Windows Terminal Transparent: Step-by-Step Guide

This guide shows you how to make the Windows Terminal window see-through, giving your command line a modern, sleek look. You’ll adjust the built-in opacity and blur settings, no third-party tools needed. We’ll cover both the quick visual tweak and the JSON settings file method, plus tips for readability and troubleshooting common issues.

What You’ll Need

• Windows Terminal installed (it comes with Windows 11 and is available for Windows 10 from the Microsoft Store).
• Windows 10 version 1903 or later, or Windows 11.
• Basic comfort with editing a JSON file (for the advanced method).

Step-by-Step

Method 1: Using the Settings UI (Quickest)

1. Open Windows Terminal. You can search for “Terminal” in the Start menu.
2. Click the down arrow (chevron) next to the new tab button (the + icon) in the title bar, then select Settings. Alternatively, press Ctrl + , (comma).
3. In the Settings window, go to the Profiles section in the left sidebar, then select the profile you want to make transparent (e.g., “Command Prompt”, “PowerShell”, or “Ubuntu”).
4. Scroll down to the Appearance section.
5. Look for Opacity. You’ll see a slider from 0% (fully transparent) to 100% (fully opaque). Drag it to your desired level—50% is a good starting point for a clear but see-through effect.
6. If you want the classic acrylic blur (frosted glass effect), check the box for Enable acrylic material. This blurs the background behind the window, making text more readable.
7. Click Save at the bottom. Your terminal should now be transparent.

Method 2: Editing the Settings JSON (More Control)

1. Open Windows Terminal and press Ctrl + , to open Settings.
2. In the bottom-left corner of the Settings window, click Open JSON file. This opens the settings.json file in your default text editor (likely Notepad).
3. In the JSON file, find the profiles object, then the list array. Each item in the list represents a profile (PowerShell, Command Prompt, etc.).
4. Locate the profile you want to change. It will have a name or source field. If you’re not sure, look for "defaults" to apply to all profiles.
5. Add the following two lines inside that profile object (after the opening brace {):

   "opacity": 50,
   "useAcrylic": true,

   The opacity value is a percentage (0-100). The useAcrylic enables the blur effect. If you omit useAcrylic and only set opacity, you’ll get a plain transparent window without blur.

6. Make sure to add a comma after the previous line if there was one. For example:

   {
       "name": "PowerShell",
       "opacity": 60,
       "useAcrylic": true,
       "guid": "{574e775e-4f2a-5b96-ac1e-a2962a402336}"
   }

7. Save the file (Ctrl+S). Windows Terminal will automatically reload the settings—you should see the change immediately.

Method 3: Per-Profile vs. Global

The settings above apply to a single profile. To make all your profiles transparent, add the opacity and useAcrylic lines to the profiles.defaults object instead. This is the object that appears before list in the JSON.

Common Mistakes

• Setting opacity to 0%: This makes the terminal completely invisible, so you can’t read anything. Always keep it above 20% for usability.
• Forgetting to enable acrylic: Without useAcrylic: true, the transparency looks flat and can be very hard to read, especially with busy backgrounds.
• Editing the wrong profile: In the JSON, you might accidentally add the settings to a profile you don’t use. Check the name field.
• Missing commas: In JSON, every property except the last one in an object must end with a comma. If you add a line without a comma, the file won’t parse and Windows Terminal will show an error.
• Not saving the JSON correctly: If you use Notepad, ensure you save as type “All Files” and not “Text Document” with a .txt extension. The file must remain settings.json.

Tips

• Use a solid background image: If you set a background image (in Appearance settings), the transparency will show it through. This can look great.
• Adjust per-profile: You might want PowerShell at 70% opacity and Command Prompt at 40%. Different profiles can have different levels.
• Keyboard shortcut: There’s no built-in shortcut to toggle transparency, but you can always open Settings quickly with Ctrl + ,.
• Experiment with the slider: The UI slider gives you a live preview. Drag it while watching the terminal behind the Settings window.
• For a clean look: Combine transparency with a dark theme and a simple desktop wallpaper. Too much visual noise behind the terminal can be distracting.

Troubleshooting

• Opacity slider is grayed out: This happens when you’re editing a profile that doesn’t support transparency, or you’re in a special mode. Make sure you’ve selected a standard profile (like PowerShell) and not “Windows Terminal” itself (the default profile).
• Transparency not working after editing JSON: Check for JSON errors. Windows Terminal will show a pop-up with the error. Common issues: missing comma, extra comma, or invalid value (e.g., opacity must be a number, not a string).
• Text is hard to read: Increase the opacity (e.g., to 70-80%) or enable acrylic. Also consider increasing the font size or using a bold font.
• Transparency only works when the window is focused: This is by design. When the terminal is not focused, it may become more opaque to improve readability. This is a Windows Terminal feature, not a bug.
• Acrylic effect not showing: Make sure your Windows version supports it (Windows 10 1903+). Also, if you have transparency effects disabled in Windows Settings > Personalization > Colors, acrylic won’t work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make the terminal fully transparent?

Yes, but we don’t recommend it. Setting opacity to 0% makes the window completely see-through, so you can’t see the text. The text itself remains opaque, but it will look like floating text over your desktop, which is confusing.

Does transparency affect performance?

Acrylic blur can use a small amount of GPU resources, but on modern hardware the impact is negligible. If you notice lag, disable acrylic and use plain transparency.

Can I set different opacity for different profiles?

Yes, absolutely. Each profile has its own Appearance settings. Just edit each profile individually in the Settings UI or JSON.

Why is my terminal transparent but the text is hard to read?

This is usually because the background behind the terminal is too busy or bright. Increase the opacity, enable acrylic, or change your desktop wallpaper to something darker. You can also add a background image with a slight tint in the profile settings.

Will transparency work with Windows 10?

Yes, Windows Terminal supports transparency on Windows 10 version 1903 and later. Older versions may not have the acrylic effect, but basic opacity should work.

How do I reset the transparency back to default?

In the Settings UI, set the opacity slider back to 100% and uncheck “Enable acrylic material”. In the JSON, set "opacity": 100 and "useAcrylic": false.

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