Start TranslucentTB with Windows

How startup works for each version

The package manifest of 2026.2 declares the task with Enabled="true". A startup task of a packaged desktop app only runs after you have opened the app at least once yourself, so start TranslucentTB once after installing it.

The three switches (tray menu, Settings, Task Manager) all change the same task. What the tray item can do depends on the task's state, which TranslucentTB reads from Windows:

After a fresh install in our Windows test, TranslucentTB was already set to start with Windows in both places Windows shows it:

Turn it on

ms-settings:startupapps

Open at boot is grayed out

A grayed-out item means Windows reports the startup task as controlled by policy (DisabledByPolicy or EnabledByPolicy). Clicking it in that state only produces this log entry:

On a work or school PC, the policy may be set on purpose by your administrator; ask them. On a home PC it is usually left behind by a "debloat" or privacy script. The TranslucentTB README gives this registry fix:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"EnableFullTrustStartupTasks"=dword:00000002
"EnableUwpStartupTasks"=dword:00000002
"SupportFullTrustStartupTasks"=dword:00000001
"SupportUwpStartupTasks"=dword:00000001

1. Save the file

   Copy the block into Notepad and save it as translucenttb-startup.reg (choose All files as the type, so it does not end in .txt).

2. Merge it

   Double-click the file and accept the prompts. It writes to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, so Windows asks for administrator approval.

3. Sign out and back in

   Then check Open at boot again. It should be clickable.

The same four values from an administrator Command Prompt or PowerShell:

> reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" /v EnableFullTrustStartupTasks /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
> reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" /v EnableUwpStartupTasks /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
> reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" /v SupportFullTrustStartupTasks /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
> reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" /v SupportUwpStartupTasks /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

What the values cover: FullTrust startup tasks are those of packaged desktop apps like TranslucentTB; Uwp startup tasks are those of Store (UWP) apps. The fix sets both families to the values the TranslucentTB developers recommend. It affects every packaged app's startup task, not only TranslucentTB's. To see what is set now before you change anything:

PS> Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" | Select-Object *StartupTasks

"Windows did not enable it"

When you check Open at boot, TranslucentTB asks Windows to enable the task. If Windows answers with anything other than enabled, you see:

Apply the registry fix above, sign out and in, and try again. If it still fails, reinstalling TranslucentTB re-registers the task: see Uninstall & reset and Install guide.

Checked, but it does not start

• Open TranslucentTB once. A freshly installed package does not run at sign-in until you have started it yourself at least once.
• Look in Task Manager › Startup apps. TranslucentTB should be listed as Enabled. If it says Disabled, enable it there.
• Give it a few seconds. Windows launches startup apps after you sign in, not before the desktop appears, so the taskbar shows its normal look for a moment.
• Check the log. If TranslucentTB starts and then quits, the reason is in its log (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\28017CharlesMilette.TranslucentTB_v826wp6bftszj\TempState\). Common causes are covered in Troubleshooting.

If something else (another startup manager, a script) already launched TranslucentTB before Windows' startup task runs, the second copy exits quietly: TranslucentTB suppresses its "already running" notification when the extra launch comes from its own startup task.

TranslucentTB starts slowly after sign-in

Windows starts startup apps only after you sign in, in a batch with everything else in Task Manager › Startup apps, so the taskbar shows its normal look for a few seconds first. On Windows 11, TranslucentTB then has to attach its helper to Explorer's taskbar, which it waits up to 35 seconds for (from ExplorerTAP/api.cpp in 2026.2). A slow sign-in can make that wait time out with "Failed to initialize XAML Diagnostics."

• Trim other startup apps. Disable startup entries you do not need in Task Manager › Startup apps; fewer apps compete for the first seconds after sign-in.
• Start it a little later on purpose. If TranslucentTB fails right after sign-in but works when you start it by hand, launch it with a short delay from Task Scheduler instead of Open at boot. For the Store, winget or App Installer version:

> schtasks /create /tn "TranslucentTB delayed" /tr "explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\28017CharlesMilette.TranslucentTB_v826wp6bftszj!TranslucentTB" /sc onlogon /delay 0000:30

Then uncheck Open at boot, so Windows does not also start it; a second launch would only reset the running copy. For the portable version, use the same command with the path to TranslucentTB.exe after /tr, as in the portable section. To remove the task: schtasks /delete /tn "TranslucentTB delayed" /f.

Start the portable version with Windows

The portable zip runs without a package, so it has no startup task and no Open at boot item. Pick one of these:

> schtasks /create /tn "TranslucentTB" /tr "C:\Tools\TranslucentTB\TranslucentTB.exe" /sc onlogon /it /delay 0000:15

> schtasks /delete /tn "TranslucentTB" /f

The README notes that portable versions can be added to startup by creating a shortcut to the executable in %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup, which is the first method.

Stop it from starting

Uncheck Open at boot, or switch TranslucentTB off in Settings › Apps › Startup or Task Manager. For the portable version, delete the shortcut or the scheduled task. Uninstalling the Store version removes its startup task too.

FAQ

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