Windows 8 is a great system that is optimized especially for portable and touchscreen devices. But, the platform is smoothly running on both laptops and desktops, so you can safely install the software on your device.

Anyway, the best thing about it is that Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 can be easily optimized and customized, which means that you can anytime personalize your Windows based device. In that matter, I will show you how to easily disable and enable taskbar transparency in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

This tutorial is dedicated to Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 based devices and can be used with ease by the users who want to change the system default settings. Now, by applying the steps from below you will be able to disable and also to enable the taskbar transparency which is a great feature to use if you want to customize the Windows 8 and 8.1 theme.

But, if you rather choose to use a classic Windows 8 interface, then you should try to disable taskbar transparency by using the guidelines from below.

Ways to disable Taskbar Transparency in Windows 8.1

Disabling Taskbar transparency isn’t as hard as you think, and in this article we’re going to cover the following topics:

  • How to make Taskbar not transparent Windows 10 – By default, the Taskbar on Windows 10 isn’t transparent, but you can change this setting with ease. Windows 10 allows you to easily enable or disable Taskbar transparency just by changing a single setting.
  • Disable Taskbar transparency Windows 8, 10 – Windows 8 comes with a transparent Taskbar by default, and if you want to disable it you need to use one of our solutions. As for Windows 10, there’s a built-in setting that allows you to easily disable Taskbar transparency.
  • Classic Shell disable Taskbar transparency – One of the easiest ways to disable Taskbar transparency in Windows 8 is to use a third-party tool called Classic Shell. This is a free and simple tool, and it’s a great way to disable and adjust transparency if you’re using Windows 8.
  • Windows 10 Taskbar opaque – Windows 10 fully supports opaque Taskbar, so you don’t have to use any third-party tools. If you want to make your Taskbar opaque, simply enable transparency from the Setings app.
  • Transparent Taskbar and Start Menu – Making Taskbar and Start Menu transparent is rather simple, especially if you’re using Windows 10. Simply by enabling transparency in Settings app your Taskbar and Start Menu will become transparent.

Solution 1 – Use Classic Shell

By using Classic Shell software you will be able to bring classic Windows settings to your Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 system – this program can also be used by those who want the classic Windows 7 user interface installed on their Windows 8 devices.

  1. Download Classic Shell on your device from here.
  2. Install the software by following the on screen prompts.
  3. The right click on Start button and select Settings.
  4. Select the Start button tab and just check Disable taskbar transparency.
  5. Click OK and that’s it; uncheck the same option if you want to enable taskbar transparency on Windows 8.

Solution 2 – Use Aero Lite Theme

Another way in which you can complete this operation is by using a dedicated theme for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

  1. Download Aero Lite Theme from here and unzip the theme on your device.
  2. Then save this file to path C:\Windows\Resources\Themes.
  3. Now just change the current Windows 8 theme to Aero Lite.
  4. Customize the new theme for setting a new background, for enabling / disabling taskbar transparency and so on.
  5. Test the theme and if you don’t like it, just uninstall the same from Control Panel.

Several users claim that you don’t even have to download this theme in order to use it. According to users, the theme is still available on your PC, and you can activate it manually by doing the following:

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. In the input field enter resources and press Enter or click OK.
    Disable Taskbar transparency Windows 10
  2. Navigate to Themes directory and copy aero.theme to your Desktop. Keep in mind that you might see this file only as aero if you don’t have file extensions revealed.
    Classic Shell disable Taskbar transparency
  3. Rename the file that you just copied to your Desktop from aero.theme to aerolite.theme.
    Windows 10 Taskbar opaque
  4. Now right click aerolite.theme file on your desktop and choose Open with.
    Transparent Taskbar and Start Menu
  5. Select Notepad from the list and click on OK.
    How to make Taskbar not transparent Windows 10
  6. Locate DisplayName line in the [Theme] section and change it to DisplayName=Aero Lite. Basically you just need to change the value after the = sign to the desired name.
    Disable Taskbar transparency Windows 8
  7. Now locate [VisualStyles] section. Locate Path and change Aero.msstyles to Aerolite.msstyles. After doing that, save changes.
    Classic Shell disable Taskbar transparency
  8. Now move the aerolite.theme from your Desktop back to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes directory. If you get a security warning just click on Continue.
    Windows 10 Taskbar opaque

After doing that you should be able to access the Aero Light theme from the personalization section and change your theme to Aero Lite. After switching to this theme, your Taskbar won’t be transparent anymore.

Solution 3 – Use the Settings app

If you’re using Windows 10, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t need to use third-party applications or themes in order to disable transparency of your Taskbar. Unlike Windows 8, Windows 10 has a built-in setting that allows you to enable or disable transparency of your Taskbar.

As a result, you can disable transparency with a single click. To disable transparency of your Taskbar, just do the following:

  1. Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to Personalization section.
    Transparent Taskbar and Start Menu
  3. In the menu on the left select Colors. In the right pane, under More options section enable Transparency effects.
    How to make Taskbar not transparent Windows 10

After doing that, your Taskbar should become transparent. If you want to disable transparency, simply follow these steps and turn off transparency setting.

Perfect; so there you have it. These are the best ways to use when trying to disable taskbar transparency in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. So far we don’t have in-built feature in Windows 8 for performing the operations from above so that’s why you had to use third party apps. Anyway, use the comments field from below if you had problems in performing the steps explained on this tutorial and we will help you resolve the issues.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2014 and has been since completely revamped and updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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