How to make the taskbar transparent

For a few days you have decided that you want to change the look of your PC. Among the various editing operations, you were able to change the desktop background and theme as well as the icons; now you would like to intervene on the taskbar , which you would like to make transparent , but you just can’t find the right option to do it.

Don’t worry, I’m here to help you. In this guide, in fact, I’m going to explain in detail how to make the taskbar transparent . I will show you, therefore, how to make the bar of all the most recent versions of Windows transparent, how to hide and customize it and how to make the Mac Dock bar transparent too.

Know that it is not necessary to be a computer technician to do this and that, after reading this guide, you will surely be able to reach your goal without problems. When you’re ready, then, I’d say get started. Find everything explained below. I just have to wish you a good read and a good time!

Index

• How to make the taskbar transparent: Windows 11
• How to make the taskbar transparent: Windows 10
• How to make the taskbar transparent: Windows 7
• How to make the macOS Dock bar transparent

How to make the taskbar transparent: Windows 11

If you use Windows 11 , you are dealing with a completely redesigned taskbar compared to the past, much more minimal but also more orderly.

Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to make the bar totally transparent via Windows settings. What you can do, however, is to rely on a program, called TranslucentDB , available for free for download on the Microsoft Store and fully compatible with Windows 11.

To download it, visit the link I just provided, accept the opening of the store and press the Get / Install button . If you haven’t already, complete signing in to your Microsoft account , then wait for the application to finish downloading.

When the program opens, the main features of the program will be explained to you in English: just click on the Continue button . Once this is done, restart your PC , so all you have to do is go to the drop-down menu that hides the icons in the notification area, which you can recognize by the icon in the shape of a black triangle . If the installation went according to plan, you can find the TranslucentTB icon .

Make, therefore, right-click on the aforementioned icon and, to make the taskbar transparent, select the items Desktop> Clear from the menu that opens.

If you want to make the bar transparent at all times (for example when other applications are open, or when the Windows menu is open), select the Clear option for each of the items available in the program menu. You can activate the transparent bar even at PC startup by simply clicking on the Open at boot item .

As I told you, Windows does not allow you to make the bar completely transparent, but from the system settings it is still possible to change its colors and opacity . To do this, click on the Windows flag on the taskbar, then access the Settings , reach the Personalization submenu and go to the Colors section .

From this screen you can activate the Transparency Effects button , which helps to decrease (not entirely) the opacity of the taskbar. In addition, you can choose a custom color among those proposed, and apply it to the taskbar with the button Show the main color on Start and on the taskbar .

In case you want to further modify the bar, right-click on an empty spot on it, then click on the entry that appears in the taskbar settings . In the opened menu, you can choose which elements to display on it, or whether to hide it.

To do this, press on the Behavior drop-down menu of the taskbar , then check the item Automatically hide the taskbar , to make it disappear when you don’t need it. Just move the pointer at the bottom to make it reappear.

How to make the taskbar transparent: Windows 10

Making the taskbar transparent on Windows 10 is simple but, as with Windows 11 , it is not possible to do it through any of the PC settings. To do this, however, a convenient tool is available that can be downloaded for free from the Microsoft Store, TranslucentTB .

You can install and use this program in the same way as already seen for Windows 11 . I suggest you take a look at the tutorial section dedicated to Windows 11 to learn more. In the PC Settings , however, there are several options for editing the toolbar , which can also be hidden.

To do this, press the right mouse button on an empty spot on the taskbar, then select the Taskbar settings item . With the Lock taskbar button , you can instead block the movement of the same by dragging with the mouse.

You can also choose to hide the bar when the PC is in desktop or tablet mode , or to make it smaller using the button Use the small buttons on the taskbar . To change the colors, instead, go to the Colors section , present in the Personalization menu of the Settings .

Choose from the Windows Colors the one you prefer, then, to apply it to the taskbar, all you have to do is press the Start button , taskbar and notification center in the menu Show the main color on the following surfaces .

Also, you can choose to make the taskbar less opaque by activating the Transparency Effects button . The bar, however, will not be completely transparent, but will reflect the previously chosen color.

How to make the taskbar transparent: Windows 7

Unlike what has already been seen for Windows 10 and Windows 11 , on Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate it is possible to adjust the transparency of the taskbar through the Windows default settings. To do this, go to the Control Panel , using the appropriate button in the Start menu .

Then click on Appearance and Personalization , then click on the option called Personalization . Navigate to the Aero Themes screen and select your preferred theme from the on-screen menu. The Windows 7 theme is set by default .

Once this is done, click on the Windows Colors button , located at the bottom, to display options for changing the colors of the individual windows and the taskbar. Then select the color you prefer and, to activate the transparency, click on the button next to the item Activate transparency .

At this point, you can use the Color Intensity slider to adjust the transparency of the window. By lowering it to a minimum, the taskbar will also be made less opaque.

I recommend you take a look at my tutorial on how to make Windows windows transparent to learn more.

How to make the macOS Dock bar transparent

Making the macOS Dock bar transparent is really simple, or rather, it should already be by default. However, if accessibility settings are active that reduce the transparency of the interface, you have to act on them.

To do this, start System Preferences by selecting the gear icon from the Dock itself (or from the Apple menu , top left). Once this is done, enter the Accessibility section . From here, all you have to do is access the Monitor option , which you find in the settings menu on the left.

From this section, you can restore the transparency of the Dock bar by disabling the Reduce Transparency checkbox . Easier than that ?!