How do disable transparency in Windows 8's taskbar?

By Konstantine
in Microsoft (Windows)

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thomastmc

Posted
Posted

There is no transparency on Window borders or the Taskbar in Windows 8 RTM... If you're using a preview the option controlling opacity is where it was in Windows 7, Personalization/Window Color.

If you're actually wanting to ENABLE transparency on the Taskbar and Window borders in Windows 8 RTM: http://www.intowindows.com/enable-aero-glass-in-windows-8/

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Xerax

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 30/08/2012 at 09:25, thomastmc said:

There is no transparency on Window borders or the Taskbar in Windows 8 RTM... If you're using a preview the option controlling opacity is where it was in Windows 7, Personalization/Window Color.

There is transparency in the Win8 Taskbar... [snipped]

Edited by Denis W
  • oliver182 and giantpotato
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thomastmc

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 30/08/2012 at 09:53, Xerax said:

There is transparency in the Win8 Taskbar... Don't talk about something if you don't know what your talking about.

My theme was synced from RP, hadn't changed it. [snipped]

Edited by Denis W
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thomastmc

Posted
Posted

Here's your solution for an opaque Taskbar.

Go to c:\windows\resources\themes\

Copy your .theme file someplace else

Under the key [VisualStyles] change the pointer to Aero.msstyles to point to AeroLite.msstyles

Double click your .theme file

Now your Taskbar is no longer translucent.

This also changes other aspects of the UI though.

Proficient

Anthonyd

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 30/08/2012 at 12:14, thomastmc said:

My theme was synced from RP, hadn't changed it. [snipped]

My theme is synced from the RP when transparency was OFF, and the transparency is still here in the taskbar with RTM [snipped] Edited by Denis W
Collaborator

Subhadip

Posted
Posted
  On 30/08/2012 at 12:24, Detection said:

Yea I don't understand why the taskbar was left transparent, I can't think of any reason you would want it to be, error or purposely left ?

It is explained in the extremely detailed Jensen Harris 'Creating the Windows 8 user experience' post, Building Windows 8 blog.

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thomastmc

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 30/08/2012 at 12:52, Anthonyd said:

My theme is synced from the RP when transparency was OFF, and the transparency is still here in the taskbar with RTM [snipped]

[snipped]

Use AeroLite.msstyles, as my synced theme from RP did.

Go to c:\windows\resources\themes\

Copy your .theme file someplace else

Under the key [VisualStyles] change the pointer to Aero.msstyles to point to AeroLite.msstyles

Double click your .theme file

Now your Taskbar is no longer translucent.

screen_20120830b.jpg

Edited by Denis W
Grand Master

Detection

Posted
Posted
  On 30/08/2012 at 12:54, Subhadip said:

It is explained in the extremely detailed Jensen Harris 'Creating the Windows 8 user experience' post, Building Windows 8 blog.

You mean this extremely detailed explanation ?

"The taskbar continues to blend into the desktop wallpaper"

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Shane Nokes

Posted
Posted

The full quote was this:

  Quote
We applied the principles of ?clean and crisp? when updating window and taskbar chrome. Gone are the glass and reflections. We squared off the edges of windows and the taskbar. We removed all the glows and gradients found on buttons within the chrome. We made the appearance of windows crisper by removing unnecessary shadows and transparency. The default window chrome is white, creating an airy and premium look. The taskbar continues to blend into the desktop wallpaper, but appears less complicated overall.

Also they said that it was an extremely detailed post (which it is), not an extremely detailed explanation. :p

Grand Master

Detection

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 30/08/2012 at 13:02, thomastmc said:

[snipped]

Use AeroLite.msstyles, as my synced theme from RP did.

Go to c:\windows\resources\themes\

Copy your .theme file someplace else

Under the key [VisualStyles] change the pointer to Aero.msstyles to point to AeroLite.msstyles

Double click your .theme file

Now your Taskbar is no longer translucent.

screen_20120830b.jpg

:o What have you done to windows 8 ?

Edited by Denis W
Mentor

thomastmc

Posted
Posted
  On 30/08/2012 at 13:39, Detection said:

:o What have you done to windows 8 ?

The funny thing is, this has been my theme since install on Aug 6. I thought this was what everyone else was seeing too, as I knew the RTM UI was going to be different than RP. Ooops.

I have to say though, I like the translucent Taskbar and the window buttons more than the "Lite" theme. I'm going with it now.

Grand Master

devHead

Posted
Posted
  On 30/08/2012 at 08:01, MikeHellstone said:

If you go to personalize settings you can set the window colour and transparency.

If you mean 'just the taskbar', then i'm sorry i don;t know.

There is no option anywhere in Windows 8 to set transparency. Another feature removed from this awesomely great operating system!!

  On 30/08/2012 at 09:25, thomastmc said:

There is no transparency on Window borders or the Taskbar in Windows 8 RTM... If you're using a preview the option controlling opacity is where it was in Windows 7, Personalization/Window Color.

If you're actually wanting to ENABLE transparency on the Taskbar and Window borders in Windows 8 RTM: http://www.intowindo...s-in-windows-8/

There is a slight transparency in the taskbar in Windows 8 RTM. But there is no way to adjust it's transparency or remove it.

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thomastmc

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 30/08/2012 at 12:52, Anthonyd said:

My theme is synced from the RP when transparency was OFF, and the transparency is still here in the taskbar with RTM [snipped]

I believe the reason my theme synced to AeroLite instead of Aero is that I didn't just have transparency turned off, but was using a "Basic" theme in RP.

When I heard that the RTM was going to disable Aero (which turned out not to be all that true) I turned off Aero in the RP to see what it would be like. I wasn't all that disappointed and just never switched back.

Edited by Denis W
Grand Master

devHead

Posted
Posted
  On 30/08/2012 at 14:15, thomastmc said:

Read my previous post with screenshot.

Word. That's pretty interesting. Of course, I was mainly talking about how there's no setting anywhere that let's you switch off the slight transparency in the Taskbar.

Veteran

Nazmus Shakib Khandaker

Posted
Posted
  On 30/08/2012 at 13:39, Detection said:

:o What have you done to windows 8 ?

He switched to Aero Lite theme in Windows 8. This theme is ugly, because it makes the scroll bars look ugly, the close/minimize/maximize buttons look ugly, and everything else look ugly. The ribbon itself is ugly. The Aero lite is for the server version of Windows. It can also be synced to RTM if you have been using Aero lite in the RP version. The method he showed is way to complicated than the simple steps you can follow to get back this ugly looking Aero lite theme. Bing it (or google it) to see how to enable Aero Lite in Windows 8 RTM.

But seriously, there is no reason you should be using this ugly theme. You are giving up good UI controls in return for an opaque taskbar. Switch to the RTM theme and see how beautiful it looks compared to this server theme.

Also, the taskbar is transparent for eye candy. It follows the digitally authencticaty by being flat and "modern looking". It's not glass, but, rather, it is trying to show the wallpaper while keeping the taskbar vivid. Window boarders work better without transparancy because transparency with overlapping windows look ugly. And the transparency on task bar was intentional according to the MSDN blog.

Mentor

thomastmc

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 31/08/2012 at 14:15, Xerax said:

[snipped]

It wasn't as if I was trying to mislead anyone... It just turned out that I was both wrong and had serendipitously stumbled upon a working solution at the same time :huh:

Maybe a little conversation before making an accusation next time.

  On 31/08/2012 at 15:43, Nazmus Shakib Khandaker said:

He switched to Aero Lite theme in Windows 8. This theme is ugly, because it makes the scroll bars look ugly, the close/minimize/maximize buttons look ugly, and everything else look ugly. The ribbon itself is ugly. The Aero lite is for the server version of Windows. It can also be synced to RTM if you have been using Aero lite in the RP version. The method he showed is way to complicated than the simple steps you can follow to get back this ugly looking Aero lite theme. Bing it (or google it) to see how to enable Aero Lite in Windows 8 RTM.

But seriously, there is no reason you should be using this ugly theme. You are giving up good UI controls in return for an opaque taskbar. Switch to the RTM theme and see how beautiful it looks compared to this server theme.

Also, the taskbar is transparent for eye candy. It follows the digitally authencticaty by being flat and "modern looking". It's not glass, but, rather, it is trying to show the wallpaper while keeping the taskbar vivid. Window boarders work better without transparancy because transparency with overlapping windows look ugly. And the transparency on task bar was intentional according to the MSDN blog.

Totally agree.

Edited by Denis W
Mentor

Xerax

Posted
Posted
  On 01/09/2012 at 04:18, thomastmc said:

It wasn't as if I was trying to mislead anyone... It just turned out that I was both wrong and had serendipitously stumbled upon a working solution at the same time :huh:

Telling someone "There is no transparency on Window borders or the Taskbar in Windows 8 RTM..." Is wrong, but someone who was reading, might think you were right, and then tell someone. Therefor "misleading others".

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thomastmc

Posted
Posted
  On 01/09/2012 at 20:07, Xerax said:

Telling someone "There is no transparency on Window borders or the Taskbar in Windows 8 RTM..." Is wrong, but someone who was reading, might think you were right, and then tell someone. Therefor "misleading others".

I didn't say that I wasn't wrong. I was wrong and of course that could be misleading.

You could simply say, "That's wrong", without an attack though. Not only was I not wrong because I "didn't know what I was talking about", the reason I was wrong was the solution.

It's just about common respect and manners, or as my grandfather used to say, decorum.

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