The Command Prompt console we know in previous Windows doesn’t support transparency. And technically, it still doesn’t support in Windows 10 because it still uses the same original graphics and rendering models (the original GDI) implemented in the console a long time ago. But, Windows 10 found a workaround that makes the entire window transparency, a nice compromise but works quite nicely.
Open Command Prompt, right-click the top board and choose Properties.
Make sure the option “Use legacy console” at the bottom of the dialog window unchecked, which unlocks a bunch of new features that are only available in Windows 10, including the transparency.
Once that’s settled, you can adjust the transparency level via the Colors tab in the Command Prompt properties dialog or adjust on the fly using the following keyboard shortcuts.
| Transparency Combinations | Description |
| CTRL + SHIFT + Plus (+) | Increase transparency. |
| CTRL + SHIFT + Minus (-) | Decrease transparency. |
| CTRL + SHIFT + (Mouse) SCROLL UP | Increase transparency. |
| CTRL + SHIFT + (Mouse) SCROLL DOWN | Decrease transparency. |
Note that to prevent “where did my console go” puzzling people, there is a minimum opacity level of a window set to 30% in Colors tab in Command Prompt properties dialog.
This also applies to PowerShell console window as well, hold down Ctrl + Shift key and then move your mouse wheel to adjust the background color transparency.
