Windows 11 Glass Desktop Automation

Automated PowerShell script to transform your Windows 11 interface with beautiful glass/translucent effects on windows, taskbar, and File Explorer in one click.

Glass effects on Windows 11: translucent taskbar with Acrylic blur, frosted File Explorer with transparent address bar, and Acrylic window backgrounds. Note: Desktop wallpaper remains clear and unaffected.

🚀 Quick Start (3 Simple Steps)

# 1. Download the script
git clone https://github.com/zhound420/windows-glass-desktop.git
cd windows-glass-desktop

# 2. Open PowerShell as Administrator, then run:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

# 3. Run the script - it does everything automatically!
.\Install-GlassDesktop.ps1

That's it! Glass effects appear immediately:

• ✨ Your taskbar becomes translucent instantly
• ✨ Window backgrounds get the Acrylic blur effect
• ✨ Applications auto-launch and are configured to start at login
• ✨ File Explorer blur may require a restart to fully activate

What This Does

This script automatically installs and configures three powerful tools to give your Windows 11 desktop a modern, translucent glass appearance:

• MicaForEveryone - Applies Mica/Acrylic effects to application windows
• TranslucentTB - Makes your taskbar translucent with blur effects
• ExplorerBlurMica - Adds beautiful blur effects to File Explorer

Visual Effects Applied

• Acrylic Window Backgrounds - Frosted glass appearance on application windows
• Acrylic Taskbar - Translucent taskbar with blur
• Acrylic File Explorer - Blurred, modern look for Windows Explorer
• Dark Theme Optimized - Configurations tuned for dark mode aesthetics

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 (build 18362+) or Windows 11
• Administrator privileges (required for DLL registration)
• Internet connection (for downloading tools)
• PowerShell 5.1+ (included with Windows)
• Visual C++ Redistributables - Required for ExplorerBlurMica
  • Download: VC++ Redist x64
  • The script will notify you if this is missing

What Gets Glass Effects?

• ✅ Application windows - Acrylic blur on window backgrounds
• ✅ Taskbar - Translucent with blur effects
• ✅ File Explorer - Frosted glass appearance
• ❌ Desktop wallpaper - Remains clear and unaffected

Installation

Quick Start

1. Download the script:

   git clone <repository-url>
   # OR download Install-GlassDesktop.ps1 directly

2. Open PowerShell as Administrator:

   • Right-click Start Menu → Windows Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin)

3. Set execution policy (if needed):

   Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

4. Run the installation:

   cd path\to\script
   .\Install-GlassDesktop.ps1

5. Effects appear immediately! (File Explorer may need restart)

What Happens During Installation

The script will:

1. ✅ Check Windows version compatibility
2. ✅ Verify administrator privileges
3. ✅ Auto-install Visual C++ Redistributables if needed
4. ✅ Install WinGet if not present
5. ✅ Download and install MicaForEveryone (with MSIX fallback)
6. ✅ Download and install TranslucentTB (with MSIX fallback)
7. ✅ Launch both applications automatically
8. ✅ Configure auto-startup at login via Task Scheduler
9. ✅ Download and extract ExplorerBlurMica from GitHub
10. ✅ Configure all tools with Acrylic effects
11. ✅ Unblock downloaded DLL files
12. ✅ Register ExplorerBlurMica DLL
13. ✅ Restart Windows Explorer
14. ✅ Display installation summary

No manual steps required - everything is automated!

Usage

Install Glass Desktop

# Simply run the script (installs automatically)
.\Install-GlassDesktop.ps1

Show Help

.\Install-GlassDesktop.ps1 -Help

Uninstall Glass Desktop

.\Install-GlassDesktop.ps1 -Uninstall

The uninstall function will:

• Remove all three tools
• Unregister the ExplorerBlurMica DLL
• Clean up configuration files
• Restore default Windows appearance

Configuration

Default Settings Applied

The script configures all tools with these settings:

ExplorerBlurMica

• Effect: Acrylic (effect=1)
• Clear Address Bar: Enabled
• Clear Toolbar Background: Enabled
• Show Dividing Line: Enabled

MicaForEveryone

• Global Effect: Acrylic backdrop
• Title Bar Color: Dark
• File Explorer: Acrylic with system color

TranslucentTB

• Default: Acrylic frosted appearance
• Customization: Right-click tray icon after installation

Customizing Effects

Change ExplorerBlurMica Effect

Edit: C:\Program Files\ExplorerBlurMica\config.ini

[config]
effect=1    ; 0=Blur, 1=Acrylic, 2=Mica, 3=Blur(Clear), 4=MicaAlt

After editing, restart Explorer:

Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force

Change MicaForEveryone Settings

Edit: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Mica For Everyone\config.xcl

Global: "" {
    TitleBarColor = Dark
    BackdropPreference = Acrylic
}

Process: "notepad" {
    BackdropPreference = Mica
}

Launch MicaForEveryone from Start Menu to reload configuration.

Customize TranslucentTB

1. Right-click the TranslucentTB icon in system tray
2. Select preferred taskbar appearance:
   • Acrylic (frosted glass)
   • Clear (fully transparent)
   • Blur (simple blur)
   • Opaque (solid)

Troubleshooting

Script Won't Run

Issue: "execution of scripts is disabled on this system"

Solution:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

WinGet Not Found

Issue: Script can't find WinGet

Solution:

• Install "App Installer" from Microsoft Store
• Or download from: https://aka.ms/getwinget

Effects Not Appearing

Issue: Installed but no visual changes

Note: As of the latest version, the script automatically launches applications, so effects should appear immediately.

If effects still don't appear:

1. Check if apps are running:
   • Look for TranslucentTB icon in system tray
   • Check Task Manager for "MicaForEveryone" process
2. Ensure Windows 11 transparency effects are enabled:
   • Settings → Personalization → Colors → Transparency effects = ON
3. For File Explorer blur: Restart your computer
4. If apps aren't running, launch them manually from Start Menu:
   • MicaForEveryone
   • TranslucentTB

ExplorerBlurMica Not Working

Issue: File Explorer has no blur effect

Solutions:

1. Verify DLL is registered:

   regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\ExplorerBlurMica\ExplorerBlurMica.dll"

2. Check config.ini exists at: C:\Program Files\ExplorerBlurMica\config.ini
3. Restart Explorer:

   Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force

Access Denied Errors

Issue: Script fails with "Access Denied"

Solution:

• Run PowerShell as Administrator (required!)
• Disable antivirus temporarily if it blocks DLL registration

DLL Registration Failed (0xC0000005)

Issue: ExplorerBlurMica fails with Access Violation error

Solution: This error means Visual C++ Redistributables are missing:

1. Download and install: VC++ Redist x64
2. Restart your computer
3. Run the installation script again

WinGet Package Not Available (-1978335189)

Issue: MicaForEveryone or TranslucentTB installation fails

Solution: Install manually from GitHub releases:

• MicaForEveryone: https://github.com/MicaForEveryone/MicaForEveryone/releases
  • Download the .msixbundle file
  • Double-click to install
• TranslucentTB: https://github.com/TranslucentTB/TranslucentTB/releases
  • Download the .msixbundle file
  • Double-click to install

Alternatively, try installing from Microsoft Store:

• MicaForEveryone: Search in Microsoft Store
• TranslucentTB: Search "TranslucentTB" in Microsoft Store

All Components Failed

Issue: Nothing installs successfully

Common Causes:

1. Missing VC++ Redistributables - Install from link above
2. WinGet not working - Update Windows or install App Installer from Microsoft Store
3. Network/Firewall issues - Check internet connection and firewall settings
4. Antivirus blocking - Temporarily disable antivirus during installation

Tools Used

This script automates the installation of these excellent open-source projects:

Tool	Purpose	Repository
MicaForEveryone	Applies Mica/Acrylic to any app	GitHub
ExplorerBlurMica	Blur effects for File Explorer	GitHub
TranslucentTB	Translucent taskbar	GitHub

Credits

All credit for the visual effects goes to the amazing developers of:

• MicaForEveryone by MicaForEveryone Team
• ExplorerBlurMica by Maplespe
• TranslucentTB by TranslucentTB Team

This script simply automates their installation and configuration.

FAQ

Q: Is this safe? A: Yes! All tools are open-source and widely used. The script only downloads from official GitHub releases and Microsoft Store.

Q: Will this slow down my computer? A: No. These tools have minimal performance impact. TranslucentTB uses <10MB RAM, MicaForEveryone is very lightweight.

Q: Can I customize individual apps? A: Yes! Edit the MicaForEveryone config to apply different effects per application.

Q: Does this work on Windows 10? A: Partially. Windows 10 (build 18362+) supports some effects, but full Mica/Acrylic requires Windows 11.

Q: How do I update the tools? A: Run the installation script again, or use:

winget upgrade --all

Q: Will this survive Windows updates? A: Yes, but you may need to re-run the script if Windows updates break the effects.

Q: Why did installation fail with error -1978335189? A: This is a WinGet package error. The packages may be temporarily unavailable or your WinGet needs updating. Install the tools manually from their GitHub releases pages (see Troubleshooting section).

Q: What is error 0xC0000005 (Access Violation)? A: This means Visual C++ Redistributables are missing. Download and install from: https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe

Q: Do I need Visual C++ Redistributables? A: Yes, ExplorerBlurMica requires them. The script will tell you if they're missing and provide a download link.

Q: Can I install the tools individually if the script fails? A: Yes! See the "Manual Installation" section below for step-by-step instructions.

Manual Installation

If the automated script fails, you can install each tool manually:

MicaForEveryone

1. Visit: https://github.com/MicaForEveryone/MicaForEveryone/releases
2. Download the latest .msixbundle file
3. Double-click the file to install
4. Launch from Start Menu

TranslucentTB

1. Visit: https://github.com/TranslucentTB/TranslucentTB/releases
2. Download the latest .msixbundle file
3. Double-click the file to install
4. Launch from Start Menu

ExplorerBlurMica

1. Install Visual C++ Redistributables: Download x64
2. Restart your computer
3. Visit: https://github.com/Maplespe/ExplorerBlurMica/releases
4. Download Release_x64.zip
5. Extract to: C:\Program Files\ExplorerBlurMica\
6. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

   regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\ExplorerBlurMica\ExplorerBlurMica.dll"

7. Restart Windows Explorer:

   Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force

Uninstallation

To completely remove all glass effects and restore defaults:

.\Install-GlassDesktop.ps1 -Uninstall

The script will:

• Uninstall MicaForEveryone
• Uninstall TranslucentTB
• Unregister and remove ExplorerBlurMica
• Clean up all configuration files
• Restart Explorer

Known Issues

• WinGet Package Availability: Sometimes WinGet packages are temporarily unavailable. Use manual installation if this happens.
• VC++ Redistributables: ExplorerBlurMica requires Visual C++ Redistributables. The script will detect and notify you if missing.
• First Run: Some effects may require a restart or logout to appear fully.
• Antivirus Interference: Some antivirus software may block DLL registration. Temporarily disable if needed.

License

This automation script is provided as-is for educational purposes. Each tool has its own license:

• MicaForEveryone: MIT License
• ExplorerBlurMica: MIT License
• TranslucentTB: GPL-3.0 License

Support

For issues with:

• This script: Open an issue in this repository
• MicaForEveryone: Visit their GitHub
• ExplorerBlurMica: Visit their GitHub
• TranslucentTB: Visit their GitHub

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

• Report bugs
• Suggest new features
• Submit pull requests
• Improve documentation

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Note: This project is not affiliated with Microsoft. Windows 11 is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.