Translucent Box on the Screen in Windows 11? Try these Fixes

Many users noticed a translucent box on their screen (just above the taskbar) while using a Windows 11 system and the box only highlights when the mouse hovers over it. Also, the users failed to click or scroll on any item behind the box (like Excel sheets, a browser’s submit button, etc.).

In some cases, the mouse/touchpad’s cursor got trapped inside the box. Some users reported dragging/dropping the box to a different location on the desktop, whereas, others failed to click/hold the box. The issue is not limited to a particular OEM and is reported on nearly all the major OEMs (like Lenovo, Dell, Hp, etc.).

You may see an invisible box on your computer screen, mainly, due to the following factors:

Update the PC’s Windows to the Latest Build

An incompatibility between the different OS modules or a bug in Windows 11 might have caused a translucent box on the screen. Here, updating the PC’s Windows to the latest build may solve the problem.

But before going on to that route, make sure the box is not shown when the system boots into the BIOS, otherwise, the issue might be occurring due to a hardware issue.

1. Right-click Windows and open Settings.

   

2. Now, in the left half of the screen, head to the Windows Update tab, and then in the right half, click on Check for Updates.
3. Afterward, make sure to install all the Windows 11 updates (do not forget to restart the system after each update) and when done, open Advanced Options.
4. Now select Optional Updates and make sure to install all the optional updates.
5. Once all the available updates are installed, restart your system and upon restart, check if the box on the screen is removed.

End MiniSearchHost Process in the System’s Task Manager

The MiniSearchHost is a process identified by many users to cause a translucent box on their screen and the same can also be the reason for the box on your display. So, ending the MiniSearchHost process in the system’s Task Manager may solve the problem.

1. Right-click on the Windows button and open Task Manager.

   

2. Now find and right-click on the MiniSearchHost (you may find it under Search) process. If the MiniSearchHost process could not be found, then you may follow steps 5 and onwards.

   

3. Then select End Task and then confirm to end the task.
4. Afterward, check if the box has disappeared from the display.
5. If ‘MiniSearchHost’ could not be found in the processes tab, then switch to the Details tab of the Task Manager and press the M key on the keyboard.
6. Now right-click on the MiniSearchHost process and select End Task.

   

7. Then confirm to end the task and afterward, check if the box on the screen is removed.
8. If the issue persists, check if ending all the Search-related processes in the Task Manager solves the problem.

Keep in mind that if the box reappears, then you may repeat the above steps. But if you have to repeat this again and again, then you may set up a script to do it (till the bug is cleared by Microsoft).

Restart Windows Explorer Through the Task Manager

The transparent box on the screen could be the result of a temporary glitch in Windows Explorer. In this case, restarting the Windows Explorer through the Task Manager may solve the problem.

1. Right-click Windows and open Task Manager.
2. Now right-click on the Windows Explorer process (you can find it by pressing the W key on the keyboard) and select Restart. If there is more than one Windows Explorer process (a very rare phenomenon), restart all. If no Windows Explorer process is shown in the Task Manager, follow steps 4 and onward.

   

3. Once the Windows Explorer restarts, check if the box has been removed from the display.
4. If the Windows Explorer process is not present in the processes tab, switch to the Details tab and right-click on the Explorer.exe.

   

5. Then select Restart and afterward, check if the transparent box issue is resolved.
6. If not, check if restarting the system clears out the box from the screen.

If a user repeatedly has to do the above steps, then setting up a batch file with the following would be a better approach:

@echo off

taskkill /im explorer.exe /f

start explorer.exe

exit

Disable SteamVR Prompt

The box on the screen could be a stuck SteamVR Prompt. This might happen if Steam “thinks” there is a VR controller connected to the system and disabling the SteamVR Prompt may solve the problem.

1. Launch SteamVR and open its Settings.

   

2. Now head to the Developer tab and in the right pane, uncheck the option of Enable VR Dashboard.

   

3. Then restart your system and upon restart, check if the box from the screen has vanished.
4. If not and a SteamVR prompt is shown when a VR controller is connected (or asking for the Big Picture mode), checkmark Do Not Show Again and close the prompt.
5. Afterward, check if the box on the screen problem is solved.
6. If the issue persists, check if ending all the Steam processes in the Task Manager solves the problem.

Disable Task View from The Taskbar

The translucent box on the screen could be a result of the stuck entry of the search menu; when the user hovers the mouse over the search icon. Here, disabling ‘Recent Searches When I Hover Over the Search Icon’ or removing the Search Icon from the taskbar may solve the problem.

Disable Show Recent Searches When I Hover Over the Search Icon

1. Firstly, hover the mouse over the Search icon on the taskbar and wait a second there.

   

2. Afterward, check if the box on the screen has disappeared.
3. If not, right-click on the system’s Taskbar and open Taskbar Settings.

   

4. Now expand the Taskbar Behaviors option and uncheck the option of Show Recent Searched When I Hover Over the Search Icon. Some users might not see this option. If so, you may try the next method.

   

5. Then restart the system and upon restart, check if the screen is clear of the translucent box.

Remove Search Icon from the Taskbar

1. If that fails, open the Taskbar Settings, and in the Taskbar Items section, disable Search.

   

2. Now restart your system and upon restart, check if the translucent box issue is resolved.

Keep in mind that a user might have to use the search from the Start menu as the search on the taskbar would not be available.

Remove the Task View Icon from the Taskbar

1. Right-click Windows and select Taskbar Settings.
2. Now, in the Taskbar Items section, disable Task View by toggling its switch to the off position, and afterward, check if the display is clear of the transparent box.

   

Disable Transparency Effects in the System’s Settings

Transparency Effects add visual enhancements to Windows by adding a transparent effect to the overall look and feel of Windows. The transparent box on the screen might be a result of a glitch in the system’s Transparency Effects as the effects fail to properly apply to a menu. Here, you may get rid of the transparent box on your desktop by disabling the Transparency Effects of the system.

1. Right-click on Windows and open Settings.
2. Now, in the left pane of the window, head to the Personalization tab, and then in the right pane, open Colors.

   

3. Then disable Transparency Effects by toggling its switch to the off position and afterward, check if the translucent box has disappeared from the screen.

   

Change the Screen Resolution

If the screen resolution is not optimal as per the display, then that may glitch out the graphics driver and thus cause the issue at hand. Here, changing the screen resolution may solve the problem.

1. Right-click Windows and open Settings.
2. Now, in the right pane of the System tab, open Display, and then in the Scale & Layout section, change the Screen Resolution (preferably, lower than the current screen resolution).

   

3. Then confirm to change the screen resolution and afterward, check if the screen is cleared of the transparent box.

Update or Reinstall the Graphics Driver

A user may see a transparent box on the screen if the graphics driver of his system is outdated or corrupt. Here, you can fix the transparent box in Windows 11 by updating or reinstalling the graphics driver of the system.

Update the Graphics Driver

1. Right-click Windows and open Device Manager.

   

2. Now expand Display Adapters and right-click on the graphics device.

   

3. Then select Update Driver and select Search Automatically for Drivers.

   

4. If a driver update is available, download and install it.
5. Now restart your system and upon restart, check if the box is cleared from the display.
6. If not, download the latest graphics driver from the OEM’s website and launch it as an administrator.
7. Now follow the prompts on the screen to install the graphics driver and once done, restart your system.
8. Upon restart, check if the screen is clear of the transparent box.

Reinstall the Graphics Driver

1. Right-click Windows and open Device Manager.
2. Now expand the Display Adapters tab and right-click on the graphics card.

   

3. Then select Uninstall Driver and in the next menu, select Attempt to Remove the Driver for This Device.

   

4. Now click on Uninstall and once the graphics driver is uninstalled, restart your system.
5. Upon restart, let the Windows install a generic graphics driver and check if the box on the display has vanished.
6. If not, install the latest OEM driver as administrator (downloaded earlier) as administrator, and afterward, check if the screen is clear of the translucent box.

End Processes in Task Manager and Perform Clean Boot of the System

If none of the above worked for you, then the box on the screen could be a result of a processor stuck in the operation or can be caused by a third-party application utility. In this scenario, ending all the non-essential processes in the system’s Task Manager and performing a clean boot of the system may solve the problem.

1. Right-click Windows and open Task Manager.
2. Now end all the non-essential processes one by one till the box is removed and the problematic process is found.
3. If not, check if performing a clean boot solves the problem. If so, then you may find the problematic one by enabling the applications/services one by one (which were disabled during the clean boot process) till the problematic one is found.

The following are reported by users to cause a box on their screens and if you have any of these, check if disabling or uninstalling these solves the problem:

For illustration, we will discuss the process of uninstalling the Zoom client.

1. Right-click Window and open Apps & Features.

   

2. Now, in the right pane, find Zoom and click on three vertical ellipses in front of it.

   

3. Then select Uninstall and afterward, confirm to uninstall the Zoom client.
4. Now follow the prompts on the screen to uninstall Zoom and once done restart your PC.
5. Upon restart, hopefully, there will be no translucent box on the screen.