Make Your Taskbar Transparent

 

The easiest way to make a translucent taskbar is using TranslucentTB, a very simple piece of software you can grab from the Microsoft Store app for free. It works in the background while you use Windows 10, and is a less invasive and less complicated way of making your translucent taskbar in Windows 10.

Going step-by-step, this method should take no longer than one minute to finish.

1. 1. Use the Windows search bar to look for the Microsoft Store, then select it to launch it.

   

2. 2. Once in the Microsoft Store, select the Search bar on the upper right and type TranslucentTB. 

   

3. 3. Select Get and follow the installation instructions.

   

4. 4. Launch TranslucentTB from the Microsoft Store window.

   

5. 5. Your taskbar should now be transparent.

   

   Important: You can check the state of TranslucentTB and adjust your new translucent taskbar. Select the TranslucentTB icon from your taskbar, then hover over the Regular option until the dropdown menu appears with additional translucency options.

6. Make Your Taskbar Transparent Using Windows Registry

The second way to change your taskbar transparency is by editing the Windows registry. This may sound confusing, but it’s actually as simple as a series of steps that you can easily replicate, and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

Important: This is certainly the more complex of the two methods, so if you’re really uncertain about messing with your Windows 10 registry, just stick with TranslucentTB.

1. 1. Press Windows key+R to open the Run program, type Regedit into the bar, then press Enter or click OK. Doing so will always launch your Registry Editor, which is a useful shortcut to know for future tweaks.

   

2. 2. On the left side of the screen, you should see a number of different options in a list. Navigate to Computer/HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Advanced.

   

3. 3. Right-click Advanced, then hover over New and select DWORD (32-bit) Value.

   

4. 4. Right-click on the freshly created New Value #1, then rename it to UseOLEDTaskbarTransparency.

5. 5. Next, right-click UseOLEDTaskbarTransparency and set the Value data field to 1. The Base should already be Hexadecimal, if not, select that option.

   

6. 6. Close the Registry Editor and press Windows+R again. This time, type ms-settings:personalization, then select OK to navigate to the Settings panel.

   

7. 7. Select Colors and toggle Transparency effects to On if they aren’t already.

   

8. 8. Restart your computer to ensure your changes are updated. If you still don't see the transparency, you may need to toggle Transparency effects off, then on again.