Don't Like Windows 11's Transparent Look? Here's How to Change It

Windows 11 has various transparency effects enabled by default. You'll notice it as soon as you look at the sign-in screen - the background is slightly transparent and blurred. Almost every important UI element looks a bit see-through, including the context menu, taskbar, quick settings, and Start.

I don't mind it - in fact, I liked it a lot during the Windows 7 era, when this type of aesthetic was at its peak.

But if you're not a fan of the look, you can simply disable it. Here's how!

Via Personalization Settings

You can find the option here:

1. Go to Settings > Personalization > Colors.
2. Turn Transparency effects on or off.

Via Accessibility Settings

Alternatively, you can achieve the same results here:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects.
2. Turn Transparency effects on or off.

Via Registry Editor

Finally, you can change the same setting in the registry. But first, if you're not experienced in editing registry values, I suggest you create a system restore point just in case.

Here are the steps:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize on the left.
3. In the Personalize subkey, double-click EnableTransparency on the right.
4. To disable transparency, type 0 in the Value data field, and click OK.
5. To enable it, type 1 in the Value data field, and click OK. This is the default value.

Unfortunately, you can't customize the transparency level. The built-in settings only let you switch it on or off - nothing fancy. But if you'd like more options, there are plenty of shell enhancement tools to choose from.

selma citakovic Selma is a gamer, geek and gremlin hunter with a passion for cyber security and smashing Windows bugs before they bite. She’s IBM-certified, loves real freeware, despises bloatware, and powers most of her troubleshooting with an unhealthy amount of coffee.

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