mlapplications.comTransparent Taskbar+ Effects Guide: icon magnifier, highlight, click bubbles and mouse light
A dock-style icon magnifier and three small mouse effects that make the taskbar react to you. Each one is a single switch in the Effects tab and they combine with any style.
Turning effects on and off
Open the settings, click Effects in the left menu and flip the switch next to an effect. It works immediately - there is no Apply button for effects. After a fresh install the Icon magnifier is on and the other three are off.
Icon magnifier
Point at an app icon and it grows out of the taskbar on a small glass bubble, like a Mac dock. Move along the taskbar and the bubble glides from icon to icon; move away and it shrinks back.
- It's live. The enlarged icon is a live copy of the real one, so badges, progress and Windows' own hover and click animations show in it too.
- Clicks go to the real icon. The bubble lets clicks through, and only the icon you point at grows - neighbours stay in place - so what you see is what you click.
- It grows away from the screen edge: up for a bottom taskbar, down for a top one, sideways for left and right taskbars.
- Icons only. Apps, Start and Task view grow; wide items such as the search box and the clock don't.
- Safe. Nothing inside Windows is changed. If Windows ever refuses the live copy, the magnifier simply switches itself off.
Taskbar highlight
When the mouse arrives on the taskbar, the whole bar lights up briefly with a soft gradient, then fades. It is a subtle cue that the taskbar is "awake" - useful with a fully transparent taskbar, where it can be hard to see where the bar starts.
Click highlight
Every click on the taskbar sends out a small burst of bubbles from the pointer. It gives each click a bit of feedback and looks great on dark backgrounds, patterns and pictures.
Mouse light shadow
A soft light follows the pointer across the taskbar, like a torch over glass. It looks best with the Glass dock or Glass buttons and with darker backgrounds.
Good pairings
Minimal
Transparent background, thin Auto line, plain icons, Taskbar highlight on.
Glass
Dark pattern, Glass dock, Mouse light shadow on.
Playful
Your own picture, Color buttons, Click highlight on.
Effects are saved immediately and come back after a restart. If an effect stops showing, press Reload Taskbar at the top of the settings.
Frequently asked questions
Are the effects on by default?
The Icon magnifier is on after installation; Taskbar highlight, Click highlight and Mouse light shadow are off. Switch any of them in the Effects tab.
Can I click the magnified icon?
Yes. The enlarged icon is a live copy shown above the real one, and clicks go through it to the real icon under the mouse - so the app opens, jump lists and previews work as usual.
Why doesn't the clock or the search box grow?
The magnifier enlarges icon buttons - apps, Start, Task view. Wide items such as the search box, the clock or widgets with text stay as they are.
Why does the magnified icon look a bit soft?
It is an enlarged copy of the icon Windows draws, about 1.6 times bigger. Higher display scaling (125-150%) gives sharper icons, because Windows then draws them larger to begin with.
Do the effects work with every style?
Yes. Effects are drawn above the background, buttons and line, so they work with any combination.
Do effects use a lot of CPU?
No. They only run while the mouse is over the taskbar or when you click it.
Do effects work on every monitor and on side taskbars?
Yes. They follow the mouse on every taskbar, at any edge of the screen.
Step-by-step guides
Get Transparent Taskbar+ Lite - free
Free on the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Installs and uninstalls like any Store app.
