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Multiple monitors

TranslucentTB on multiple monitors

TranslucentTB works on every monitor that shows a taskbar, and it gives each one its own look. When the second taskbar stays solid, it has usually lost track of that taskbar; one keyboard shortcut fixes most cases.

By translucenttb.devUpdated Checked against TranslucentTB 2026.25 min read

On this page
  1. How TranslucentTB handles more than one monitor
  2. Fix: the second monitor's taskbar is not transparent
  3. Only one monitor has a taskbar at all
  4. The second taskbar loses transparency after sleep or reconnecting a monitor
  5. Can each monitor have a different look?
  6. FAQ

Short answer

TranslucentTB is not working on my second monitor. What do I do?

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F1 (TranslucentTB 2026.2 or later), or choose Advanced › Reset dynamic state in the tray menu. TranslucentTB looks for every taskbar again.
  2. Still solid? Exit TranslucentTB from the tray and start it again.
  3. Make sure Windows shows a taskbar there: Settings › Personalization › Taskbar › Taskbar behaviors › Show my taskbar on all displays.
  4. Update to 2026.2, which fixed the taskbar not updating on some monitors.

How TranslucentTB handles more than one monitor

Windows gives the main monitor a taskbar window called Shell_TrayWnd and every other monitor one called Shell_SecondaryTrayWnd. When TranslucentTB starts, and whenever it resets, it finds all of them and files each under the monitor it sits on. For an auto-hidden taskbar that has slid off screen, it asks Windows which monitor the auto-hide bar belongs to, so even hidden taskbars land on the right screen.

From then on it keeps a separate list of open and maximized windows for each monitor, and decides each taskbar's look on its own. A maximized browser on your left screen turns only the left taskbar to the Maximized window look; the right one keeps the Desktop look.

Each monitor's taskbar gets its own look Two monitors side by side. Monitor 1 has a maximized window, so its taskbar (Shell_TrayWnd) uses the Maximized window look. Monitor 2 has nothing open, so its taskbar (Shell_SecondaryTrayWnd) uses the Desktop look. Start and Search affect only the monitor they open on; Task View, battery saver and Aero Peek affect every taskbar. Monitor 1 (main) Browser, maximized fills the screen above the taskbar Shell_TrayWnd · Maximized window look Monitor 2 no windows on this screen Shell_SecondaryTrayWnd · Desktop look (clear) Per monitor visible window · maximized window · Start · Search All taskbars at once Task View · battery saver · Aero Peek
Read from TaskbarAttributeWorker in the 2026.2 source. Each taskbar is evaluated with the same priority order, but only with the windows on its own monitor.
StateApplies to
Visible window, Maximized windowOnly the monitor where the window is (the window's own monitor, not the one with the mouse)
Start opened, Search openedOnly the monitor where Start or Search opened
Task View openedEvery taskbar
Battery saverEvery taskbar
Aero Peek (desktop look)Every taskbar
DesktopAny taskbar where nothing else applies

The full order in which states win is on the dynamic modes page.

When TranslucentTB looks for taskbars again

The source resets its list of taskbars (and re-applies every look) when:

  • Windows reports a display change (WM_DISPLAYCHANGE): a monitor connected or disconnected, resolution or arrangement changed;
  • Explorer announces a new taskbar (TaskbarCreated), for example after Explorer restarts;
  • a Shell_TrayWnd or Shell_SecondaryTrayWnd window is created or destroyed;
  • you press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F1 or choose Reset dynamic state, or start TranslucentTB a second time while it runs.

Problems on a second monitor are almost always a moment where Windows changed taskbars without one of these signals arriving, or arriving before the new taskbar was ready. A manual reset covers that.

Fix: the second monitor's taskbar is not transparent

  1. Reset TranslucentTB's state

    Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F1. The shortcut was added in 2026.2; on older versions use the tray menu: Advanced › Reset dynamic state. Both clear TranslucentTB's list of taskbars and find them again. See the reset hotkey.

  2. Restart TranslucentTB

    Right-click the tray icon, choose Exit, and start TranslucentTB from the Start menu. Exiting returns every taskbar to Windows' look; starting again reapplies yours.

  3. Update to 2026.2

    The 2026.2 release notes list "Fix bugs where the app would not be able to update the taskbar on certain monitors". In the source, that change (commit 3891db2, "Tentative fix for losing monitors") makes the helper inside Explorer wait until Windows has finished setting up a taskbar's background before taking it over, instead of grabbing an empty one. Check your version on the releases page.

  4. Restart Explorer

    If one taskbar is still stuck, restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc › Windows Explorer › Restart). Explorer recreates every taskbar and TranslucentTB picks them up automatically. Users report this fixes stubborn cases (issue #1322).

  5. Check other taskbar tools

    StartAllBack, Windhawk taskbar mods and some third-party bars replace or restyle secondary taskbars. Turn them off and test; see conflicts.

Only one monitor has a taskbar at all

TranslucentTB can only change taskbars that exist. If your second screen shows no taskbar, Windows is set to show it on the main display only:

  • Windows 11: Settings › Personalization › Taskbar › Taskbar behaviors › Show my taskbar on all displays.
  • Windows 10: Settings › Personalization › Taskbar › Multiple displays › Show taskbar on all displays.

After turning it on, Windows creates the extra taskbars and TranslucentTB picks them up on its own (it watches for new Shell_SecondaryTrayWnd windows). If it does not, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F1.

The second taskbar loses transparency after sleep or reconnecting a monitor

Waking from sleep, docking a laptop or switching a monitor's input can make Windows rebuild its taskbars. TranslucentTB resets on the display-change message, but if Windows rebuilds a taskbar later than that message, the new taskbar comes up with Windows' default look. Users have reported exactly this after wake (issue #1285) and on 25H2 secondary monitors (issue #1321); an older report is issue #719. The fix is the same reset: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F1. If it happens every time, add a comment with your setup to one of those issues; the developers fix monitor bugs from detailed reports.

Can each monitor have a different look?

Partly. Every taskbar uses the same settings, so you cannot say "monitor 2 is always blue". But because the states are decided per monitor, the looks often differ in practice: a maximized window on one screen and an empty desktop on the other give two different taskbars at the same time, as in the diagram above. Window rules also apply per monitor, so a rule for your video player only changes the taskbar under it.

FAQ

Does TranslucentTB work on two monitors?

Yes. It changes every taskbar Windows shows, on as many monitors as you have, and works out each taskbar's look from the windows on that monitor.

Why is TranslucentTB only working on one monitor?

Either Windows is not showing a taskbar on the other monitor (turn on "Show my taskbar on all displays"), or TranslucentTB lost track of that taskbar after a display change. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F1 to make it find all taskbars again.

Why does my second monitor's taskbar go back to normal after waking the PC?

Windows can rebuild taskbars after sleep. If that happens after TranslucentTB's own reset, the rebuilt taskbar keeps Windows' default look until the next reset. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F1, and keep TranslucentTB updated; 2026.2 fixed one cause.

TranslucentTB is not working on my main monitor but works on the second one.

The same reset applies. If it keeps happening, check for another tool that restyles the main taskbar (StartAllBack, Windhawk) and see not working after a Windows update.

Can I make TranslucentTB affect only one monitor?

No, there is no per-monitor setting. A workaround is to keep the Desktop look and window states identical, so differences only come from what is on each screen.

Keep going

TroubleshootingEvery error message and common problem, with fixes.Dynamic modesWhich look wins when a window is maximized or Start is open.Tray menu & shortcutsEvery tray menu item, the reset hotkey and ttb.exe.

Something wrong or out of date? Email hello@translucenttb.dev and we will fix it.