A new third-party app will help Windows 11 users hide the Start menu’s ‘dysfunctional’ Search bar
TranslucentSM is a new third-party app designed to help users control the Start menu’s opacity and hide its Search bar in Windows 11.
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What you need to know
Am I the only one who feels like there’s a third-party app popping up every day to help improveWindows 11’s user experience? As it happens, there’s a new app on the horizon that’s designed to help improve some elements in the Start menu app in Windows 11.
Windows 11’s Start menu has received a lot of backlash over the past few years, mainly because of its flawed design and usefulness with a former Microsoft software engineer even referring to it as"comically bad" due to performance-related issues, despite running the OS on a sophisticated $1,600 device boasting a Core i9 CPU and 128 GB of RAM.
TranslucentSM is a new app designed to help Windows 11 users spruce up the aesthetic appeal of the Start menu (viaNeowin). As the name suggests, the app will help you configure the opacity of the Start menu in Windows 11.
Interestingly, the app features a new capability that lets users hide the Search bar if they don’t find it useful in Windows 11’s Start menu. If you’ve already been using the utility, the capability might not work as expected if you’re running on older versions of the app. However, the issue has been patched via a new update bumping it toversion 0.6.9.
At the beginning of the year, former Windows Experiences lead Mikhail Parakhin admittedscrolling through apps via the Start menu in Windows 11 “annoyed the hell out” of himwhile responding to UX/UI requests by Windows users on X. He indicated that he’d push the team to address this issue to “make the Start menu.”
Are third-party apps the only solution for Windows 11’s flawed design?
Windows 10 continues to dominate the Windows OS market shareglobally despiteMicrosoft’s big AI push in Windows 11, and its imminentend-of-support date slated for October 2025.
Avid Windows users have blatantly expressed their reservations towards Windows 11, citing itsstringent minimum system requirementsand tough economic times (thoughthe PC market is on an upward trajectorywith the emergence of AI PCs) coupled with the OS’s flawed design —the Start menu app in Windows 11, in particular, is unpopular among most users.
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Consequently, there’s been an increase in the number of third-party apps popping up specifically designed to “fix” Windows 11’s flawed design.Stardock, the company behindStart11, WindowsBlinds, and more, has made a household name for itself when it comes to the best alternative apps for Windows 11.
Last week, we covered a new third-party app dubbedOh Frick Go Back developed by a programmer using Linuxto help keep ads at bay on your Windows 11 device.Microsoft’s intrusive and persistent ad campaign in Windows 11even led to the reincarnation of Clippy fromthe Microsoft Graveyardpowered byOpenAI’s ChatGPT. Winpilot lets users control their device settings, but a recent update for the tool helpsremove ads from Windows 11.
Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You’ll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.
