TranslucentSM — Reworked by Arsxxi (fork of rounk-ctrl)

A lightweight utility that makes the Windows Start Menu translucent/transparent.
This app utilizes XAML Diagnostics to inject a dll into a process and modifies the XAML.

Original: rounk-ctrl/TranslucentSM • Fork: Arsxxi/TranslucentSM • Installer: Setup_TranslucentSM_v0.6.10.exe

Reworked by Arsxxi — fork of rounk-ctrl/TranslucentSM (GPL-3.0). Original ©2024 Rounak, this fork ©2026 Arsxxi, same license per GPL §5a. See LICENSE. Injection logic (XAML Diagnostics, CLSID {36162BD3-3531-4131-9B8B-7FB1A991EF51}) unchanged; changes are installer/startup only.

Screenshots

Upstream (rounk-ctrl):

What's New in v0.6.10

• No CMD popup — start.exe rebuilt as Windows GUI (SubSystem:Windows, mainCRTStartup) instead of Console. Daemon hides console fallback too (start/start.cpp).
• Hidden Task Scheduler logon task with 5s delay — schtasks /create /tn TranslucentSM /tr "'{app}\start.exe' --daemon" /sc onlogon /delay 0000:05 /rl limited /f + runhidden. Replaces legacy HKCU\...\Run; installer also runs --daemon immediately so no reboot required.
• User-choosable install dir — Inno Setup 6 → Setup_TranslucentSM_v0.6.10.exe (DefaultDirName={autopf}\TranslucentSM, DisableDirPage=no). Admin UAC, but any folder works.
• <2 MB daemon — polling StartMenuExperienceHost.exe every 2s (CreateToolhelp32Snapshot), VC-LTL 5.0.9, Release|x64.
• Packaging fixed — Package/Package.wapproj now refs StartTAP (was broken TAPdll), version 0.6.10.0 (Arsxxi (fork of Rounak)).

Installation

Recommended: Download Setup_TranslucentSM_v0.6.10.exe from Releases → pick any folder → Install (UAC) → Start Menu translucent immediately, and hidden 5s after every logon. No CMD window.

Uninstall: Settings → Apps → TranslucentSM → Uninstall (or Start Menu → Uninstall) — deletes the chosen dir, schtasks /delete /tn TranslucentSM /f, taskkill /f /im start.exe, and legacy HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run cleanup.

Manual (dev): msbuild start.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64 after Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Restore (or nuget restore). Then installer/TranslucentSM.iss via iscc (Inno Setup 6) → Setup_*.exe.

How it Works

start.exe (loader) finds StartMenuExperienceHost.exe PID, seeds HKCU\SOFTWARE\TranslucentSM, grants permissive ACLs, injects StartTAP.dll via InitializeXamlDiagnosticsEx (from Windows.UI.Xaml.dll). StartTAP.dll (IObjectWithSite/IClassFactory) watches OnVisualTreeChange and tweaks AcrylicBorder/BackgroundElement/RootGrid etc.; misc.cpp:AddSettingsPanel injects the flyout.

Settings

All REG_DWORD under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\TranslucentSM (seeded on first run, permissive ACL for ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES/Users):

• TintOpacity=30 — main acrylic brush
• TintLuminosityOpacity=30 — luminosity brush
• HideSearch=0 — hide search box
• HideBorder=0 — hide white border (AcrylicOverlay)
• HideRecommended=0 — hide recommended section
• EditButton=1 — inject settings flyout

Values are 0-100. Live edits via the injected flyout (misc.cpp SetVal) apply instantly; registry edits otherwise need taskkill /f /im StartMenuExperienceHost.exe (TAP loads into a fresh process).

TintLuminosityOpacity

Controls the luminosity brush (some secondary layer ig).

TintOpacity

The main acrylic brush.

Build

• Requires Visual Studio 2022 (v143) + Windows 10+ SDK. Open start.sln → Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Restore → Release|x64.
• start targets min 10.0.10240.0, StartTAP targets min 10.0.18362.0.
• Installer: iscc installer/TranslucentSM.iss (needs x64/Release/start.exe + StartTAP.dll + optional installer/yamadaaa.bmp). Output Setup_TranslucentSM_v0.6.10.exe.

License

GPL-3.0 — same as upstream. See LICENSE. Modified version marked per §5a.