transset

Set X11 window transparency

TLDR

Set window transparency by clicking

$ transset [0.8]

Set transparency for specific window ID

$ transset -i [0x1400003] [0.75]

Toggle transparency on clicked window

$ transset -t

Increase transparency of clicked window

$ transset --inc [0.1]

Decrease transparency of clicked window

$ transset --dec [0.1]

Apply to all windows

$ transset -a [0.9]

transset sets window transparency in X11 by modifying the NETWMWINDOWOPACITY property on windows. The opacity value ranges from 0 (fully transparent) to 1 (fully opaque), with 0.75 as the default.The tool requires a compositing window manager (such as picom, xcompmgr, KWin, or Mutter) to actually render the transparency. Without a compositor, the property is set but no visual effect occurs.By default, transset enters interactive mode where clicking on a window sets its transparency. Window ID or name options allow non-interactive scripted use.

PARAMETERS

-i, --id id

Select window by X window ID.

-n, --name name

Select window by name.

-t, --toggle

Toggle between current opacity and fully opaque.

--inc value

Increase opacity by specified amount.

--dec value

Decrease opacity by specified amount.

-a, --all

Apply to all windows.

-p, --point

Select window under pointer (default).

-v, --verbose

Print verbose output.

--version

Display version.

INSTALL

sudo apt install x11-apps

sudo zypper install transset

nix profile install nixpkgs#transset

CAVEATS

Requires a running compositing manager for visible effects. X11 only; does not work on Wayland. Some applications may not respect transparency settings. Window IDs change between sessions.

HISTORY

transset was developed as part of the X.Org project to demonstrate and utilize the COMPOSITE extension. The transset-df variant by Daniel Forchheimer added command-line options for scripted use without interactive clicking.