+diff --git a/config.def.h b/config.def.h
+index 1edb647..697d511 100644
+--- a/config.def.h
++++ b/config.def.h
+@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
+ /* Default settings; can be overriden by command line. */
+
+ static int topbar = 1; /* -b option; if 0, dmenu appears at bottom */
++static const unsigned int alpha = 0xf0;
+ /* -fn option overrides fonts[0]; default X11 font or font set */
+ static const char *fonts[] = {
+ "monospace:size=10"
+@@ -13,6 +14,13 @@ static const char *colors[SchemeLast][2] = {
+ [SchemeSel] = { "#eeeeee", "#005577" },
+ [SchemeOut] = { "#000000", "#00ffff" },
+ };
++
++static const unsigned int alphas[SchemeLast][2] = {
++ [SchemeNorm] = { OPAQUE, alpha },
++ [SchemeSel] = { OPAQUE, alpha },
++ [SchemeOut] = { OPAQUE, alpha },
++};
++
+ /* -l option; if nonzero, dmenu uses vertical list with given number of lines */
+ static unsigned int lines = 0;
+
+diff --git a/dmenu.c b/dmenu.c
+index 65f25ce..3e56e1a 100644
+--- a/dmenu.c
++++ b/dmenu.c
+@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
+
+ #include <X11/Xlib.h>
+ #include <X11/Xatom.h>
++#include <X11/Xproto.h>
+ #include <X11/Xutil.h>
+ #ifdef XINERAMA
+ #include <X11/extensions/Xinerama.h>
+@@ -25,6 +26,8 @@
+ #define LENGTH(X) (sizeof X / sizeof X[0])
+ #define TEXTW(X) (drw_fontset_getwidth(drw, (X)) + lrpad)
+
++#define OPAQUE 0xffU
++
+ /* enums */
+ enum { SchemeNorm, SchemeSel, SchemeOut, SchemeLast }; /* color schemes */
+
+@@ -53,10 +56,16 @@ static XIC xic;
+ static Drw *drw;
+ static Clr *scheme[SchemeLast];
+
++static int useargb = 0;
++static Visual *visual;
++static int depth;
++static Colormap cmap;
++
+ #include "config.h"
+
+ static int (*fstrncmp)(const char *, const char *, size_t) = strncmp;
+ static char *(*fstrstr)(const char *, const char *) = strstr;
++static void xinitvisual();
+
+ static void
+ appenditem(struct item *item, struct item **list, struct item **last)
+@@ -602,7 +611,7 @@ setup(void)
+ #endif
+ /* init appearance */
+ for (j = 0; j < SchemeLast; j++)
+- scheme[j] = drw_scm_create(drw, colors[j], 2);
++ scheme[j] = drw_scm_create(drw, colors[j], alphas[i], 2);
+
+ clip = XInternAtom(dpy, "CLIPBOARD", False);
+ utf8 = XInternAtom(dpy, "UTF8_STRING", False);
+@@ -640,6 +649,7 @@ setup(void)
+ x = info[i].x_org;
+ y = info[i].y_org + (topbar ? 0 : info[i].height - mh);
+ mw = info[i].width;
++
+ XFree(info);
+ } else
+ #endif
+@@ -657,11 +667,13 @@ setup(void)
+
+ /* create menu window */
+ swa.override_redirect = True;
+- swa.background_pixel = scheme[SchemeNorm][ColBg].pixel;
++ swa.background_pixel = 0;
++ swa.border_pixel = 0;
++ swa.colormap = cmap;
+ swa.event_mask = ExposureMask | KeyPressMask | VisibilityChangeMask;
+- win = XCreateWindow(dpy, parentwin, x, y, mw, mh, 0,
+- CopyFromParent, CopyFromParent, CopyFromParent,
+- CWOverrideRedirect | CWBackPixel | CWEventMask, &swa);
++ win = XCreateWindow(dpy, parentwin, x, y, mw, mh, border_width,
++ depth, CopyFromParent, visual,
++ CWOverrideRedirect | CWBackPixel | CWBorderPixel | CWColormap | CWEventMask, &swa);
+ XSetClassHint(dpy, win, &ch);
+
+
+@@ -747,7 +759,8 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
+ if (!XGetWindowAttributes(dpy, parentwin, &wa))
+ die("could not get embedding window attributes: 0x%lx",
+ parentwin);
+- drw = drw_create(dpy, screen, root, wa.width, wa.height);
++ xinitvisual();
++ drw = drw_create(dpy, screen, root, wa.width, wa.height, visual, depth, cmap);
+ if (!drw_fontset_create(drw, fonts, LENGTH(fonts)))
+ die("no fonts could be loaded.");
+ lrpad = drw->fonts->h;
+@@ -769,3 +782,40 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
+
+ return 1; /* unreachable */
+ }
++
++ void
++xinitvisual()
++{
++ XVisualInfo *infos;
++ XRenderPictFormat *fmt;
++ int nitems;
++ int i;
++
++ XVisualInfo tpl = {
++ .screen = screen,
++ .depth = 32,
++ .class = TrueColor
++ };
++ long masks = VisualScreenMask | VisualDepthMask | VisualClassMask;
++
++ infos = XGetVisualInfo(dpy, masks, &tpl, &nitems);
++ visual = NULL;
++ for(i = 0; i < nitems; i ++) {
++ fmt = XRenderFindVisualFormat(dpy, infos[i].visual);
++ if (fmt->type == PictTypeDirect && fmt->direct.alphaMask) {
++ visual = infos[i].visual;
++ depth = infos[i].depth;
++ cmap = XCreateColormap(dpy, root, visual, AllocNone);
++ useargb = 1;
++ break;
++ }
++ }
++
++ XFree(infos);
++
++ if (! visual) {
++ visual = DefaultVisual(dpy, screen);
++ depth = DefaultDepth(dpy, screen);
++ cmap = DefaultColormap(dpy, screen);
++ }
++}
+diff --git a/drw.c b/drw.c
+index 4cdbcbe..fe3aadd 100644
+--- a/drw.c
++++ b/drw.c
+@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ utf8decode(const char *c, long *u, size_t clen)
+ }
+
+ Drw *
+-drw_create(Display *dpy, int screen, Window root, unsigned int w, unsigned int h)
++drw_create(Display *dpy, int screen, Window root, unsigned int w, unsigned int h, Visual *visual, unsigned int depth, Colormap cmap)
+ {
+ Drw *drw = ecalloc(1, sizeof(Drw));
+
+@@ -70,8 +70,11 @@ drw_create(Display *dpy, int screen, Window root, unsigned int w, unsigned int h
+ drw->root = root;
+ drw->w = w;
+ drw->h = h;
+- drw->drawable = XCreatePixmap(dpy, root, w, h, DefaultDepth(dpy, screen));
+- drw->gc = XCreateGC(dpy, root, 0, NULL);
++ drw->visual = visual;
++ drw->depth = depth;
++ drw->cmap = cmap;
++ drw->drawable = XCreatePixmap(dpy, root, w, h, depth);
++ drw->gc = XCreateGC(dpy, drw->drawable, 0, NULL);
+ XSetLineAttributes(dpy, drw->gc, 1, LineSolid, CapButt, JoinMiter);
+
+ return drw;
+@@ -87,7 +90,7 @@ drw_resize(Drw *drw, unsigned int w, unsigned int h)
+ drw->h = h;
+ if (drw->drawable)
+ XFreePixmap(drw->dpy, drw->drawable);
+- drw->drawable = XCreatePixmap(drw->dpy, drw->root, w, h, DefaultDepth(drw->dpy, drw->screen));
++ drw->drawable = XCreatePixmap(drw->dpy, drw->root, w, h, drw->depth);
+ }
+
+ void
+@@ -194,21 +197,22 @@ drw_fontset_free(Fnt *font)
+ }
+
+ void
+-drw_clr_create(Drw *drw, Clr *dest, const char *clrname)
++drw_clr_create(Drw *drw, Clr *dest, const char *clrname, unsigned int alpha)
+ {
+ if (!drw || !dest || !clrname)
+ return;
+
+- if (!XftColorAllocName(drw->dpy, DefaultVisual(drw->dpy, drw->screen),
+- DefaultColormap(drw->dpy, drw->screen),
++ if (!XftColorAllocName(drw->dpy, drw->visual, drw->cmap,
+ clrname, dest))
+ die("error, cannot allocate color '%s'", clrname);
++
++ dest->pixel = (dest->pixel & 0x00ffffffU) | (alpha << 24);
+ }
+
+ /* Wrapper to create color schemes. The caller has to call free(3) on the
+ * returned color scheme when done using it. */
+ Clr *
+-drw_scm_create(Drw *drw, const char *clrnames[], size_t clrcount)
++drw_scm_create(Drw *drw, const char *clrnames[], const unsigned int alphas[], size_t clrcount)
+ {
+ size_t i;
+ Clr *ret;
+@@ -218,7 +222,7 @@ drw_scm_create(Drw *drw, const char *clrnames[], size_t clrcount)
+ return NULL;
+
+ for (i = 0; i < clrcount; i++)
+- drw_clr_create(drw, &ret[i], clrnames[i]);
++ drw_clr_create(drw, &ret[i], clrnames[i], alphas[i]);
+ return ret;
+ }
+
+@@ -274,9 +278,7 @@ drw_text(Drw *drw, int x, int y, unsigned int w, unsigned int h, unsigned int lp
+ } else {
+ XSetForeground(drw->dpy, drw->gc, drw->scheme[invert ? ColFg : ColBg].pixel);
+ XFillRectangle(drw->dpy, drw->drawable, drw->gc, x, y, w, h);
+- d = XftDrawCreate(drw->dpy, drw->drawable,
+- DefaultVisual(drw->dpy, drw->screen),
+- DefaultColormap(drw->dpy, drw->screen));
++ d = XftDrawCreate(drw->dpy, drw->drawable, drw->visual, drw->cmap);
+ x += lpad;
+ w -= lpad;
+ }
+diff --git a/drw.h b/drw.h
+index 4c67419..f6fa5cd 100644
+--- a/drw.h
++++ b/drw.h
+@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ typedef struct {
+ Display *dpy;
+ int screen;
+ Window root;
++ Visual *visual;
++ unsigned int depth;
++ Colormap cmap;
+ Drawable drawable;
+ GC gc;
+ Clr *scheme;
+@@ -27,7 +30,7 @@ typedef struct {
+ } Drw;
+
+ /* Drawable abstraction */
+-Drw *drw_create(Display *dpy, int screen, Window win, unsigned int w, unsigned int h);
++Drw *drw_create(Display *dpy, int screen, Window win, unsigned int w, unsigned int h, Visual*, unsigned int, Colormap);
+ void drw_resize(Drw *drw, unsigned int w, unsigned int h);
+ void drw_free(Drw *drw);
+
+@@ -38,8 +41,8 @@ unsigned int drw_fontset_getwidth(Drw *drw, const char *text);
+ void drw_font_getexts(Fnt *font, const char *text, unsigned int len, unsigned int *w, unsigned int *h);
+
+ /* Colorscheme abstraction */
+-void drw_clr_create(Drw *drw, Clr *dest, const char *clrname);
+-Clr *drw_scm_create(Drw *drw, const char *clrnames[], size_t clrcount);
++void drw_clr_create(Drw *drw, Clr *dest, const char *clrname, unsigned int alpha);
++Clr *drw_scm_create(Drw *drw, const char *clrnames[], const unsigned int alphas[], size_t clrcount);
+
+ /* Cursor abstraction */
+ Cur *drw_cur_create(Drw *drw, int shape);