diff --git a/source/blender/editors/screen/area.cc b/source/blender/editors/screen/area.cc
index ddfb0d36ce1..77bd2d5b572 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/screen/area.cc
+++ b/source/blender/editors/screen/area.cc
@@ -930,13 +930,41 @@ static void fullscreen_azone_init(ScrArea *area, ARegion *region)
   BLI_rcti_init(&az->rect, az->x1, az->x2, az->y1, az->y2);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Return true if the background color alpha is close to fully transparent. That is, a value of
+ * less than 50 on a [0-255] scale (rather arbitrary threshold). Assumes the region uses #TH_BACK
+ * for its background.
+ */
+static bool region_background_is_transparent(const ScrArea *area, const ARegion *region)
+{
+  /* Ensure the right theme is active, may not be the case on startup, for example. */
+  bThemeState theme_state;
+  UI_Theme_Store(&theme_state);
+  UI_SetTheme(area->spacetype, region->regiontype);
+
+  uchar back[4];
+  UI_GetThemeColor4ubv(TH_BACK, back);
+
+  UI_Theme_Restore(&theme_state);
+
+  return back[3] < 50;
+}
+
 #define AZONEPAD_EDGE (0.1f * U.widget_unit)
 #define AZONEPAD_ICON (0.45f * U.widget_unit)
-static void region_azone_edge(AZone *az, ARegion *region)
+static void region_azone_edge(const ScrArea *area, AZone *az, const ARegion *region)
 {
-  /* If region is overlapped (transparent background), move #AZone to content.
-   * Note this is an arbitrary amount that matches nicely with numbers elsewhere. */
-  int overlap_padding = (region->overlap) ? int(0.4f * U.widget_unit) : 0;
+  /* If there is no visible region background, users typically expect the #AZone to be closer to
+   * the content, so move it a bit. */
+  const int overlap_padding =
+      /* Header-like regions are usually thin and there's not much padding around them,
+       * applying an offset would make the edge overlap buttons.*/
+      (!RGN_TYPE_IS_HEADER_ANY(region->regiontype) &&
+       /* Is the region background transparent? */
+       region->overlap && region_background_is_transparent(area, region)) ?
+          /* Note that this is an arbitrary amount that matches nicely with numbers elsewhere. */
+          int(0.4f * U.widget_unit) :
+          0;
 
   switch (az->edge) {
     case AE_TOP_TO_BOTTOMRIGHT:
@@ -1053,7 +1081,7 @@ static void region_azone_edge_init(ScrArea *area,
     region_azone_tab_plus(area, az, region);
   }
   else {
-    region_azone_edge(az, region);
+    region_azone_edge(area, az, region);
   }
 }