Aero Glass Transparency

How to Enable or Disable Aero Glass Transparency in Vista​

   Information

Glass Transparency is part of the Windows Aero color scheme that makes your window borders look like transparent glass. This will show you how to enable or disable the Windows Aero Transparency feature.

   Note

Glass Transparency can be a resource hog on your video device. This can cause your computer to slow down on systems that are not very powerful. Using Windows Aero without Transparency does not use much resources though.

   Warning

You must have the Windows Aero color scheme turned on for the Glass Transparency, Taskbar Thumbnail Previews, and Flip 3D features.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS FOR: WINDOWS AERO
See: Windows Help and Support: Troubleshoot problems with Windows Aero

NOTE: The Windows Aero color scheme is not available for the Vista Home Basic version.

• 1 GHz 32 bit or 64 bit CPU processor.
• The computer needs at least 1 GB of RAM.
• A graphics card with support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB of memory.
• The graphics card must support Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware.
• The graphics card driver must support Windows Vista Display Driver Model (WDDM)
• The computer display color depth must be set to 32 bits per pixel.

EXAMPLE: Transparent Window

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OPTION ONE

Through Window Color and Appearance

1. Right click on a empty area of your desktop.​

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2. Click on Personalize. (See screenshot below)​

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3. Click on the Window Color and Appearance link. (See screenshot below)​

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4. To Disable Transparency ​

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A) Uncheck Enable transparency. (See screenshot below step 7)​

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B) Go to step 6.​

5. To Enable Transparency ​

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A) Check Enable transparency.​

6. Click on a color you want to use for the windows, Start menu, and Taskbar.​

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7. Adjust the Color intensity by sliding the bar to the left to decrease the intensity and to the right to increase the intensity.​

NOTE: If the Color intensity is set to far to the right, then the window borders and taskbar may be to dark to be transparent if enabled.​

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8. Click on OK.​

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9. Close window from below step 3.​

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OPTION TWO

Using a REG File Download

1. To Disable Transparency ​

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A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.​

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Disable_Transparency.reg​

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B) Go to step 3.​

2. To Enable Transparency ​

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A) Click on the Download button below to download the​

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Enable_Transparency.reg​

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3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.​

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4. Right click on the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.​

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5. Click on Run, Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted​

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6. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the changes.​

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7. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​

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OPTION THREE

Manually in Registry Editor

1. Open the Start Menu.​

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2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.​

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3. Click on the Continue button in the UAC prompt.​

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4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below)​

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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM​

5. In the right pane, right click on ColorizationOpaqueBlend and click on Modify.​

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6. To Disable Transparency​

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A) Type 1 and click on OK. (See screenshot below)​

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B) Go to step 8.​

7. To Enable Transparency ​

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A) Type 0 (Number Zero) and click on OK.​

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8. Close regedit.​

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9. Log off and log on or restart the computer to apply the changes.​

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That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Change the Size of Window Borders in Vista
• How to Change the Visual Effects Options for Appearance and Performance in Vista
• How to Open and Change Folder Options in Vista
• How to Open Each Folder in the Same or it's Own Separate Window in Vista
• How to Change a Default Open Window Size for a Shortcut in Vista
• How to Change the ClearType Font Settings in Vista
• How to Change the Color Scheme in Vista
• How to Use and Create a Flip 3D Shortcut in Vista
• How to Add or Remove Turn Aero On or Off from the Vista Context Menu
• How to Change the Color Bit Depth Settings in Vista

 

[Brink]

Hi Steven,

I do not think it works anymore, but you can give it a try to see. This is what I found:

Click on Start button, then select Run.

Type “regedit” (without the quotes). (If you do not turn of UAC, you
have to run as administrator: Right click on Command Prompt accessible
from All Programs -> Accessories, then select “Run as Administrator”,
click on “Allow” from the Windows Security dialog, then run “regedit”.)

Browse or navigate to the following registry
branch:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft

Create a new registry branch called DWM. (If DWM doesn’t work, try to
create and use WDM registry branch instead.)

Inside the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\DWM\ registry branch,
create a new DWORD subkey called EnableMachineCheck.

Right click on EnableMachineCheck (or double click on it) to set the
value to 0.

Repeat above two steps to create another DWORD called Blur, and set the
value to 0.

Repeat again the steps to create another DWORD called Animations and set
that to 0.

Last two steps is to disable the blurring and animations effects to
lessen the load burden on your graphics card so that the system will be
responsive.

You can also disable slow animation effect, which slowly minimize or
slowly close the window(s) when the “Shift” Key is held when you
minimize or close a window with “AnimationsShiftKey”, disable use of
Elongated Buttons with “UseAlternateButtons”, or disable Aero Glass Copy
and Paste with “Glass”. To enable any of them, simply modify the value to 1.

 

[Willisme1]

I get it all working when i have a maximised window open, but otherwise it is just white.
help me?

 

[Brink]

Hello Will,

Check to see if you have the color intensity level set to far to the right. This can cause it to look white instead of clear.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Willisme1]

I would but it seems my computer has broken - it comes up with an error at startup. The only option hp have given me is recovery cd. £25.90 spent :huh:

Don't worry about that though - this is my dad's computer that I'm using so don't get confused!

Thanks for the start menu information Brink but it doesn't matter now does it!

 

[Brink]

Will,

I just noticed that you have Vista Home Basic. Transparency is a part of the color scheme Windows Aero, and is not available in the Vista Home Basic edition.

I'm sorry,
Shawn

 

[Willisme1]

Will,

I just noticed that you have Vista Home Basic. Transparency is a part of the color scheme Windows Aero, and is not available in the Vista Home Basic edition.

I'm sorry,
Shawn

Okay, thanks loads for the help, I'll tell you when I'm back up and running again - no more theme messing! One other things, My Mom just got the new Toshiba a300 with vista permium; I'm soooo jealous! I can't afford a new laptop, I'm in enough debt already!

 

[Brink]

LOL, I hear and understand that.

 

[Barman58]

I would but it seems my computer has broken - it comes up with an error at startup. The only option hp have given me is recovery cd. £25.90 spent :huh:

Don't worry about that though - this is my dad's computer that I'm using so don't get confused!

Thanks for the start menu information Brink but it doesn't matter now does it!

Hi will,

With your startup problem - you may want to check this out to save spending money on the HP disk ...

Create a Recovery Disc - Vista Forums

and ...

Startup Repair - Vista Forums

If it helps it's thanks to Shawn, as usual, he does all the hard work on the tutorials :D

 

[Willisme1]

Thanks anyways guyz but I've already sent off for the disc and it should be here today so don't worry about it anymore. Just want it to be fixed then I'll be on here more often.

P.S. Brink, thanks for the great tutorials and Barman58 for giving me links to them but they won't help if I can't get onto my computer in the first place, lol.

 

[Brink]

No problem Will. Did you other problem get resolved?

Shawn

 

[Willisme1]

Well, It would have probably been what you suggested after i messed with them during attempt to make the perfect theme, but because my computer broke I couldn't fix that. :huh:

Thanks anyway
P.S. congratulations on 18,000 posts! But my 6 posts beats yours!

 

[Brink]

LOL, ok. Let us know if you need any help when your other disc arrives.

My my it is 18,000 already. I suppose posting flies when having fun.

 

[Barman58]

Congratulations Shawn 18000+

and everyone worth reading :D

 

[CyberKhan]

Here is a link to an old post that I found that describes and shows exactly what we are looking for in the Aero theme. Making the content of the windows transparent so you can see behind them. Notice the last pic in his list that shows the Delete file folder pop-up window transparent, not just the title bar.
I have Vista and the Aero theme, and the transparency works great for me, but again, it's just the title bar, not the actual content of any of the windows. Was this someting that they disabled perhaps? Thanks.

Vista / Longhorn: Transparency Glass Effect Screenshots and Examples | Microsoft Vista | Tech-Recipes

 

[Barman58]

Hi Cyberkahn,

If you read the caption under the screenshot you've provided you will notice that it states the shot is "Mid Pop" that is part way through the fade process you get during normal operation, the window shown was never in this State for any length of time. This was as far as I know never a display option in Longhorn, it's just a coincidence of when the screenshot was taken.

 

[Brink]

Here is a link to an old post that I found that describes and shows exactly what we are looking for in the Aero theme. Making the content of the windows transparent so you can see behind them. Notice the last pic in his list that shows the Delete file folder pop-up window transparent, not just the title bar.
I have Vista and the Aero theme, and the transparency works great for me, but again, it's just the title bar, not the actual content of any of the windows. Was this someting that they disabled perhaps? Thanks.

Vista / Longhorn: Transparency Glass Effect Screenshots and Examples | Microsoft Vista | Tech-Recipes

Hello CyberKhan, and welcome to Vista Forums.

It has always been only the borders being transparent except for when Nigel has posted above.

You're going to love Desktop Preview in Windows 7 then.

Shawn

 

[CyberKhan]

Ah copy, thanks for the welcome. Ya I didn't notice the mid-pop thing, thought I might have found a way to see a window underneath of another one, it would come in handy for entering data and such where I needed it from one field and was not able to copy/paste it. No biggie, though the Desktop preview thing does look cool in Win7.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome CyberKhan.

Shawn

 

[minari]

I had the same problem, with the loss of transparency and those nifty thumbnails that appear when I hover over a window on the taskbar, but when I went to "color and Appearance" that menu with the "Enable Transparancy" didn't appear. Instead I get that old little box that's supposed to let you chnage the color of your active/inacitve windows, but that's not working either. Other people have said it's because of iTunes ad DivX, but I went so far as to uninstall them and nothing happened. I've been running Vista with no problems before now. Any suggestions?

hi I've been running in to the same problem with aero, when it happens I have to go to the hp site and reload the graphics card. Somebody from hp can even send a link to your email and you can save it on your desk top to make easier. Also some of microsofts updates have compatability problems and wipe out some programs.