Window Transparency

Methods to make windows transparent so the blur effect is visible

Better Blur DX creates a beautiful blur effect behind windows, but the effect is only visible on transparent or translucent windows. If your windows are fully opaque, you won’t see any blur. This guide covers all the methods to achieve window transparency.

The blur effect works by processing the content behind the window. Without transparency, there’s no way for the background to show through, making the blur invisible.

Method 1: Use Transparent Application Themes

Many applications have built-in support for transparent themes or color schemes.

Konsole (KDE Terminal)

1. Open Konsole settings

   Go to Settings → Edit Current Profile…

2. Choose appearance

   Navigate to the Appearance tab

3. Select a transparent color scheme

   Look for color schemes with “Transparent” in the name, such as:

   • Breeze Transparent
   • Transparent Dark
   • Any custom transparent schemes you’ve installed

   Many color schemes include transparency settings that work automatically with blur effects.

4. Adjust transparency level (optional)

   Some themes allow you to adjust the opacity level. Experiment to find the right balance between readability and visual effect.

VS Code and Electron Apps

Many Electron-based applications support transparency through extensions or settings:

VS Code transparency

1. Install the “GlassIt-VSC” extension or similar transparency extensions
2. Configure opacity in settings (typically 80-95% for good readability)
3. Combine with transparent themes for best results

Other Electron apps

Check the application’s settings or extensions marketplace for transparency options. Common apps with transparency support:

• Discord
• Slack
• Spotify (with modifications)

Firefox and Chrome

Browser transparency typically requires custom CSS or extensions and may have limitations on Wayland.

• Firefox: Use userChrome.css modifications
• Chrome/Chromium: Limited native support; some themes offer semi-transparency

Method 2: Use a Transparent Color Scheme

Applying a system-wide transparent color scheme is the easiest way to make all KDE applications semi-transparent automatically.

Installing Alpha Color Scheme

Alpha is a popular transparent color scheme that works excellently with Better Blur DX.

1. Download the color scheme

   Visit the KDE Store or download directly from System Settings.

2. Open color settings

   Go to System Settings → Appearance → Colors

3. Install color scheme

   Click Get New Color Schemes… and search for “Alpha” or manually install the downloaded file.

4. Apply the color scheme

   Select the Alpha color scheme from the list and click Apply.

   Alpha comes in different variants (Light, Dark, etc.). Choose the one that matches your theme.

Creating Your Own Transparent Color Scheme

You can modify existing color schemes to add transparency:

1. Start with an existing scheme

   In System Settings → Colors, select a color scheme similar to what you want.

2. Duplicate and edit

   Click the small edit icon and choose Duplicate. Give it a new name.

3. Adjust opacity

   For each color group (Window, Selection, etc.), you can adjust the alpha channel of colors. Focus on:

   • Window colors: Background color opacity
   • View colors: Content area background opacity

   Set opacity to 70-90% for good visibility with blur.

4. Apply and test

   Click Apply and test the result. Fine-tune as needed.

Transparent color schemes affect all KDE applications. Make sure to maintain sufficient contrast for readability, especially for text.

Method 3: Create Window Rules for Opacity

Window rules allow you to set transparency on a per-application basis without changing themes.

Basic Window Rule

1. Right-click the window titlebar

   On the window you want to make transparent, right-click its titlebar.

2. Open special settings

   Select More Actions → Configure Special Window Settings… or Configure Special Application Settings…

3. Add opacity property

   Click Add Property → Appearance & Fixes → Active opacity or Inactive opacity

   • Active opacity: Transparency when the window is focused
   • Inactive opacity: Transparency when the window is not focused
4. Set opacity value

   Move the slider to set the desired opacity percentage:

   • 100% = fully opaque (no transparency)
   • 90% = slight transparency (recommended starting point)
   • 80% = moderate transparency
   • 70% = high transparency

   For readable text content, stay above 80-85%. For terminals and editors, 90-95% often works best.

5. Apply and close

   Click OK to save the rule. The opacity change should apply immediately.

Advanced Window Rules

You can create more sophisticated rules for different scenarios:

Different opacity for active/inactive windows

Create two opacity properties:

• Active opacity: 95% (less transparent when focused)
• Inactive opacity: 80% (more transparent when not focused)

This creates a nice visual distinction between focused and unfocused windows.

Match multiple windows of the same type

Instead of creating a rule for a specific window, set the match criteria to:

• Window class: Match all windows of the same application
• Window types: Match specific window types (normal, dialog, etc.)

This applies the opacity to all windows of that application.

Conditional opacity rules

Use matching conditions to apply opacity only when:

• Window is maximized
• Window is on a specific desktop
• Window matches a certain title pattern

For example, make a terminal transparent only when it’s not maximized.

Accessing Window Rules Settings Directly

You can also manage all window rules from System Settings:

System Settings → Window Management → Window Rules

Here you can:

• View all existing rules
• Edit or delete rules
• Create new rules manually
• Import/export rule configurations

Method 4: Application-Specific Settings

Some applications have built-in opacity or transparency settings.

Dolphin (KDE File Manager)

Dolphin respects the system color scheme. Use a transparent color scheme (Method 2) for transparent Dolphin windows.

Alternatively, create a window rule to set Dolphin’s opacity.

Kate (KDE Text Editor)

Kate can use transparent color schemes for its editor background:

1. Go to Settings → Configure Kate → Editor Component → Colors
2. Select a color scheme with transparency or customize one

For the entire window transparency, use a system-wide transparent color scheme or window rule.

Yakuake (Drop-down Terminal)

Yakuake respects Konsole color schemes:

1. Open Yakuake
2. Go to Settings → Configure Yakuake → Appearance
3. Select a transparent Konsole color scheme
4. Adjust background opacity slider if available

Alacritty (Terminal)

Edit ~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.yml or alacritty.toml:

window:
  opacity: 0.9

or

[window]
opacity = 0.9

Kitty (Terminal)

Edit ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf:

background_opacity 0.9

Method 5: Compositor-Level Transparency

KWin itself can apply transparency through various means beyond window rules.

Desktop Effects for Opacity

Some KWin effects can affect window opacity:

• Translucency effect: Provides opacity for inactive windows (found in Desktop Effects)
• Dim Inactive: Darkens inactive windows (can combine with transparency)

These effects are separate from Better Blur DX but can complement it by automatically adjusting window opacity based on focus state.

Choosing the Right Method

For KDE-wide transparency

Use a transparent color scheme (Method 2)

Best for: Complete desktop consistency

For specific applications

Use window rules (Method 3) or app-specific settings (Method 4)

Best for: Fine-grained control per application

For terminals only

Use transparent terminal themes (Method 1)

Best for: Quick setup without affecting other apps

For dynamic transparency

Use KWin effects (Method 5) with window rules

Best for: Context-aware transparency (focused/unfocused)

Troubleshooting

Window is transparent but no blur appears

1. Verify Better Blur DX is enabled in Desktop Effects
2. Check that no conflicting blur effects are active
3. Ensure the window class is included in force blur settings (if using force blur)
4. Restart KWin: kwin_wayland --replace & or logout/login

Transparency makes text unreadable

1. Reduce transparency (increase opacity to 85-95%)
2. Increase blur strength for better background separation
3. Adjust brightness/contrast in Better Blur DX settings
4. Use a color scheme with better contrast

Some applications ignore transparency settings

Some applications override system transparency settings. Try:

1. Window rules with higher priority
2. Application-specific transparency settings if available
3. Check if the application is running with special privileges (may ignore compositor effects)

Performance issues with transparency

Transparency + blur can be GPU-intensive:

1. Reduce blur strength
2. Disable refraction effects
3. Limit the number of transparent windows
4. See Getting Started - Performance Considerations

Next Steps

Configuration

Fine-tune blur settings for optimal appearance

Window Classes

Learn how to target specific windows with force blur