10 super fast ways to “Show desktop” for Windows

When working on a Windows computer, users sometimes have to return to the screen to launch another program from the shortcuts on the desktop while editing documents or doing other tasks. Many people do not know how to quickly show the desktop screen but have to minimize each window one by one. This method is very time-consuming and frustrating for users. Therefore, this article will introduce to you five ways to " show desktop " super fast in Windows.

Note: Some of these methods may not work in earlier versions of Windows, but they have been tested on Windows 7 , Windows 8.1 , Windows 10 , and Windows 11.

Table of Contents

• Method 1: Display the Show Desktop button on the Taskbar
• Method 2: Shortcut key Win + D
• Method 3: Hotkey Win + Space
• Method 4: Hotkey Win + M
• Method 5: Shortcut Alt + Tab
• Method 6: Show desktop by right-clicking on the taskbar
• Method 7: Show desktop using custom Taskbar shortcut
• Method 8: Show desktop using touch gestures/touchpad (Windows 11)
• Method 9: Show desktop using Power User menu (Windows 11)
• Method 10: Show desktop using Hot corners
• Some frequently asked questions

Method 1: Display the Show Desktop button on the Taskbar

The Taskbar provides another way to switch to the desktop. First, right-click an empty area on the Taskbar to open the context menu. Then, click Show the desktop .

All open windows are minimized and you can see the desktop. To restore the application windows you were using, open the Taskbar menu again by right-clicking on it. Then, click the Show open windows option .

TIP : Except for the Minimize All shortcut in the following section, all of the other methods can be combined to quickly switch between your desktop and your open windows. For example, click the Show Desktop button on the far right of the Taskbar to display the Windows desktop, then use the Windows + D shortcut to bring your active application windows back to the screen.

If you just want to check something on your desktop without minimizing all your open windows, you can use Peek at Desktop . This option allows you to hide the content on your desktop without having to click anything. The easiest way to enable it is to right-click the Show desktop button at the bottom of the Taskbar. Clicking Peek at desktop  will turn on the option and add a check mark next to it.

Once the option is enabled, you can hover your mouse pointer over the Show desktop button at the end of the Taskbar to display the desktop. Moving your mouse pointer out of the area will take you back to the open window to continue your work.

Alternatively, you can also enable Peek at the Desktop from the Settings app. Right-click on the Taskbar to access its menu, then click Taskbar settings .

Then, turn on the toggle next to the "Use Peek to preview the desktop when you move your mouse to the Show desktop button at the end of the taskbar" option .

To disable this option, uncheck Peek at desktop from the Show desktop button menu or turn off the toggle from Taskbar settings .

Method 2: Shortcut key Win + D

This shortcut performs the same function as the Show Desktop button mentioned above. Pressing this shortcut once will show the Windows desktop, pressing it again will restore all windows as before.

• All the little-known computer shortcuts

Method 3: Hotkey Win + Space

This shortcut key combination simply displays the desktop preview window, just like moving the mouse over the Desktop Peek button in the Taskbar as mentioned above.

Method 4: Hotkey Win + M

This shortcut will minimize all open windows to show the desktop. However, you cannot press this key combination to restore all minimized windows, you need to open each window one by one.

Method 5: Shortcut Alt + Tab

This is a well-known shortcut and is used to switch between open windows. Since the computer screen is also a window, you can use this shortcut to switch to the desktop screen.

Method 6: Show desktop by right-clicking on Taskbar

You can also quickly show the desktop by right-clicking on the Taskbar. When a menu appears, select Show The Desktop .

As with the above methods, all application windows will be temporarily hidden. To bring them back, right-click on the Taskbar again. This time, select Show Open Windows and the application windows will return to their original state.

There are different ways to “show the desktop” in Windows, some using the mouse, others using keyboard shortcuts. Choose the way that is most convenient for you.

Method 7: Show desktop using custom Taskbar shortcut

The default Show desktop button is a bit small. Would you like a slightly larger alternative Taskbar button to quickly show your desktop? If so, you can set up a bigger and better custom Taskbar shortcut to quickly show your desktop like this:

1. Right-click an area on the desktop where there are no shortcuts and select New.

2. Select Shortcut on the New submenu .

3. Enter explorer.exe shell:::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257} inside the Type the location of item box .

4. Click Next to continue to the final step of the wizard.

5. Delete the default explorer title and type Show desktop in the Type a name box .

6. Select Finish to add the Show desktop shortcut.

7. Right-click the Show desktop shortcut to select Show more options > Pin to taskbar .

Now, you can click the larger Show desktop button to hide all open windows. The shortcut will have a default folder library icon that matches the File Explorer button. So, you should change the icon for the Show desktop shortcut before pinning it to the Taskbar. Here’s how you can add a different icon to that shortcut:

1. Right-click on the Show desktop icon and select the Properties option for that shortcut.

2. Click Change Icon to display a window from which you can select icons.

3. Select the icon for the Windows XP Show desktop button shown just below.

4. Click OK > Apply to add the icon.

5. Then, select OK to close the properties window and pin the shortcut to the Taskbar.

You can also pin a shortcut to show the desktop to the Start menu. Show the classic context menu for the Show desktop shortcut . Then, select the Pin to Start menu option instead of the Taskbar option.

Method 8: Show desktop using touch gestures/touchpad (Windows 11)

Touch and touchpad gestures are finger swipes that you can use to perform different actions in Windows 11. You can use these gestures on touchscreen devices and the touchpads that are built into many laptop keyboards (and some desktop keyboards) are included. They're most useful on laptops and 2-in-1 tablets like those from the Microsoft Surface line.

You can quickly show the desktop with a touch/touchpad gesture. To do so, swipe down on your device's screen or touchpad with three fingers at the same time. You can then show all open windows again by swiping up on your screen or touchpad with three fingers.

Note that touch/touchpad gestures need to be enabled in Windows 11 for you to use them. You can enable and configure gestures from the Touchpad and Touch section of the Settings app, as outlined on Microsoft’s “Touch gestures for Windows” page . Our guide to touchpad gestures in Windows 11 also includes details on how to enable touchpad gestures.

Method 9: Show desktop using Power User menu (Windows 11)

The Power User menu can also be called the Power User Task menu, Win + X menu, WinX menu, Power User Hotkey, Windows Tools menu. It is a pop-up menu that contains shortcuts to commonly used tools, providing users with a convenient way to access programs and save a lot of time. And it first appeared in Windows 8 and continues to be present in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Power User menu is available by default (no download required) in Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows 8. You can refer to: How to access the Power User menu on Windows 11 for more details.

The Power User menu includes a number of handy shortcuts to open Windows 11 tools. You can also choose to show the desktop from that menu. Press Windows key + X to see the Power User menu. Then select the Desktop option there to hide all open windows.

Method 10: Show desktop using Hot corners

Hot corners is a macOS feature that allows users to trigger actions by moving their cursor to the corners of the screen. You can add such a feature to Windows 11/10 using WinXCorners. With the software installed and running, you can set a corner of the screen to show the desktop when you move your cursor there.

Using this WinXCorners tool, you can also set any of the four corners of the Windows screen to open the Action Center, launch Task View (to preview all opened windows), hide background apps and show only the foreground or active window, turn off the screen, launch Screen Saver or turn off the laptop screen. You just need to configure this tool once and move the mouse cursor to any corner of the screen. The action you set will be activated immediately.

The specific steps are as follows:

1. Open the WinXCorners website and click on the WinXCorners 1.2b download link on that website.

2. Open the 7-Zip decompression utility.

3. Select the WinXCorners_1.2b archive in 7-Zip.

4. Click Extract to display the window shown just below.

5. Press the ellipse button.

6. Select a folder to put the extracted WinXCorners_1.2b folder into and press OK to select.

7. Click OK in the Extract window .

8. Open the extracted WinXCorners_1.2b folder.

9. Double-click WinXCorners.exe to run the software.

10. If the software is disabled, click the Temporarily disabled toggle switch in WinXCorners to enable hot corners.

While the application is running, you can select the actions in the corners of the screen by clicking on the drop-down menu to select the desired options. You can assign most of the available default actions to the 4 corners. In this case Desktop to display the desktop.

From this point on, moving the cursor to the set corner will trigger any show desktop action you have assigned to it, as long as WinXCorners is running in the background. To configure WinXCorners to start automatically at boot, right-click its system tray icon and select Start with Windows .

Note : This tool does not support multiple monitors. So you should only use it on a single screen device.

Some frequently asked questions

1. What is the shortcut key to show desktop in Windows?

The shortcut key to quickly display the desktop in Windows is Windows key + D .

2. Is the Show Desktop button enabled by default in Windows 11?

Yes, the Show desktop button is usually enabled by default in Windows 11.

3. How to quickly show the desktop screen in Windows?

Click the Show desktop button at the right end of the Taskbar to quickly display the desktop in Windows.

4. Does Windows 10 have a Show Desktop button?

Yes, Windows 10 operating system has Show desktop button.

5. How to enable Show Desktop button in Windows 11?

a) Right-click on any empty space on the Windows 11 Taskbar, then select Taskbar settings.
b) Then, select Taskbar behaviors in the right pane of the Settings window.
c) Finally, check the Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop box under Taskbar behaviors .

All of the above methods allow you to show the Windows desktop at a glance whenever you need it. They are definitely much more convenient ways to show your desktop than manually minimizing all your open windows. So feel free to choose whichever method you like best.

See also:

• Restore Show Desktop Icon in Windows 7