taskbar

1. Enhance the taskbar transparency with a registry hack

You can make the taskbar more see-through by changing the Windows registry. This method lets you make the taskbar clearer than the usual setting, giving it a glass-like look.

Note: be careful because wrong changes to the registry can cause system problems.

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run box. Type “regedit” and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
   
2. In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced using the left pane.
3. Select the Advanced folder, right-click on the right pane, and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new entry UseOLEDTaskbarTransparency.
   
4. Double-click UseOLEDTaskbarTransparency, set the Base to Hexadecimal, and the Value Data to 1.
   
5. Click OK, then close the Registry Editor.
6. The changes are not visible yet. To continue, open a Run box (Windows key + R), type “ms-settings:personalization“, and hit Enter.
   
7. In the Personalization menu, select Colors from the left-hand menu. Scroll to More Options, enable Transparency effects, and check the boxes for Start, taskbar, and action center and Title bars.
   Note: If these options are already enabled, disable and re-enable them.
8. Reboot your device to apply the changes. The transparency will increase, but some might find it still lacking.

If you want even more transparency, move down to Method 2 or Method 3.

2. Make the taskbar fully transparent using TranslucentTB

TranslucentTB is an external tool that gives you full control over how see-through the Windows taskbar is, more than the normal settings allow. It lets you make the taskbar completely clear for a cleaner look. This small app runs in the background and lets you adjust the taskbar’s transparency in real time.

1. Visit this link and download the TranslucentTB zip file. Once downloaded, use an extraction tool like WinZip or WinRar to extract its contents to a convenient location.
   
2. Go to the extracted location and double-click TranslucentTB.exe. You should immediately notice that your taskbar changes to a translucent state.
   
3. The default state is translucent, but you can change it to fully transparent. Right-click on the TranslucentTB icon in the notification tray and select “Clear” for a completely transparent taskbar.
   Note: If you want this change to be permanent, right-click on TranslucentTB in the notification tray and select Open at Boot. Otherwise, you’ll need to open TranslucentTB each time your computer starts.
   

If you’re looking for a different option to make your taskbar transparent or translucent, move down to Method 3.

3. Make the taskbar fully transparent with TaskbarTools

Unlike Windows’ default settings, TaskbarTools lets you directly control how see-through the taskbar is, even making it fully clear. This app adds transparency properties to the taskbar, overcoming some limits of Windows’ built-in options.

1. Visit this link and download the ZIP archive for the latest version.
   
2. Use WinZip, WinRar, or a similar decompression tool to extract the archive contents to an accessible folder.
3. Navigate to the extracted TaskbarTool files and double-click taskbartool.exe.
4. After a brief wait, a window for Taskbar Tools will appear. You can then experiment with different accent states to find the option you prefer. Combine the Accent State with various Gradient Colors to create unique effects.
   Note: To save your TaskbarTools settings, click the Options button and ensure the checkboxes for Start Minimized, Apply Settings When Started, and Start with Windows are checked.