Microsoft Is Testing an Aero-Like Acrylic Effect for Windows 11

In Windows 8 and its successor Windows 10, Microsoft dropped support for rounded corners and Aero Glass in favor of a flatter and more neutral colored user interface. And as we've seen, Windows 11 has brought back support for rounded corners and is applying this new style to many of its redesigned applications. Microsoft's visual style improvements don't stop there, and now it looks like the next major design update will have a slight resemblance to the Aero clear glass effect of the Windows 7 era.

The classic transparent title bar is back

Windows 11 introduces a new mica material, but the implementation of this effect is up to the developers, so we only have the mica effect in some applications, and the rest of the application windows are simple designs.

And according to the Windows Run screenshot that were accidentally revealed during the Windows Developer Program webcast in January, Microsoft seems to be returning to the Windows Aero style used in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, which gave the title bar of application windows a translucent look with an Acrylic effect.

Mica is an opaque effect that works on application windows, title bars and even backgrounds. Acrylic, on the other hand, is a fancy, more resource-intensive effect that shows the desktop wallpaper and other windows behind the active application. It is speculated that Microsoft is likely to use the acrylic effect for the title bar of all Win32 applications, while reserving the mica effect for windows.

Sun Valley 2 may introduce this interface update

Microsoft is planning to make this change as part of the next Windows 11 preview, which will be delivered to insiders as early as next week. However, it's unclear when Microsoft will bring this little interface update to Windows 11 users. It is reported that version 22H2 of Windows 11, also known as Sun Valley 2, may reintroduce this look for the title bar of applications.