People search for Windows 11 transparency and mean three different things: the system effect in Settings, the opacity of Windows Terminal, or a see-through window of any app. Each has its own switch, and the first two are built in. For the third you need a tool.
The system effect in Settings
Microsoft's page on personalising colours (checked in October 2026) describes Transparency effects as making some window backgrounds and surfaces slightly transparent, with an acrylic blur. You find the switch in Settings under Personalization, then Colors.
This changes the look of some parts of Windows and some apps. It does not make a chosen window see-through, and you cannot set a level per window. A related Microsoft page says the Mica effect, the faint tint of your wallpaper behind some app windows, is controlled by the same setting.
Windows Terminal opacity
Windows Terminal has its own setting. According to Microsoft's profile appearance documentation, the opacity property of a profile takes a whole number from 0 to 100, the percentage that is opaque. The default is 100. It also says that with useAcrylic set to true the background is blurred, and with it set to false the terminal uses an unblurred opacity.
A minimal profile entry in settings.json looks like this:
"opacity": 80,
"useAcrylic": falseTwo details from the documentation are worth knowing. The unblurred opacity is described for Windows 11. And in versions before 1.12 the property was called acrylicOpacity. Terminal also has an action named adjustOpacity, which lets you bind a key to change opacity without opening the file. Low values make text harder to read, so try 80 first.
Any other window
For a browser, an editor or any other app, Windows has no setting. Tools use a documented feature called a layered window. Our transparency and click-through guide explains how it works and where it fails.
Pin Windows is one such tool: you pick a window and move an opacity slider between 100% and 30%, and Restore all puts everything back. It is being prepared for Microsoft Store and is not available there yet. Whatever tool you choose, learn how to restore a window before you fade one.
Which one do you need?
| You want | Use | Built in |
|---|---|---|
| A frosted look for parts of Windows | Transparency effects in Settings | Yes |
| A see-through terminal | Windows Terminal opacity | Yes |
| A see-through browser, editor or other window | A tool that uses layered windows | No |
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on transparency in Windows 11?
Open Settings, go to Personalization and then Colors, and turn on Transparency effects. This affects parts of Windows and some apps, not a window of your choice.
How do I make Windows Terminal transparent?
Set the opacity property of the profile to a number from 0 to 100 in settings.json. 100 is fully opaque. Before version 1.12 the property was called acrylicOpacity.
Can I make any window transparent in Windows 11?
Not with a Windows setting. A tool that uses layered windows can do it for many windows, but not for all.
Why does turning off transparency effects change my app colours?
Some apps show a faint tint of your wallpaper behind their window, which Microsoft calls Mica, and the same setting controls it.