A C++ application that makes the Windows taskbar transparent and lets you adjust its background blur. The interface is in English; no third-party runtime packages are required.
Click the system tray icon:
- Enable / Disable: Enables the effect or requests restoration of the previous appearance.
- Blur, +10 / −10: 0% is clear and transparent; 100% applies the strongest blur.
- Start with Windows: Launches the application when the current user signs in.
- Status / Exit: Shows the application status or closes the application.
Blur and effect preferences are stored in
%LOCALAPPDATA%\TaskbarCustomizer\settings.json. On first launch, the effect is
disabled and blur is set to 0%. Exit does not change saved preferences.
Requires Windows x64, an MSVC compiler with C++20 support, the Windows SDK, and CMake 3.24+. Install Desktop development with C++ and C++ CMake tools for Windows through Visual Studio or Build Tools.
- Close any running instance using Exit. If the DLL is loaded, save your work and restart Windows Explorer.
- Run
build.bat. - Open
_build/Release/TaskbarCustomizer.exe.
Keep TaskbarCustomizerXaml.dll in the same folder as the EXE. The build script
does not launch the application automatically. Disable Start with Windows
before moving or deleting the application.
The application targets the modern Windows 11 taskbar; Windows updates may affect compatibility. The DLL runs inside Explorer and remains loaded until Explorer exits. The GPU cost of blur depends on your hardware and displays. See SECURITY.md for details about the application's security-related behavior.