mlapplications.comTransparent Taskbar+ Tips & Tricks: better taskbar styles
Ideas and small tricks to get a clean, sharp and readable taskbar - from picking the right picture size to combinations that look good on any wallpaper.
Combinations that work
Clean Windows 11
Transparent background · thin Auto line · plain icons. Looks like Windows, only lighter.
Night glass
Thin Glow pattern · Glass dock · thick custom cyan line.
Brand colours
Gradient (50-50) in your two brand colours · Color buttons in an accent colour.
Photo strip
Your picture, Fill, 80% opacity · Glass buttons · no line.
Sharp pictures
- The picture panel shows your taskbar's real size, for example
2560 × 60 px. Make your picture at least that size - wider and taller is fine, Fill uses the middle. - Small textures (for example 64 × 64) look best with Tile.
- For a logo or an emblem use Center and pick a matching Backing colour.
- Transparent PNGs work: the transparent parts show the backing colour.
- Moving the taskbar to a side? Turn on Side taskbars and choose a tall picture for it.
Keep it readable
- Busy wallpapers make icons and the clock harder to read. A Glass dock or Glass buttons keeps icons clear on any wallpaper.
- Lower the picture Opacity to 60-80% to calm a bright photo.
- With Windows in light mode, pick a light pattern; in dark mode, a dark or glow pattern.
The Auto line colour
With Auto, the line uses the colour of Windows' own text - the same colour as the Action Center text: dark in light mode, white in dark mode. Switch Windows between light and dark and the line follows. Choose Custom for a coloured accent.
Top and side taskbars
Press Change taskbar position… in the settings to open the right Windows page. After you move the taskbar, the tab's name changes (Top, Left or Right Taskbar) and every style is drawn for that edge - gradients turn with the taskbar, and the line moves to the desktop side.
Browser or app window?
Both show the same settings. The browser is handy if you keep it open anyway; the app window works without a browser. Use Open in your browser / Open the app window to switch. In the browser, allow the one-time "apps on this device" prompt so the page can talk to the app.
More small tricks
- Undo changes in the bottom bar puts back everything since your last Apply.
- Reset Default Values returns to a thin Auto line, transparent background and plain icons.
- Double-click a pattern to apply it straight away.
- Turn on Start with Windows so your style is there after every restart.
- If the taskbar looks normal after Windows Explorer restarted, press Reload Taskbar.
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.
