How to Fix Start Menu Transparency issue on Windows 10

Windows 10 October 2020 Update is all set to appear for the general public in a few days. After installing version 20H2, users are likely to get a theme-aware Start Menu, personalized taskbar, Graphing mode on Calculator, and several other improvements. However, a few users recently reported not getting the transparency effects after they click Start Menu.

Start Menu transparency may stop working due to wrongly configured registry or corrupted system files. Today, in this post, we will cover three different ways to resolve the transparency effects not appearing on the Start Menu. Let’s explore these methods in detail-.

What is Start Menu Transparency in Windows 10

Microsoft Windows 10 lets you control the transparency of the Start menu, Taskbar, and the Action Center. From the Settings panel, you can choose solid or transparent. By default, it is somewhat transparent. However, you may wish to increase it. When the Start menu is full-screen, the blur is reduced significantly to make the wallpaper visible behind it.

Start Menu Transparency Issue Solutions

To solve the Start Menu Transparency issues on Windows 10 PC, try the following workarounds –

1] Run SFC/DISM

Start Menu Transparency issue often occurs due to some internal errors on the computer. You may resolve this bug simply by restarting your PC. In case you still don’t get the transparency effect, use SFC and DISM tools.

Fix Corrupted system files using SFC

Open Command Prompt as an Administrator.
On the elevated console, type “sfc/scannow” and press Enter.

The system starts searching/repairing any missing or damaged system files that it finds.
This whole process may take 15-20 minutes depending upon the level of corruption, so wait accordingly.
Once over, Reboot the PC so as to incorporate the above changes.

Repair Corrupted Windows Image using DISM

Make a right-click on the Start Menu and select Run.
Type “cmd” in the text field and press the Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys altogether.
This starts with Command Prompt having Administrative rights.
Now, copy and paste the below code and press Enter –

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

After this cmdlet runs successfully, Restart your computer.

2] Fix the Start Menu Transparency issue via registry tweaks

Sometimes an incorrectly configured registry may also cause this transparency issue on Windows 10 Start Menu. If that’s the case, you must correct the related DWORD key so as to get back the transparency effect. Here’s how to edit the registry –

Use WinKey + R to launch the Run dialog.
Type “regedit” and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
When the User control window prompts, hit Yes to authorize the access.
Next, browse to the below path on the left pane –

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize

Or, you may copy/paste the entire path in the registry’s address bar and press Enter.
Head over to the right side and look for the “EnableTransparency” key.
Double-click this entry and put “1” inside the Value data field.

Click OK to confirm the changes and close the registry window.
Restart Windows to make the changes effective from the next logon.
I hope this will work for you.

Next, navigate to the following location.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm

Right-click on any empty space, then choose DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Give it the name “ForceEffectMode” and set its Value data to 2.
This should do the trick for you.

Tip:

If you don’t find the “EnableTransparency” entry at the above location, right-click anywhere and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value. Next, right-click again and rename this DWORD key to “EnableTransparency”. Make sure to change its value from “0” to “1”.

3] Reinstall Start Menu via PowerShell

If you are still not getting the transparency effect, uninstall then reinstall Start Menu using PowerShell. To do so, use these steps –

Right-click on the Windows icon and select PowerShell (Admin).
When the UAC dialog comes into view, hit Yes.
Now, copy/paste the below cmdlet and press Enter –

Get-AppXPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

The above lightweight command will uninstall and reinstall Start Menu on the computer.
After this cmdlet runs successfully, Restart Windows.

I hope you found this guide helpful to fix the Start Screen transparency effects on your PC. If you have any queries or suggestions, let’s know in the comment section.