How to install TranslucentTB

winget install CharlesMilette.TranslucentTB

Requirements

These come from the 2026.2 package manifest and the portable executable, which we unpacked and read.

The manifest says the package was last tested on Windows 10.0.26100 (Windows 11 24H2). Newer builds install it without complaint; whether the effect works depends on Explorer changes in that build, and large Windows updates and Insider builds have broken TranslucentTB before. "Installed package" covers the Store, winget, App Installer and Chocolatey. See the Windows 11 guide and the Windows 10 guide.

Pick a method

Install from the Microsoft Store

1. Open the TranslucentTB Store page

   Go to the TranslucentTB Store listing or search for "TranslucentTB" in the Microsoft Store app. The product ID is 9PF4KZ2VN4W9.

2. Click Get (or Install)

   The Store downloads the package and any runtime packages it needs. No admin prompt appears: MSIX apps install for your user only.

3. Open TranslucentTB

   Click Open in the Store, or find TranslucentTB in Start. You can also press Win+R and type ttb: the package registers ttb.exe as a command alias.

Prefer the command line but want the Store version? winget can install from the Store source:

winget install 9PF4KZ2VN4W9 --source msstore

Once installed, it shows up in Start search like any app (screenshot from our Windows test):

Install with winget

winget is built into Windows 11 and current Windows 10 as part of App Installer. The community package CharlesMilette.TranslucentTB points at the official GitHub .msixbundle.

PS> winget install CharlesMilette.TranslucentTB
PS> winget list TranslucentTB
PS> winget upgrade CharlesMilette.TranslucentTB

The first command installs, the second shows the installed version, the third updates it. The winget package does not update itself in the background, so run winget upgrade --all now and then.

This is what it looks like on a clean machine (from our Windows test):

Install with the App Installer file

Use this when the Store is blocked or removed. The TranslucentTB.appinstaller file describes the package and its dependencies, and Windows' App Installer does the rest.

1. Download TranslucentTB.appinstaller

   Get it from the latest GitHub release. It is a 2,563-byte XML file.

2. Open the downloaded file

   Double-click it. App Installer shows the app name, publisher and version. Click Install. Open the file from your Downloads folder rather than from a browser link: Microsoft turned off the ms-appinstaller: web protocol by default in December 2023.

3. Let it fetch the dependencies

   For 2026.2 the file pulls these packages from GitHub when they are missing (both x64 and ARM64 entries are listed):

   Package	Version	Downloaded from
   Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop	14.0.33728.0	release 2024.3, vclibs-desktop-*.appx
   Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00	14.0.33519.0	release 2024.3, vclibs-uwp-*.appx
   Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8	8.2501.31001.0	release 2026.1, winui-*.appx

The file also turns on automatic updates. Its UpdateSettings tell Windows to check every 24 hours when the app starts, to check in a background task, and to accept any newer version (ForceUpdateFromAnyVersion). That is why an App Installer install keeps itself current much like the Store version.

Install on Windows 10/11 LTSC or without the Microsoft Store

LTSC editions and some company PCs have no Microsoft Store, and often no App Installer either, so double-clicking .appinstaller does nothing. If winget works on the PC, use the winget method. Otherwise install the package and its three runtime packages directly with PowerShell. These are the exact files and commands we used on our clean Windows test machine (test report), and they installed TranslucentTB 2026.2 without the Store:

PS> $rel = 'https://github.com/TranslucentTB/TranslucentTB/releases/download'
PS> Invoke-WebRequest "$rel/2026.2/bundle.msixbundle" -OutFile bundle.msixbundle
PS> Invoke-WebRequest "$rel/2024.3/vclibs-desktop-x64.appx" -OutFile vclibs-desktop-x64.appx
PS> Invoke-WebRequest "$rel/2024.3/vclibs-uwp-x64.appx" -OutFile vclibs-uwp-x64.appx
PS> Invoke-WebRequest "$rel/2026.1/winui-x64.appx" -OutFile winui-x64.appx
PS> Add-AppxPackage -Path .\bundle.msixbundle -DependencyPath .\vclibs-desktop-x64.appx, .\vclibs-uwp-x64.appx, .\winui-x64.appx

On an ARM64 PC, replace x64 with arm64 in the three dependency file names; those files are on the same releases. The dependency files live on older release pages (2024.3 and 2026.1) because the developers attach them only when they change; the .appinstaller file of 2026.2 points to exactly these. No administrator rights are needed. To check the result, run Get-AppxPackage *TranslucentTB*.

Install the portable version (Windows 11)

The portable zip runs without installing. Your settings live in settings.json in the same folder as TranslucentTB.exe. It has three requirements that the zip does not include.

1. Install the Visual C++ runtime if needed

   Download it from Microsoft: vc_redist.x64.exe or, on ARM PCs, vc_redist.arm64.exe. Or use winget:

   PowerShellCopy

   winget install Microsoft.VCRedist.2015+.x64

2. Check the two frameworks

   PowerShellCopy

   PS> Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00, Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8 | Select-Object Name, Version, Architecture

   You need an entry for your CPU architecture with at least the versions above. If one is missing, install vclibs-uwp-*.appx from the 2024.3 release or winui-*.appx from the 2026.1 release with Add-AppxPackage.

3. Unzip to a folder you can write to

   Extract TranslucentTB-portable-x64.zip (or -arm64) to a folder such as %USERPROFILE%\Apps\TranslucentTB. Avoid C:\Program Files: TranslucentTB saves settings.json next to the .exe, and it cannot write there without admin rights.

4. Run TranslucentTB.exe

   The welcome page appears on first run, then the app moves to the tray. It copies ExplorerTAP.dll and ExplorerHooks.dll to %TEMP%\TranslucentTB before loading them into Explorer, so you can eject a USB drive after exiting the app. Logs go to the same folder.

5. Start it with Windows (optional)

   Portable builds have no "Open at boot" startup task. Press Win+R, type shell:startup, and create a shortcut to TranslucentTB.exe in the folder that opens. More: Open at boot.

What is in the zip

Install with Scoop

The Scoop package translucenttb lives in the Extras bucket. It downloads the official portable zip (the manifest hash for x64 matches ours), creates a Start menu shortcut, and keeps settings.json in Scoop's persist folder so updates do not wipe it.

PS> scoop bucket add extras
PS> scoop install extras/translucenttb
PS> scoop update translucenttb

Because it is the portable build, everything in the portable section applies: Windows 11 only, and the Visual C++ runtime must be installed.

Install with Chocolatey

The Chocolatey package translucenttb embeds the official .msixbundle (same SHA-256 as GitHub) and installs it with Add-AppxPackage. Its script refuses to run below Windows 10 build 18362. Run it in an elevated PowerShell, as Chocolatey requires:

PS> choco install translucenttb
PS> choco upgrade translucenttb

The result is a normal MSIX install for the user who ran the command, with settings in the package folder and the tray "Open at boot" toggle.

After installing: first run

The first time TranslucentTB starts without a settings file, it shows a Welcome to TranslucentTB! window with three shortcuts: edit the configuration file, join the Discord server, and donate on Liberapay. Click Continue. TranslucentTB writes a default settings.json and shows this notification:

1. Click Continue on the Welcome page

   

2. Find the icon in the tray overflow

   Click the ^ arrow next to the clock. You can drag the icon onto the taskbar to keep it visible.

   

3. Right-click it to change the look

   

TranslucentTB lives in the system tray. Right-click on the tray icon to change settings, set the app to open at boot, view about information, exit the app, etc.

The defaults make the taskbar fully transparent everywhere: Visible window and Maximized window are both off, so the desktop look applies even with windows open. Only Task View switches back to Windows' own look. We confirmed this on Windows build 26100 with the file the app wrote on first run.

Can't find the tray icon?

New tray icons often land in the overflow area. Click the ^ arrow next to the clock. To keep it visible on Windows 11, go to Settings › Personalization › Taskbar › Other system tray icons and turn TranslucentTB on. If it is not there at all, TranslucentTB is not running or hide_tray is set: see Tray icon missing.

Next steps: turn on Open at boot, pick looks in the tray menu, or design all states in the settings builder.

FAQ

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