How To Enable Aero Transparency In Windows 8 RTM
Posted August 9, 2012 – 4:14 pm in: Windows 8 GuidesUsers who have been closely following Microsoft or who have installed Windows 8 RTM must be knowing that Microsoft has dropped Aero transparency from the final build (build 9200) and users now have no options but to use the default set of non-aero themes.
While Aero features such as the Aero peek is still available in Windows 8 RTM (see how to enable Aero peek in Windows 8), the newest version of Windows doesn’t ship with aero visual styles and there is no option to enable Aero transparency under Personalization. As a result of this, users can’t enable Aero in Windows 8.
Users who have upgraded from Windows 7 and can’t live without the Aero transparency will be glad to know that there is actually a workaround available to enable the missing feature in Windows 8. Though the workaround doesn’t enable a smooth Aero experience, you may still want to try it.
Simply follow the given below instructions to enable Aero transparency in your Windows 8.
Step 1: Switch to desktop, right-click on desktop and then select Personalize.
Step 2: Under High Contrast Themes, click on High Contrast White to apply it. Once done, click on the Color to open Color and Appearance window. Minimize Color and Appearance window and don’t close it.
Step 3: Move the mouse cursor to the upper-right corner of the screen to the see the Charms bar, click Settings and then click Personalization to open Personalization window.
Step 4: Now, click on one of the themes under Windows Default Themes.
Step 5: Maximize Color and Appearance window and click Save changes button to enable Aero transparency. You are done!
NOTE: Though this method works and enables transparency, it’s not perfect. Windows enthusiasts have been working hard to enable this missing feature in Windows 8. It’s only a matter of time before we get a perfect tool to enable Aero transparency. We will update this guide with screenshots once we get our hands on Windows 8 RTM on August 15th.
Thanks Mike for the tip.
Tags: Aero, Customize Windows 8
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21 Comments
Thanks for sharing. I plan to look on this closely in purpose to create AeroTuner for Windows 8.
Hey, I spend my evening with DWM in Windows 8.
So, here is what I can say:
- there is no way to enable blur without hard system files modification. dwmapi.dll has discontinued support for lots of DWM parameters.
- there is a way to disable windows coloring and also to enable glass you mentioned in this article using API.
Check out Aero8Tuner at winaero – you will able to control DWM and perfom all features (glass/coloring) with one click.
Yes, it is very pity, but DWN now is very limited
Thanks for those valuable info, hb860. I would like to see a tool that gives us the all the functionality of Advanced appearance settings of Windows 7.
Me too. I already started the development
Please add screenshot. I want to know how does it look and what do you exactly mean by “it’s not perfect”?
Will update the guide in a few hours with screenshots
im waiting for the update
Hmm, it “works”…but not so great. Unfortunately I can’t capture the full effect in a screenshot, but the text in the titles and the buttons trails behind and there is a lot of graphical artifacting. Its also fully transparent, not partially transparent and/or blurred like you’re used to in Windows 7. http://i.imgur.com/UDpf3.png
It Works very fine
Thanks
tan q very much!!!
i am going to upload the ond dwmapi.dll and dwmapi.dll.mui
so if i ever get win8 RTM i could just download them and replace the files
I love how Microsoft sold us on Aero and then just takes it away. But you know I never saw a real need for it anyway. It in no way enhances performance or function. In fact I think Microsoft finally realized that it had to drop Aero for performance reasons. In Windows 8 I kind of wish Microsoft would have at least made it a option with hardware that could use it. But again I think it was all about the tablet and making Windows 8 a smaller foot print for them. I actually disable Aero on my laptops and even my desktop. I think I do miss it at times but only because it would be nice to have some other basic themes available. After all I really liked Windows XP and it never had any of the flashy eye candy. But it was a attractive OS UI. Personally I cannot say the same for Windows 8. other then the colorful tiles for Apps. I find the rest of Windows 8 on the desktop very bland and dull.
tnx! it worked
That’s not working for me. It may have worked in the original RTM but I think Microsoft has disabled this “hack” in the recent cumulative update which was released in October.
Help Me Please
The trick works fine here. I just checked again to confirm.
I did it, but it was not good. When you move the windows, and gives lag in the video is not good. For those who still want the edges but with aero can use true transparency. This indeed does what it promises. In a good machine will work well. I honestly do not know what was the microsoft remove the option of transparency effect windows.
I thought windows 8 was going to be all about adding more eye candy! I saw the new start menu as a beautification of the old start menu (because the functionality is pretty similar).
I bet they took this feature out solely because people might accidentally enable it on their tablets, causing reduced battery life or something… I hope MS doesn’t continue to take every single suggestion they’re given – they have to have some sort of filter!
it works, thanx bt like u said, its not perfect bt ts beta dan nothing
can’t you just copy the files from release preview (the version I currently have) to RTM?
and I will upload the CPL files and old theme(s)
…and mayby some dll files also, just to be safe
…also some .reg files too
they will all be in one ZIP, accessible to all, on 4shared (or 2shared)!!
HOW DO YOU UNDO IT???????