Fade.Taskbar 2.0 by Ritwyk

If you like to keep your desktop clean so you can admire the wallpaper, you probably find the Windows taskbar a bit of an eyesore.

Fade.Taskbar lets you make it more transparent so you can see right through it, yet faintly see the open application tabs. Hovering over the taskbar brings it to full opacity quickly and smoothly!

New in version 2.0:
+ ability to save settings
+ animated transitions
+ revamped interface
+ full opacity control
+ smaller filesize

Updates:
- ESC key unavailable while application running: fixed (20/11/2011)

Requirements:
Windows XP/Vista/7, 256 MB RAM

NightFuryYoshi64 Featured By Owner Jun 14, 2018 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I there! I'm not sure if you still upkeep this, but I recently had issues with Fade Taskbar.

It's been working well since I got my Windows 8 laptop, but just this past week it's been killing itself as a process every time it's started, whether manually or automatically at logon.

The problem is that double clicking the executive has it show up on the tray area, but at this point the process has started and closed. The icon still remains in the tray area, but nothing is faded in the taskbar. Instead- when the mouse is hovered over the icon in the tray area, the icon disappears.

It seems to lag out this way when launched, I have not installed software recently and I have BitDefender as my anti-virus. Though it doesn't show any signs of complications. Do you have any ideas in mind?

testingguy123 Featured By Owner Aug 3, 2017

I checked "start with windows" but it never does. I checked the startup tab of task manager and it's not there either. I am on windows 10. I will see if running as administrator will help. Anyone know any fix?

ItsPandaMania Featured By Owner Nov 19, 2016 Hobbyist Digital Artist

how do you change the ocpacity back from 100% i cant bring up the tray to change it, help please!!

PreOqio Featured By Owner May 22, 2017 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc (Task Manager), find FadeTaskbar.exe, select it and click End Process.

dan2010 Featured By Owner Mar 9, 2015

Very well done job ! but i have issues with it, can you please provide a new link for the uncompressed version _

Thank U

masterJehu Featured By Owner Dec 6, 2014 Student Writer

really appreciate this XD

WilsonLeviticus Featured By Owner Nov 6, 2014 Writer

How do I uninstall this? I have some kind of bug that prevents my PC from sleeping so I'm unstalling software until I can get it working properly to figure out what's causing it. I deleted all the files but that note file keeps poping up when I start Windows.

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Jan 14, 2015 Hobbyist Interface Designer

From your Start menu, expand the Startup program group and delete the shortcut to this program.

iXDante Featured By Owner Edited Aug 12, 2014

Could you make it work with programs, so when google chrome and other programs are open the bar fades away and the program moves over then when we hover it comes back

3stanTflip Featured By Owner Jul 23, 2014

This works great, but can you include custom start orbs? It doesn't fade it.

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Jan 14, 2015 Hobbyist Interface Designer

The persistence of the Start Orb is annoying, for sure. I'm also reasonably certain it can be hidden, and I'll implement it in the next version.
If you want to customize the Orb, look for Kishan Bagaria's "Windows 7 Start Button Changer".

0liverr Featured By Owner May 15, 2014

This is exactly what I've been looking for but it never starts up with Windows, even though the box is checked and I've run it as admin. Any ideas?

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Jun 20, 2014 Hobbyist Interface Designer

Browse to your Startup folder (%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup) and create a shortcut to the Fade.Taskbar executable there.
It should start up with Windows every time.

0liverr Featured By Owner Jun 23, 2014

Thanks buddy I'll give that a go.

petrzlebek Featured By Owner Apr 17, 2014 Hobbyist Photographer

Thanks for this utility. I love it. What about support of two (multiple) monitors? On my computer Fade.Taskbar 2.0 works only on primary monitor. Taskbar on the secondary monitor is not fading. My OS is Win 8.1 64 bit. Thanks.

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Jun 20, 2014 Hobbyist Interface Designer

I'm glad you found it useful.

I didn't really think about multiple monitors then, and haven't had time to actively develop it since version 2. I can't make any promises, but I will definitely look into it when I can find the the time.

666demogorgon13 Featured By Owner Mar 29, 2014

thanks for this its awsome

saisai12 Featured By Owner Oct 4, 2013

Please tell me how to make only the bar transparent but not the icons?

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Jun 20, 2014 Hobbyist Interface Designer

As of now, that is not possible. I can definitely see the appeal, though.

hoody8 Featured By Owner Sep 7, 2013

no updates to this 2.0 yet?

what about looking into the effect of leaving the taskbar icons alone and just glass the taskbar?

there is this program that does this called Aero for Windows 8, but it has a very annoying nag popup every now and than. maybe you can look into the .dll he uses though and see how he manages to glass the taskbar while still leaving the taskbar icons alone. glass8.berlios.de/

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Jun 20, 2014 Hobbyist Interface Designer

The next major version will have it (whenever it comes out).

ColdShadow37 Featured By Owner Jul 25, 2013

Hi !

It's possible to make transparent only the taskbar but not icon ?

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Aug 15, 2013 Hobbyist Interface Designer

If by "icon" you mean the Start button/orb, that's what it does currently.

ikillfreaky Featured By Owner Dec 6, 2013

He probably meant the shortcuts in the taskbar and is there an option to turn that off? (I use my keyboard to open the start menu and if the start button would disappear too, it would be awesome).

RedeKitv Featured By Owner Jul 14, 2013

rfrfrfrfrfrrfrfrrfffrrfrffrfrfrf

RedeKitv Featured By Owner Jul 14, 2013

eefrfrfrfrfrf

RedeKitv Featured By Owner Jul 14, 2013

how to downlowad

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Aug 15, 2013 Hobbyist Interface Designer

Look on the right hand side of the page for a green arrow with a link that says "Download File".

dtuzr Featured By Owner Jun 11, 2013

Great Work! Thx ！

FrancisForward Featured By Owner Feb 25, 2013

works even with win8 x64

but taskbar is not available when totally transparent

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2013 Hobbyist Interface Designer

That's true. For now, all I can suggest is that you set the opacity to 1 instead of 0. An observant person can tell the difference, but it's pretty damn close.
I'll try to iron this out sometime.

FrancisForward Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2013

would be great! Your app is worth it

RedeKitv Featured By Owner Jul 14, 2013

i [link]

FrancisForward Featured By Owner Sep 6, 2013

thanks for reply... But I don't understand the link

feniceazzurra Featured By Owner Feb 7, 2013

Great! Thanks!

feniceazzurra Featured By Owner Feb 7, 2013

Great! Thanks!

mr01smith Featured By Owner Dec 27, 2012

you make my day.thanks

ds51-A Featured By Owner Dec 18, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

You just have to add ONE more simple thing and this would be the BEST tweak on my computer: PLEASE ADD Fade delay like when you leave the taskbar, it will fade out in 2 or 3 seconds (depends on how the user wants)
THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL TWEAK

JChristofer Featured By Owner Nov 30, 2012 Hobbyist Interface Designer

quit teasing me! :Anger:

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Feb 27, 2013 Hobbyist Interface Designer

toraricky Featured By Owner May 8, 2012

awesome work, I loved it from the first moment I got it running on my desk

toraricky Featured By Owner May 8, 2012

not to mention that I subscribed to deviant just to say "thank you"!

Ritwyk Featured By Owner May 26, 2012 Hobbyist Interface Designer

Thank YOU very much!

0813dd Featured By Owner Mar 31, 2012

Since there is no simple way to a completely transparent taskbar with a 100% opaque icons, I set this to 1% and now i have the next best solution. 98/100.

If only there is anything out there that will allow me to click right through the empty space on the taskbar? On a big screen TV some windows don't fit.

Thanks Ritwyk

99xpress Featured By Owner Jan 4, 2012

malware..

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Jan 4, 2012 Hobbyist Interface Designer

Thanks for the report!

All AHK scripts compressed with MPRESS/UPX during compilation turn up as trojans, because many simple trojans are compressed using UPX. I've used MPRESS to cut down on the file size, not to sneak in any bugs!

I'll post an uncompressed version if required, but be assured, there's no malware.

99xpress Featured By Owner Jan 8, 2012

can i get an uncompressed version?

Ritwyk Featured By Owner Jan 11, 2012 Hobbyist Interface Designer

Download the uncompressed version here. I've also updated the main download (used UPX instead of MPRESS) to further reduce the size. Just to be sure, you can test the file at VirusTotal.