tl;dr: There is no fix and it is actually random, as I wanted to include a screenshot with this post and it refused to cooperate.
I recently switched laptops and was being irritated by would looked like a shadow overlay on the taskbar. While only a visual effect, it is really annoying because I spend so much time working with and testing apps that the visual que of “you can’t touch this right now” was niggling at my unconscious. So I ran to my tech support, Perplexity. Here’s how it went.
Why is there a shadow over the taskbar when a chromium based browser in dark mode is open
The shadow over the taskbar is the window drop shadow from the browser, and it is a known Windows 11 rendering quirk rather than something specific that you misconfigured.reddit+1
What is happening
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Windows 11 draws Fluent Design drop shadows around non-maximized app windows, including Chromium-based browsers.elevenforum+1
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In some builds, these shadows are rendered on top of the taskbar instead of behind it, so when a dark-mode browser is near the bottom of the screen, its dark shadow visually dims or “shades” the taskbar area.reddit+2
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The effect is more noticeable with dark-mode apps because the shadow blends into the dark UI and makes the taskbar look like it has a dark band or overlay above it.learn.microsoft+1
Why Chromium + dark mode makes it obvious
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Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, etc.) use standard Windows window frames, so their Fluent shadows are quite large and soft; when the window is near the taskbar, that shadow overlaps and darkens the taskbar icons.learn.microsoft
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In light mode the contrast is lower, so many users do not notice, but in dark mode the dark shadow against a dark taskbar stands out as a clear “shadow strip.”learn.microsoft
Can it be fixed or changed?
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There is no per-app toggle to stop shadows just for Chromium; the behavior comes from Windows’ global “Show shadows under windows” visual effect.majorgeeks+1
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Disabling window shadows removes the taskbar shading but also removes drop shadows everywhere:
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Press Win+R → type
sysdm.cpl→ Enter -
Advanced tab → Performance → Settings
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In Visual Effects, uncheck Show shadows under windows → OK.youtubeelevenforum+1
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Some users report this as a bug where the taskbar loses its “always-on-top” visual priority and shadows bleed over it; clicking the taskbar often temporarily restores normal appearance.reddit+3
When it will go away
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Microsoft community threads describe it as a Windows 11 taskbar/window-shadow bug, and not all builds or GPUs show it the same way.reddit+2
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Until an OS update changes how shadows are layered relative to the taskbar, the only reliable workaround is to either keep windows maximized, move them slightly away from the taskbar, or disable window shadows globally.elevenforum+3
- https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/comments/121ku7m/window_drop_shadow_appearing_over_taskbar/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/t4wxmf/drop_shadow_appearing_above_taskbar/
- https://www.elevenforum.com/t/enable-or-disable-show-shadows-under-windows-in-windows-11.8475/
- https://m.majorgeeks.com/content/page/disable_window_shadows.html
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5596717/taskbar-icons-dimmed-by-window-shadows-cumulative
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k6Tp1nYMMY
- https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/comments/1i1orkv/windows_and_drop_shadows_rendering_over_taskbar/
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/3855099/taskbar-is-dimming-shadowed-and-how-to-stop-it-fro
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4134945/taskbar-on-dark-mode-in-win-11-buggy
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P2Y97gYWfM
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXAmdJtzyA
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4110832/window-shadow-keeps-returning-in-windows-11
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfSYRfKhjL8
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/3837842/still-a-problem-on-windows-11-can-we-finally-get-r
- https://issues.chromium.org/issues/40923917
© Scott S. Nelson