How to make the taskbar transparent in Windows 11
Turn on Transparency effects for a lightly transparent Windows 11 taskbar. For a clear menu bar over a glass dock, use Glassline and give each its own background slider. Glassline replaces the taskbar; its menu bar and dock are the parts you make clear.
Try Windows' own setting
- Open Windows Settings. Choose Personalization, then Colors.
- Turn on Transparency effects. This is the built-in way to add taskbar transparency without installing an app.
The effect gives the taskbar a slight frosted look with a visible background.
Clear the menu bar
Glassline adds separate backgrounds for the top and bottom of your screen. It leaves the Windows taskbar's appearance unchanged and replaces it with its own menu bar and dock while it runs. See how the taskbar replacement works for the layout.
- Install Glassline from the Microsoft Store. Open it to bring up the menu bar and dock.
- Open Glassline Settings. Right-click the menu bar, choose Glassline Settings, then open Appearance.
- Turn on Separate dock background. Background of the menu bar and dock becomes two sliders: Background of the menu bar and Background of the dock.
- Drag Background of the menu bar fully left. Its background becomes clear, letting the wallpaper show through behind the app name and the icons.
- Adjust Background of the dock. Keep some background behind your apps for a glass dock. Left is clear and right is solid, so move it until the icons sit comfortably against your wallpaper.
With Separate dock background off, the dock follows the menu bar's background again.
Set the glass
In Appearance, Glass has three levels: Recommended, Medium and Glassy. It controls how much of what is behind shows through the menu bar, dock, panels and menus. Start with Recommended, then try Medium or Glassy while looking at your usual wallpaper.
Turn on Panels take the colour behind them to let panels, menus and Settings use the colour directly behind them. A panel goes light over a white page and dark over a dark page.
Keep text readable
- Set Text on panels and menus to Automatic. It picks light or dark text from what is behind the panel. You can also choose Light or Dark for a busy wallpaper.
- Turn on Text colour for each side of the menu bar. Over a wallpaper with dark and light areas, each side takes the text colour that reads there.
Glassy can be hard to read over a light or busy wallpaper. Try Medium or Recommended, or move the background sliders right to give the text and icons a stronger background.
