Microsoft has decided not to give an Aero Glass option n Windows newest release, Windows 8. Not to worry, because there is still a trick you can use to get transparent borders back in Windows 8 as well.
Aero Glass used to hold a lot of importance as a Windows feature but the code that enabled it has been entirely removed now. This method to re-enable it isn’t a perfect shot since removal of the blur effect in Microsoft can cause technical errors to show up.
How To Enable Aero Glass in Windows 8
High Contrast Theme
The activation process for an Aero Glass effect requires you to use a theme’s settings with a high contrast theme color.
While on the desktop, right-click and go to Personalize.
Click on the High Contrast White theme to enable it.
When the Personalization window pops up, click on the Color option from there.
Keep the next window for Color and Appearance remain open without clicking on anything in it. Next, right-click on the desktop and open another Personalization window by clicking Personalize.
Click on any one of the Windows default themes in the second Personalization window and enable it.
Now move back to the previously opened Color and Appearance window and hit Save changes option.
By now you will see a transparent effect on Windows borders. It isn’t as close to the original Aero Glass effect and you might encounter a few graphical errors as well if you move around the Window but so far this is as close as you can get to Aero Glass in Windows 8.
Aero8Tuner Tool to Turn on Aero Glass Transparency in Windows 8
The same Aero Glass effect can also be attained by using Aero8Tuner developed by the famous Windows 7 Aero Tuner creator. Much to the disappointment of users, Aero8Tuner lacks a lot of features that were previously present in Aero Tuner. Since Microsoft has gotten rid of many Aero features for Windows, Aero8Tuner only lets you change the settings not visible in Windows.
You can avoid the high contrast theme method through Aero8Tuner that lets you enable Force High Contrast Mode.
Aero8Tuner also offers you to choose a custom Windows color according to your wish, even a color that Windows doesn’t offer in settings.
Conclusively, even though this trick lets you enable aero transparency in Windows 8, it is still a disappointment for hard core Aero Glass fans that would rather have Windows 7 look in preference to Windows 8’s flat color themes. Some developers are trying to get the effect back but don’t be too hopeful since Microsoft has particularly made it difficult to regain.
