Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency

How to Enable "Full Clear Glass Transparency" in Windows 7​

   Information

By default when you enabled transparency in Windows 7, the transparency will be blurred a bit in the window borders. This will show you how to have the window borders fully clear and transparent like glass instead for your current account only, or for all user accounts on the computer.

The Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic editions do not have Aero Transparency included in them.

   Note

This will not make the taskbar clear, on window borders. One side effect though is that when you have a window border with text on top of another window with text, the text will tend to overlap each other since the window is clear instead of with a opaque (blurred) background.

   Warning

You will only be able to apply this while logged in an administrator account.

You will not have the Transparency option if you have a Basic and High Contrast Theme instead of a Aero Theme.

Aero Requirements to be Enabled in Windows 7:
NOTE: If Aero is not enabled, then Transparency will not work even when enabled.

• 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
• 1 GB of system memory
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (in order to enable Aero theme)
• You must be have True Color (32 bit) set instead of High Color (16 bit).
• The desktop composition and Animate controls and elements inside windows options need to be enabled in Visual Effects.
• The Desktop Window Manager Session Manager and Themes Services need to be set as Started and Automatic.
• Refresh or update your WEI score. You will need an WEI score minimum of 2.0 in both Graphics & Gaming graphics in order for Aero to be activated.

EXAMPLE: Full Clear Transparency and Default Blurred Transparency
NOTE: Notice how the Computer window borders are completely transparent when this is enabled.

STEP ONE

Replace System Files to Make this Work

NOTE: Credit goes to LFB for this addition. Thank you LFB. 1. Click on the Download button below to download the DWM_32-bit_7127.zip or DWM_64-bit_7127.zip file for your 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) Windows 7 version. For 32-bit Windows 7:

Download



For 64-bit Windows 7:

Download


2. Click on Save, and save the .zip file to the desktop.

3. Open the .zip file and extract (drag and drop) the dwm.exe and uDWM.dll files to the desktop.

4. Right click on each the dwm.exe and uDWM.dll files (one at a time) on the desktop and click on Properties, General tab, the Unblock button, and on OK. (See screenshots below)
NOTE: If you do not have a Unblock button under the General tab, then the shortcut is already unblocked and you can continue on to step 5.
5. Stop the Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager Service. (See screenshot below)
6. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and make a backup copy of the original C:\Windows\System32\dwm.exe and C:\Windows\System32\uDWM.dll files at these locations. (See screenshots below)
NOTE: You will need these backups if you ever would like to restore them.



7. In Windows Explorer, take ownership and give yourself full permission of the C:\Windows\System32\dwm.exe and C:\Windows\System32\uDWM.dll files at these locations. (See screenshots above)

8. Copy and Paste the dwm.exe and uDWM.dll files on the desktop into the C:\Windows\System32 folder.

9. Select Copy and Replace and approve the replacement of these default files with the downloaded ones.
NOTE: If you ever run a sfc /scannow command, it will consider these as modified files, and will replace them with the default ones. You'll have to do this tutorial again to have the full clear transparency back.

10. Start the Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager Service. (See screenshot below step 5)

11. Do either OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO below.

OPTION ONE

For Current User Account Only

1. To Enable Current User Full Transparency A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below. Enable_Current_User_Full_Transparency.reg

Download


B) Go to step 4.
2. To Undo Current User Full Transparency A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below. Undo_Current_User_Full_Transparency.reg

Download


3. Save the .reg file to the desktop.

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

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

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

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

OPTION TWO

For All User Accounts

1. To Enable All Users Full Transparency A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below. Enable_All_Users_Full_Transparency.reg

Download


B) Go to step 4.
2. To Undo All Users Full Transparency A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below. Undo_All_Users_Full_Transparency.reg

Download


3. Save the .reg file to the desktop.

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

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

6. Enable Transparency and adjust the color intensity to the far left in all user accounts on the computer.
NOTE: The current user account will have transparency enabled and color intensity adjusted automatically with this download, but any other user accounts on the computer will need to enable transparency to prevent a blending affect in the window borders.

7. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.

8. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Enable or Disable Windows 7 Transparency
• How to Have Firefox with Glass Transparency in Windows 7

 

[Brink]

Hello James, and Merry Christmas to you as well.

Unfortunately, only those older system files had this option in them. It just will not work with any newer versions that I know of.

However, you might be able to use something like Resource Hacker to compare the old file version with the new one to see if there may be some noticeable difference that stands out that is responsible for enabling this.

 

[Cashis]

Hello James, and Merry Christmas to you as well.

Unfortunately, only those older system files had this option in them. It just will not work with any newer versions that I know of.

However, you might be able to use something like Resource Hacker to compare the old file version with the new one to see if there may be some noticeable difference that stands out that is responsible for enabling this.

Thanks for getting back to me Brink,

I just thought i would ask before i start getting my hand's dirty look's like i will be now

I will post back if i spot anything of interest.

Thanks.

 

[Brink]

OK. Hopefully so.

 

[Cashis]

Hi again Brink,

I had a look at the "uDWM.exe" and "DWM.dll" and I couldn't find any significant differences myself but I aint no expert I can verify that it aint the Version # RES file as I assigned ones from 7600 build to the 7127 build files and it still works so I guess its sort of using up to date files as now they do say the proper build string But they still arent up to date they are still 7127 so oh well.

Maybe Im making to much of this LOL

Ill just keep doing it the old fashion way I guess.

You have yourself a Merry Christmas and a happy new year mate.

 

[Brink]

No problem James. I like digging around for alternatives as well. Newer file versions are always best if they can be used.

Have yourself a Merry Christmas and a happy new year as well.

 

[ifro4u]

thanks a lot dude Succeeded. but can it be possible to make windows explorer background transparent

 

[MyWin7]

I would clearly prefer to click a checkbox to enable clear transparency or even better a customisable transparency setting in the themes? - maybe Microsoft has it already in the to-do pipe?

 

[Brink]

thanks a lot dude Succeeded. but can it be possible to make windows explorer background transparent

I would clearly prefer to click a checkbox to enable clear transparency or even better a customisable transparency setting in the themes? - maybe Microsoft has it already in the to-do pipe?

You're welcome Ifro4u.

Unfortunately, you would usually need a 3rd party skinning program like Stardocks WindowBlinds for something like that instead.

 

[Tawa]

Hey, something really weird happend.

I got 2 users on my laptop, one called Tawa, and the other is Administrator, the default Windows Administrator user.

I set my default user to login on windows startup to Tawa. I very rarely use Administrator.
Anyways, I tried to set Full Transparency on Tawa, [I already postd in this thread few pages back] I had the same problem again. Usually, I press WinKey+L to logout so I could restart my laptop.

Now, I logged into the Administrator account, and the full transparency was working
I tried logging into Tawa, everything is black, I can only see the moue cursor.

Any idea how to fix this?

EDIT: Note that both user accounts are Administrators

 

[Brink]

Tawa,

As a test create a new administrator account to see if it works in it. Maybe it's just a issue in the Tawa account since it works in the other Administrator account.

 

[Tawa]

Tawa,

As a test create a new administrator account to see if it works in it. Maybe it's just a issue in the Tawa account since it works in the other Administrator account.

The test administrator account worked with full transparency fluently. WTF

I am Jinxed.

Any idea buddy? Sorry if I'm bugging you

 

[Brink]

No problem Tawa,

You can copy the contents of the user folders that you want to keep for the account that this doesn't work into the corresponding new account's user folders. After everything checks out ok, you can delete the old account from within the new one. You may need to manually create any missing shortcuts from the source program though.

 

[d750]

Hello

I would like to thank you Brink, this is excellent stuff, with an animated wallpaper like dreamscape its wonderfull!

I have a question: is it possible to remove the blur effect on the taskbar? Do you think a third party software could do it?

Thanks

 

[Brink]

Your welcome d750, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I have not found or seen a way for the taskbar yet. A 3rd party program like Stardock WindowBlinds may be able to though.

 

[d750]

I tested the trial version of windowblinds 7, and some theme as indeed the ability to remove the blur effect on the taskbar. But it's not something that the user can control, it's just inside some theme that use windowblinds (and not a lot, i found only a few that can do that).
Windowblind seem also to have side effect on the title bar of standard window (i couldnt put the top of a window on the top of my screen, as if the title bar was greater that what was shown, i'm not sur to be clear sorry).

Anyway, at least it seem that it is possible to remove this blur effect, to bad that i'm not a pro in coding, it surely is possible to reverse engineer windowblinds

 

[toughbook]

Since this is an older post, and before I try this, does it work on the full retail version that is out at this time?

 

[kucing13]

clear transparency with additional of this http://www.sevenforums.com/themes-styles/78755-full-glass-exe.html

 

[Brink]

Since this is an older post, and before I try this, does it work on the full retail version that is out at this time?

Yes, it sure will.

 

[bleachhh]

verry good tutorial....
thanks.....

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Bleachhh, and welcome to Seven Forums.