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guides-3jkv7xdDecorations

Last Updated: 3/12/2026

Decorations

Decorations control the visual appearance of windows in Hyprland: rounding, shadows, blur, and opacity. This guide covers all decoration options for creating your ideal aesthetic.

Decoration Configuration

Decorations are configured in the decoration block:

decoration {
    rounding = 10
    rounding_power = 2
    
    active_opacity = 1.0
    inactive_opacity = 1.0
    
    shadow {
        enabled = true
        range = 4
        render_power = 3
        color = rgba(1a1a1aee)
    }
    
    blur {
        enabled = true
        size = 3
        passes = 1
        vibrancy = 0.1696
    }
}

Corner Rounding

Basic Rounding

rounding = 10  # Rounding radius in pixels

Set to 0 for sharp corners.

Rounding Power

rounding_power = 2

Controls the rounding curve. Higher values create more pronounced curves. The default 2 provides natural-looking rounded corners.

Window Opacity

Active and Inactive Opacity

active_opacity = 1.0    # Focused window (1.0 = fully opaque)
inactive_opacity = 1.0  # Unfocused windows

Values range from 0.0 (transparent) to 1.0 (opaque).

Transparency Examples

Subtle transparency for unfocused windows:

active_opacity = 1.0
inactive_opacity = 0.95

Transparent terminal:

active_opacity = 0.9
inactive_opacity = 0.85

Use with window rules to apply per-app:

windowrule {
    match:class = kitty
    opacity = 0.9
}

Shadows

Shadows add depth to windows:

shadow {
    enabled = true
    range = 4           # Shadow size
    render_power = 3    # Shadow intensity
    color = rgba(1a1a1aee)  # Shadow color
}

Shadow Properties

  • range: Shadow blur radius (higher = larger, softer shadow)
  • render_power: Shadow darkness (higher = darker)
  • color: RGBA color value

Disable Shadows

shadow {
    enabled = false
}

Custom Shadow Colors

shadow {
    enabled = true
    range = 6
    render_power = 4
    color = rgba(000000cc)  # Black shadow, 80% opacity
}

Blur

Blur creates a frosted-glass effect for transparent windows:

blur {
    enabled = true
    size = 3        # Blur radius
    passes = 1      # Blur iterations (more = stronger, slower)
    vibrancy = 0.1696  # Color vibrancy through blur
}

Blur Properties

  • size: Blur radius (higher = more blur)
  • passes: Number of blur iterations (1-3 typical, higher = performance cost)
  • vibrancy: Preserves color saturation (0.0-1.0)

Performance-Friendly Blur

blur {
    enabled = true
    size = 2
    passes = 1
    vibrancy = 0.1
}

Strong Blur Effect

blur {
    enabled = true
    size = 8
    passes = 3
    vibrancy = 0.3
}

Disable Blur

blur {
    enabled = false
}

Blur is GPU-intensive. Disable on lower-end hardware.

Complete Decoration Examples

Minimal (No Effects)

decoration {
    rounding = 0
    
    active_opacity = 1.0
    inactive_opacity = 1.0
    
    shadow {
        enabled = false
    }
    
    blur {
        enabled = false
    }
}

Modern (Subtle Effects)

decoration {
    rounding = 10
    rounding_power = 2
    
    active_opacity = 1.0
    inactive_opacity = 0.95
    
    shadow {
        enabled = true
        range = 4
        render_power = 3
        color = rgba(1a1a1aee)
    }
    
    blur {
        enabled = true
        size = 3
        passes = 1
        vibrancy = 0.1696
    }
}

Dramatic (Heavy Effects)

decoration {
    rounding = 15
    rounding_power = 3
    
    active_opacity = 0.95
    inactive_opacity = 0.85
    
    shadow {
        enabled = true
        range = 10
        render_power = 5
        color = rgba(000000dd)
    }
    
    blur {
        enabled = true
        size = 8
        passes = 3
        vibrancy = 0.3
    }
}

Per-Window Decorations

Use window rules to override decoration settings per app:

Transparent Terminal

windowrule {
    match:class = kitty
    opacity = 0.9
}

No Rounding for Specific Apps

windowrule {
    match:class = ^(firefox|chromium)$
    rounding = 0
}

Custom Border for Floating Windows

windowrule {
    match:float = true
    border_size = 3
    rounding = 15
}

Decoration Performance

Impact on Performance

  • Rounding: Minimal impact
  • Shadows: Low impact
  • Opacity: Minimal impact
  • Blur: High impact (especially with multiple passes)

Optimizing for Performance

  1. Reduce blur passes: Use 1 pass instead of 2-3
  2. Lower blur size: Use 2-3 instead of 5-8
  3. Disable blur entirely: Biggest performance gain
  4. Keep shadows moderate: range = 4, render_power = 3

Color Format

Colors use RGBA hex format:

color = rgba(RRGGBBaa)
  • RR: Red (00-ff)
  • GG: Green (00-ff)
  • BB: Blue (00-ff)
  • aa: Alpha/opacity (00-ff)

Examples:

rgba(1a1a1aee)  # Dark gray, 93% opacity
rgba(000000cc)  # Black, 80% opacity
rgba(ffffffff)  # White, 100% opacity

Testing Decorations

Live Reload

Decoration changes apply instantly when you save your config. Experiment with different values to find your preferred aesthetic.

Runtime Changes

Test decoration values with hyprctl:

hyprctl keyword decoration:rounding 15
hyprctl keyword decoration:active_opacity 0.95
hyprctl keyword decoration:blur:size 5

Changes are temporary and reset on config reload.

Decoration Tips

  1. Match your theme: Coordinate colors with your GTK/Qt theme
  2. Consider readability: Excessive transparency reduces text legibility
  3. Test on your hardware: Blur performance varies significantly
  4. Use window rules: Different decoration needs for different apps
  5. Start subtle: It’s easier to add effects than remove them

What’s Next

Configure multi-monitor setups with the Monitors guide.

AnimationsWindow Rules