Window rules: per-app looks and ignored windows

"maximized_window_appearance": {
  "enabled": true,
  "accent": "acrylic",
  "color": "#00000000",
  "rules": {
    "process_name": {
      "Code.exe": { "accent": "opaque", "color": "#1E1E1EFF" }
    }
  }
}

Where rules work

Only two states accept a rules object: visible_window_appearance and maximized_window_appearance. That follows from what they react to: they are the only states triggered by a specific window. Start, Search, Task View, battery saver and desktop have no window to match, so they have no rules.

A rule only takes effect when its state is the one TranslucentTB picks. In 2026.2 the check order is battery saver, Task View, Aero Peek, Start, Search, maximized window, visible window, desktop (see Dynamic modes). So:

• The state must be enabled. A rule inside a disabled visible_window_appearance never runs. On a fresh install the visible-window state is off and the maximized state is on.
• Start, Search, Task View and battery saver beat every rule while they are active.
• On a monitor with a maximized window, visible-window rules are skipped, even if the maximized state itself is turned off.

Which window a rule looks at

TranslucentTB does not check every open window against your rules. It checks one window per taskbar, and which one depends on the state (read from TaskbarAttributeWorker::GetConfig in the source):

For a window to count at all, it must be what the code calls a user window: visible, not cloaked, top-level, on the current virtual desktop, not a tool window, and not marked no-activate unless it is also an app window. Windows of class Windows.UI.Core.CoreWindow (Start, Search and other shell surfaces) are always skipped.

The three match types

Each rule set has three maps. The key is what to match; the value is a look. TranslucentTB tries them in this order and stops at the first hit:

Titles are checked last because they change while you use an app (browser tabs, document names), so they are the least reliable. If several title keys match, which one wins is not defined: the keys live in an unordered map. Keep title keys specific enough that only one can match.

A few class names are shared by many apps. Chrome, Edge, VS Code and other Chromium or Electron apps all use Chrome_WidgetWin_1, so a class rule for it hits all of them. Use process_name to target one of them.

What a rule can contain

A rule is a look with the same keys as any state, minus enabled, plus an optional inactive look:

"Code.exe": {
  "accent": "opaque",        // normal | opaque | clear | blur | acrylic
  "color": "#1E1E1EFF",      // #RRGGBBAA, alpha last
  "show_peek": true,         // Windows 10 Aero Peek button
  "show_line": true,         // Windows 11 taskbar border line
  "blur_radius": 9.0,        // used by "blur" on Windows 11
  "inactive": {              // optional: look while the window is not focused
    "accent": "acrylic",
    "color": "#00000000"
  }
}

Keys you leave out do not inherit from the state. They take the built-in defaults of a plain look: accent normal, color #00000000, show_peek and show_line true, blur_radius 9.0. So a rule with only "color" gives you the normal Windows taskbar. Always set accent.

There is no enabled key in a rule. If you add one, TranslucentTB ignores it as an unknown key. To switch a rule off, delete it or rename its key to something that cannot match.

The inactive look

inactive (added in 2023.2) is used when the matched window is not the focused window. It matters most for maximized rules: a maximized app stays the top maximized window while you click on the desktop, a second monitor or a small floating window, and inactive lets the taskbar relax while you do.

"maximized_window_appearance": {
  "enabled": true,
  "accent": "acrylic",
  "color": "#00000000",
  "rules": {
    "process_name": {
      "WINWORD.EXE": {
        "accent": "opaque",
        "color": "#2B579AFF",
        "inactive": { "accent": "acrylic", "color": "#2B579A40" }
      }
    }
  }
}

For a visible-window rule, inactive almost never shows: the visible-window state only looks at the focused window, which is by definition active.

ignored_windows: make TranslucentTB skip a window

ignored_windows sits at the top level of settings.json and uses the same three match types, as lists instead of maps:

"ignored_windows": {
  "window_class": [ "WorkerW" ],
  "window_title": [ "Picture-in-picture" ],
  "process_name": [ "Rainmeter.exe", "steamwebhelper.exe" ]
}

An ignored window is never added to TranslucentTB's list of normal or maximized windows (the check happens in InsertWindow). The effect: it cannot trigger the visible-window or maximized-window state on any monitor. Use it for always-on-screen things that would otherwise keep the taskbar out of its desktop look: desktop widgets, docks, overlays, picture-in-picture players.

Matching is the same as for rules: class exact, process name ignoring case, title containing the text (case-sensitive). Duplicates in a list are harmless. Ignoring a window does not change the window itself, only how TranslucentTB counts it.

How to find a window's class, process and title

PS> Get-Process | Where-Object MainWindowTitle | Select-Object ProcessName, MainWindowTitle

Rule tester

Paste or edit a settings.json excerpt, describe a window, and see what TranslucentTB 2026.2 would do with it. The tester runs our JavaScript port of the app's settings parser and state logic, in your browser.

Recipes

Each recipe is a complete excerpt. Merge it into your settings.json, or build the whole file in the settings builder and check it with the validator.

Solid taskbar behind your code editor

Keep the taskbar acrylic for everything maximized except VS Code, which gets a solid dark color close to its default theme. When you click away from it, the taskbar goes back to a lighter tint.

"maximized_window_appearance": {
  "enabled": true,
  "accent": "acrylic",
  "color": "#00000000",
  "rules": {
    "process_name": {
      "Code.exe": {
        "accent": "opaque",
        "color": "#181818FF",
        "inactive": { "accent": "acrylic", "color": "#18181840" }
      }
    }
  }
}

Opaque taskbar for File Explorer only

"maximized_window_appearance": {
  "enabled": true,
  "accent": "clear",
  "color": "#00000000",
  "rules": {
    "window_class": {
      "CabinetWClass": { "accent": "opaque", "color": "#202020FF" }
    }
  }
}

Invisible taskbar while watching video in the browser

The visible-window state has to be on for this, because a browser playing video is usually not maximized. The key is part of the tab title. Title rules are case-sensitive.

"visible_window_appearance": {
  "enabled": true,
  "accent": "acrylic",
  "color": "#00000020",
  "rules": {
    "window_title": {
      " - YouTube": { "accent": "clear", "color": "#00000000" },
      " - Netflix": { "accent": "clear", "color": "#00000000" }
    }
  }
}

Match Windows Terminal's background

"maximized_window_appearance": {
  "enabled": true,
  "accent": "acrylic",
  "color": "#00000000",
  "rules": {
    "window_class": {
      "CASCADIA_HOSTING_WINDOW_CLASS": { "accent": "opaque", "color": "#0C0C0CFF" }
    }
  }
}

Keep the desktop look with widgets or a dock on screen

If a desktop widget app such as Rainmeter, or a dock, keeps the taskbar in its visible-window look, ignore it. Replace the names with the processes you run.

"ignored_windows": {
  "window_class": [],
  "window_title": [],
  "process_name": [ "Rainmeter.exe" ]
}

Never change the taskbar for a game launcher

Launchers often keep a small window open. Ignoring them stops the taskbar switching while they sit in the background.

"ignored_windows": {
  "process_name": [ "steamwebhelper.exe", "EpicGamesLauncher.exe" ]
}

When a rule does not apply

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