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The status bar (by default) at the top of your screen with the icons OFF to the right, date, user name and other computer options.

How can I make that bar transparent, like it is when dash activated (as seen in a screen below)?

Instead of having this:

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4 Answers 4

up vote 21 down vote accepted

example panel transparency

For example 100% transparency...

A useful option if you are using transparency is the option just below - Transparency Maximized Toggle (called Opaque panel for maximized windows in Unity-Tweak-Tool)

Switching on this option will not display the top panel as transparent if the window is maximised i.e. with 100% transparency but this toggle switch-on:

Nautilus is maximised and therefore the top-bar does not remain transparent.

13.04

The panel transparency can be defined with unity-tweak-tool

12.04

(click to install)

The panel transparency can now be defined in MyUnity

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You want to change the opacity of the Panel. Some helpful terminology definitions for Unity are here.

The way to do this is to install CompizConfig Settings Manager from the Software Center. After it installs, launch it. Find the setting you want in Ubuntu Unity Plugin/Experimental/Panel Opacity. Slide the marker where you want it to adjust. There is no save button, just close the settings window.

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For 12.04 and 12.10 - Using CCSM

Since existing Unity configuration tools are not yet updated for 12.10, we are confined to using CCSM. Before we get going, here's some precaution:

If you still want to persist, install compizconfig-settings-manager and go to Ubuntu Unity plugin:

Navigate to Experimental tab and input any value between the range of 0.0000 to 1.0000 in the option Panel Opacity, where 0.0000 is complete transparent and 1.0000 is complete opaque.

Here's what my top panel looks like at 0.3670 opacity:

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From the terminal, you can use

gsettings get org.compiz.unityshell:/org/compiz/profiles/unity/plugins/unityshell/ panel-opacity

to get the current value for panel opacity and

gsettings set org.compiz.unityshell:/org/compiz/profiles/unity/plugins/unityshell/ panel-opacity X

to set the panel opacity to X. X must be between 0 and 1.

P:S This way is preferred over any other method that uses dconf directly. And safer than using CCSM

See also:

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