Actual Transparent Window

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on August 17, 2009

Actual Transparent Window is an intriguing desktop enhancement that renders open windows transparent at the click of a button, making it easier to keep track of multiple windows at once. It can help you monitor downloads while working on another screen, or organize spreadsheets, stock charts, text files, and Web pages. You can use it as a drawing tool to trace images, create overlays, and even make your own new images.

The program is simplicity itself to use. It adds two small buttons to the Windows title bar, one for settings; the other for toggling the transparency on and off. You can exclude certain windows, set different levels of transparency, and even customize settings for different browsers, e-mail clients, or any program in the Windows Task Manager. A "ghosting" feature prevents accidental mouse clicks. You can save the settings for individual windows, too, which saves time with frequently used programs. You can also organize windows hierarchically by making less frequently used windows more transparent.

Having multiple transparent windows open at once may take some getting used to at first, but it's easy to organize them so that they reduce the clutter instead of adding to it. Actual Transparent Window really comes into its own when you need to refer back and forth to a number of documents, files, Web sites, or programs. The program downloads and installs quickly and easily, but it leaves some empty folders behind after uninstalling. Actual Transparent Window is free to try for 60 days with a 30-day money-back guarantee.