The Windows 11 taskbar features a frosted glass design that looks modern, but it still takes up a solid block of visual space at the bottom of your screen. If you have a beautiful desktop wallpaper, you might want to make the taskbar completely transparent so your background image is fully visible edge-to-edge.
While Windows 11 has a “Transparency effects” toggle in its settings, it only makes the taskbar slightly blurry and translucent, not fully clear. To achieve a 100% invisible taskbar, you need a highly popular, lightweight utility from the Microsoft Store.
How to Install TranslucentTB
TranslucentTB is a free, safe, and open-source application that modifies the taskbar without impacting system performance or altering critical system files.
- Open the Microsoft Store app on your Windows 11 PC.
- Search for TranslucentTB in the top search bar.
- Click the Get or Install button to download the application.
- Once installed, click Open to launch it.
How to Configure a Transparent Taskbar
As soon as you launch the application for the first time, you will notice your taskbar instantly becomes completely transparent. Your icons will appear to float directly over your desktop wallpaper.
You can customise exactly how the taskbar behaves under different conditions:
- Look at the system tray in the bottom right corner of your screen (near the clock). You may need to click the small upward arrow to show hidden icons.
- Right-click the TranslucentTB icon (it looks like a bold ‘B’).
- Hover over the Desktop menu.
- Select Clear to ensure it remains 100% transparent.
You can also use this menu to configure different transparency rules depending on what you are doing. For example, you can tell the app to keep the taskbar transparent when you are looking at the desktop, but return to the default frosted glass look when you maximise a web browser or application.