diff --git a/miext/rootless/rootlessScreen.c b/miext/rootless/rootlessScreen.c
index 6f6ab89b4..1d8a3a21c 100644
--- a/miext/rootless/rootlessScreen.c
+++ b/miext/rootless/rootlessScreen.c
@@ -52,6 +52,30 @@
 #include "rootlessCommon.h"
 #include "rootlessWindow.h"
 
+/*
+ * Render operations use PictFormat to describe pixel layout.  Depth-24
+ * windows use PICT_x8r8g8b8, where 'x' tells pixman the high byte is
+ * padding it may freely zero.  The compositor needs this byte to be 0xFF
+ * (opaque).  Temporarily upgrading the destination format from 'x' to 'a'
+ * prevents pixman from optimizing away the alpha channel, paralleling how
+ * ROOTLESS_PROTECT_ALPHA prevents fb from doing the same for GC ops.
+ */
+
+#if ROOTLESS_PROTECT_ALPHA
+#define RL_RENDER_SAVE_FORMAT(pict)                              \
+    CARD32 _saved_format = (pict)->format;                       \
+    if ((pict)->pDrawable->type == DRAWABLE_WINDOW &&            \
+        (pict)->format == PICT_x8r8g8b8)                         \
+        (pict)->format = PICT_a8r8g8b8
+
+#define RL_RENDER_RESTORE_FORMAT(pict) \
+    (pict)->format = _saved_format
+
+#else
+#define RL_RENDER_SAVE_FORMAT(pict)
+#define RL_RENDER_RESTORE_FORMAT(pict)
+#endif
+
 extern int RootlessMiValidateTree(WindowPtr pRoot, WindowPtr pChild,
                                   VTKind kind);
 extern Bool RootlessCreateGC(GCPtr pGC);
@@ -258,8 +282,10 @@ RootlessComposite(CARD8 op, PicturePtr pSrc, PicturePtr pMask, PicturePtr pDst,
     if (dstWin && IsFramedWindow(dstWin))
         RootlessStartDrawing(dstWin);
 
+    RL_RENDER_SAVE_FORMAT(pDst);
     ps->Composite(op, pSrc, pMask, pDst,
                   xSrc, ySrc, xMask, yMask, xDst, yDst, width, height);
+    RL_RENDER_RESTORE_FORMAT(pDst);
 
     if (dstWin && IsFramedWindow(dstWin)) {
         RootlessDamageRect(dstWin, xDst, yDst, width, height);
@@ -293,7 +319,9 @@ RootlessGlyphs(CARD8 op, PicturePtr pSrc, PicturePtr pDst,
 
     //SCREEN_UNWRAP(ps, Glyphs);
     ps->Glyphs = SCREENREC(pScreen)->Glyphs;
+    RL_RENDER_SAVE_FORMAT(pDst);
     ps->Glyphs(op, pSrc, pDst, maskFormat, xSrc, ySrc, nlist, list, glyphs);
+    RL_RENDER_RESTORE_FORMAT(pDst);
     ps->Glyphs = RootlessGlyphs;
     //SCREEN_WRAP(ps, Glyphs);
 
@@ -375,7 +403,9 @@ RootlessTrapezoids(CARD8 op, PicturePtr pSrc, PicturePtr pDst,
     if (dstWin && IsFramedWindow(dstWin))
         RootlessStartDrawing(dstWin);
 
+    RL_RENDER_SAVE_FORMAT(pDst);
     ps->Trapezoids(op, pSrc, pDst, maskFormat, xSrc, ySrc, ntrap, traps);
+    RL_RENDER_RESTORE_FORMAT(pDst);
 
     if (dstWin && IsFramedWindow(dstWin) && ntrap > 0) {
         BoxRec box;
@@ -415,7 +445,9 @@ RootlessTriangles(CARD8 op, PicturePtr pSrc, PicturePtr pDst,
     if (dstWin && IsFramedWindow(dstWin))
         RootlessStartDrawing(dstWin);
 
+    RL_RENDER_SAVE_FORMAT(pDst);
     ps->Triangles(op, pSrc, pDst, maskFormat, xSrc, ySrc, ntri, tris);
+    RL_RENDER_RESTORE_FORMAT(pDst);
 
     if (dstWin && IsFramedWindow(dstWin) && ntri > 0) {
         BoxRec box;
@@ -450,7 +482,9 @@ RootlessCompositeRects(CARD8 op, PicturePtr pDst, xRenderColor *color,
     if (dstWin && IsFramedWindow(dstWin))
         RootlessStartDrawing(dstWin);
 
+    RL_RENDER_SAVE_FORMAT(pDst);
     ps->CompositeRects(op, pDst, color, nRect, rects);
+    RL_RENDER_RESTORE_FORMAT(pDst);
 
     if (dstWin && IsFramedWindow(dstWin) && nRect > 0) {
         int i;