Keyboard shortcut for show desktop: 4 Ways to Show Your Desktop in Windows 10 & 11

6 Ways to Quickly Show the Desktop in Windows 11

Many users need to frequently access software, folder, and file shortcuts on their desktop areas in Windows 11. When you’ve got loads of windows open, minimizing them all one at a time isn’t exactly an ideal way to access your desktop.

Thankfully, you don’t have to do that every time you need to view the Windows desktop area. Here are some different ways you can quickly show Windows 11’s desktop.

1. How to Show the Desktop by Clicking the Show Desktop Button

Windows 11, like many of its predecessors, incorporates a Show desktop button on its taskbar. That button is a rather small one on the far right side of the taskbar. It’s barely noticeable, but you should see a «Show desktop» tooltip when you hover your cursor over it like in the screenshot below. Clicking that button will minimize all open windows to quickly show the desktop.

You don’t have to manually reopen windows after hiding them all with that button. Instead, click the Show desktop button a second time. Doing so will restore all the windows previously minimized.

That feature should be enabled by default in Windows 11. However, you won’t be able to press the Show desktop button if it’s not enabled. If that button doesn’t work, turn on that feature in the following steps:

Right-click somewhere on the Windows 11 taskbar to select Taskbar settings.
Click Taskbar behaviors to view further options.
Then select the Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop option.

2. How to Show the Desktop With a Custom Taskbar Shortcut

So the default Show desktop button is a little small. Would you prefer a slightly bigger alternative taskbar button for quickly showing the desktop? If yes, you can set up a bigger and better custom taskbar shortcut that quickly shows the desktop like this:

Right-click an area of your desktop where there aren’t any shortcuts and select New.
Select Shortcut on the New submenu.
Enter explorer.exe shell:::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257} inside the Type the location of item box.
Press Next to proceed to the wizard’s final step.
Erase the default explorer title and input Show desktop in the Type a name box.
Select Finish to add the Show desktop shortcut.
Right-click the Show desktop shortcut to select Show more options > Pin to taskbar.

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

Right-click the Show desktop icon and select the Properties option for that shortcut.
Click Change Icon to bring up a window from which you can select icons.
Select the icon for Windows XP’s Show desktop button shown directly below.
Click OK > Apply to add the icon.
Then select OK to close out the properties window, and pin the shortcut to the taskbar.

You can also pin a shortcut for showing the desktop to the Start menu. Bring up the classic context menu for the Show desktop shortcut. Then select the Pin to Start menu option instead of the taskbar one.

The Power User menu includes numerous handy shortcuts for opening Windows 11 tools. You can also select to show the desktop from that menu. Press the Windows key + X to view the Power User menu. Then select the Desktop option there to hide all open windows.

4. How to Show the Desktop With a Hot Corner

Hot corners is a macOS feature with which users can trigger actions by moving their cursors to screens’ corners. You can add such a feature to Windows 11 with WinXCorners. With that software installed and running, you can set a screen corner to show the desktop when you move the cursor to it.

Our guide for adding hot corners to Windows 11 provides full instructions about how to set a hot corner for showing the desktop with WinXCorners.

5. Show the Desktop With Keyboard Shortcuts

You can press a triumvirate of keyboard shortcuts to quickly show Windows 11’s desktop. The Show desktop hotkey is Win + D. Pressing the Win + D key combo will show the desktop when it’s not visible. That hotkey restores previously opened windows when the desktop area is visible.

Alternatively, you can quickly show the desktop by pressing Win + M simultaneously. Pressing that key combination minimizes all open windows. However, that keyboard shortcut doesn’t restore all windows when pressed again like the Show desktop hotkey. You’ll need to press Win + Shift + M to maximize all windows.

Win + , (comma key) is a hotkey for the Peek feature you can press to quickly view the desktop. However, that keyboard shortcut only shows the desktop for as long as you hold its keys. The software windows automatically reappear when you release that hotkey’s keys. So, you can’t access the desktop by pressing that keyboard shortcut.

6. How to Show the Desktop With Touchpad and Touch Gestures

Touch and touchpad gestures are finger swipes with which you can trigger various actions in Windows 11. You can utilize such gestures on touchscreen devices and touchpads, which are incorporated on many laptop keyboards (and some desktop PC ones). They’re most useful on 2-in-1 laptops and tablets like those from the Microsoft Surface line.

You can quickly show the desktop with one touch/touchpad gesture. To do so, swipe down your device’s screen or touchpad with your three fingers simultaneously. Then you can show all the open windows again by swiping up the screen or touchpad with three fingers.

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

All those methods enable you to show the Windows 11 desktop in a flash whenever needed. They’re certainly much more convenient ways to show the desktop than manually minimizing all open windows. So, choose whichever method for showing the desktop area in Windows 11 you like best.

Useful keyboard shortcuts

» Hardware » Keyboard »

» Tips & tricks »

» Settings » Keyboard »

» Desktop › Applications and windows »

This page provides an overview of keyboard shortcuts that can help you
use your desktop and applications more efficiently. If you cannot use a
mouse or pointing device at all, see Keyboard navigation for more
information on navigating user interfaces with only the keyboard.

Getting around the desktop

`Alt`+`F1` or the `Super` key	Switch between the Activities overview and desktop. In the overview, start typing to instantly search your applications, contacts, and documents.
`Alt`+`F2`	Pop up command window (for quickly running commands). Use the arrow keys to quickly access previously run commands.
`Super`+`Tab`	Quickly switch between windows. Hold down `Shift` for reverse order.
`Super`+`	Switch between windows from the same application, or from the selected application after `Super`+`Tab`. This shortcut uses ` on US keyboards, where the ` key is above `Tab`. On all other keyboards, the shortcut is `Super` plus the key above `Tab`.
`Alt`+`Esc`	Switch between windows in the current workspace. Hold down `Shift` for reverse order.
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Tab`	Give keyboard focus to the top bar. In the Activities overview, switch keyboard focus between the top bar, dash, windows overview, applications list, and search field. Use the arrow keys to navigate.
`Super`+`A`	Show the list of applications.
`Super`+`Page Up` and `Super`+`Page Down`	Switch between workspaces.
`Shift`+`Super`+`Page Up` and `Shift`+`Super`+`Page Down`	Move the current window to a different workspace.
`Shift`+`Super`+`←`	Move the current window one monitor to the left.
`Shift`+`Super`+`→`	Move the current window one monitor to the right.
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Delete`	Show the Power Off dialog.
`Super`+`L`	Lock the screen.
`Super`+`V`	Show the notification list. Press `Super`+`V` again or `Esc` to close.

Common editing shortcuts

`Ctrl`+`A`	Select all text or items in a list.
`Ctrl`+`X`	Cut (remove) selected text or items and place it on the clipboard.
`Ctrl`+`C`	Copy selected text or items to the clipboard.
`Ctrl`+`V`	Paste the contents of the clipboard.
`Ctrl`+`Z`	Undo the last action.

Capturing from the screen

`Prnt Scrn`	Take a screenshot.
`Alt`+`Prnt Scrn`	Take a screenshot of a window.
`Shift`+`Prnt Scrn`	Take a screenshot of an area of the screen. The pointer changes to a crosshair. Click and drag to select an area.
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`R`	Start and stop screencast recording.

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Windows keyboard shortcuts

Although the mouse is a convenient and essential tool for working in Windows, organizing your workspace with it can be tedious. Luckily, you can use many keyboard shortcuts to switch between windows, minimize them, snap, maximize, move, or resize windows.

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💚 BY TOPIC: How to create an invisible folder in Windows 10.

Windows 10 has a very handy tool often referred to as the «task switcher». It allows you to use the keyboard to quickly switch between active windows. Just press Alt + Tab at any time while working with Windows and thumbnails of all open windows will appear on the screen.

To cycle through options, press and hold Alt and press Tab until the desired window is highlighted. Release both keys and the window will be brought to the front.

You can also press Ctrl + Alt + Tab to open the task switcher. When entering such a combination, the task window remains constantly hanging even after releasing the keys. You just have to use the cursor buttons to select the desired window and press «Enter» . The switch will disappear.

A more sophisticated way to switch between windows is Task View . It takes up almost the entire screen and shows large previews of all open windows. To open Task View , press Windows + Tab .

Use the cursor keys to select the window you want to view and then press Enter . The window you selected will be brought to the front. In Task View, you can create new desktops and sort programs by them.

💚 BY TOPIC: How to automatically switch the language (layout) on the keyboard in macOS or Windows. How to minimize and maximize windows in Windows using keyboard shortcuts When minimized, the window disappears from view, while maximizing the window makes it so that it occupies the maximum possible area on the screen. You can also minimize all windows at once, allowing you to see the entire desktop.

Use the following keyboard shortcuts:

Minimize the current window: Windows + Down Arrow .

Maximize the current window to full screen : Windows + Up Arrow .

Minimize all windows : Windows + M .

Minimize all windows and show desktop : Windows + D . (This also works for windows that cannot be directly minimized.)

Minimize all windows except the currently active one : Windows + Home . Very useful when you want to focus on working with a single window.

Restore all minimized windows: Windows + Shift + M .

You can also enlarge a window without fully maximizing it. If you want to stretch the height (but not the width) of the current window to the top and bottom of the screen, press Windows + Shift + Up Arrow . Please note that this combination does not work if the window is snapped to a quarter of the screen, which we will discuss below.

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How to Snap Windows to Half or Quarter of the Windows Desktop

If you work with multiple windows and want to use keyboard shortcuts to arrange items on your screen, you’re in luck! It is easy to arrange two windows in perfect halves or four windows in quarters on the screen.

First press Alt + Tab or use the mouse to open the window required to bring the window into focus. Immediately decide how much of the screen you want to occupy this window.

You can then use the following keyboard shortcuts to arrange two windows in half:

Maximize Left: Windows + Left Arrow .

Expand Right: Windows + Right Arrow .

To arrange four windows in quarters (each will occupy 1/4 of the screen), you can use a sequence of two key combinations. These sequences assume that the window has not yet been snapped to the left or right half of the screen.

Here’s what to do:

Top left quarter: Windows + Left Arrow and then Windows + Up Arrow .

Bottom Left Quarter : Windows + Left Arrow followed by Windows + Down Arrow .

Top right quarter : Windows + Right Arrow followed by Windows + Up Arrow .

Bottom right quarter : Windows + Right Arrow followed by Windows + Down Arrow .

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Move a window exactly in Windows

You can use the keyboard to move a specific window to a desired location on the screen. First press Alt + Tab to select the window you want to move.

With the window selected, press Alt + Space to open a small menu in the top left corner. Press the cursor key Down to move to « Move » and then press «Enter».

Use the arrow keys to move the window to where you want it to end up on the screen, and then press Enter.

This trick works even if the window you want to move is hidden or off screen and you can’t find it with your mouse.

💚 BY TOPIC: Hidden folders and files in Windows 10: how to hide (show) photos, videos, documents, drives.

Moving windows between displays in Windows

If you use multiple monitors and have your desktop spread across them, you can quickly move the active window between displays. To do this, press Windows + Shift + Left Arrow or Windows + Shift + Right Arrow .

💚 RELATED: How to play music on Mac or Windows remotely from iPhone or iPad.

Windows Window Management Cheat Sheet

Here’s a handy cheat sheet based on everything we’ve covered above. Try these combinations and you’ll soon be masters of Windows windows.

Alt + Tab : Open task switcher.

Windows + Tab : Open Task View.

Windows + Down Arrow : Minimize the window.

Windows + Up Arrow : Maximize a window.

Windows + M : Minimize all windows.

Windows + D : Desktop display.

Windows + Home : Minimize all windows except the active one.

Windows + Shift + M : Restore all minimized windows.

Windows + Shift + Up Arrow : Stretch the window to the top and bottom of the screen.

Windows + Left Arrow : Maximize the window to the left side of the screen.

Windows + Right Arrow : Maximize the window to the right side of the screen.

Windows + Shift + Left Arrow or Right Arrow : Move a window from one monitor to another.

🔥 See also:

How to clear (delete) Telegram cache on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows or Mac computer.

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How to reduce the size (compress) of a video without losing quality on a Windows computer, Mac and Linux.

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Microsoft is constantly working to improve the experience in Windows 10. Find out what Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts are today and how they can make your work so much easier.

Why are keyboard shortcuts important?
With each new major update, we get new features and options. That’s how we got virtual desktops, new and improved versions of the Start menu, and the like.

While you can use a mouse or touch screen to navigate Windows 10 and all of its features, interaction can be faster if you also use keyboard shortcuts.

In this article, our goal is to show you the most useful Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts.

How to take a screenshot on a Mac: 4 ways 9
The desktop is the most common user interface in Windows, so any keyboard shortcut that makes it faster is good.

Here are some useful Windows 10 desktop keyboard shortcuts:

Windows — Opens and closes the Start menu.

Control + Escape — Also opens the start menu.

Windows + A — Opens the Action Center.

Windows + D — toggles between Show Desktop and the initial state your desktop was in. This hides or shows programs and windows from the desktop.

Windows + E — launches File Explorer.

Windows + I — opens Settings.

Windows + K — Opens the Connect panel from which you can initiate a connection with your wireless display and audio device.

Windows + L — locks your Windows 10 PC or device and puts you on the lock screen.

Windows + M — Minimizes all open windows from the desktop.

Windows + O — Locks the display orientation of a Windows 10 device. This is useful when you want your Windows 10 tablet or Surface Pro to remain in portrait or landscape mode even if you reorient your gadget.

Windows + P — Opens the project area and allows you to search for and connect to external displays and projectors.

Windows + R — launches the Run window.

Windows + X — Opens the extended menu in the lower left corner of the screen. It is also known as the WinX Menu or Start Menu for advanced users.

Windows Print Screen + — takes a screenshot and automatically saves it in the Screenshots folder. By default, it is located in the section «This PC -\u003e Pictures -\u003e Screenshots».

Windows+, — allows you to look at the desktop.

Windows + Spacebar — Switches between available input languages and keyboard layouts.

Windows + W — Opens a Windows Ink workspace where you can interact with programs like Sticky Notes, Sketchpad, or Snip & Sketch.

Windows + Pause / Break — Opens the System page in the Control Panel.

Windows +; — Opens the emoji popup from where you can insert emoji into your text.

Windows +. — Also opens an emoji popup where you can insert emoji.

Keyboard shortcuts for switching between programs in Windows 10
When you are working with many programs at the same time, the ability to quickly switch between them using the keyboard can be useful:

Alt + Tab — Pressing the Tab key repeatedly while holding the Alt key switches between open windows and applications. Release the Tab key on the window or program you want to open.

Ctrl + Alt + Tab — Displays a list of open windows and programs and keeps the list on the screen even after you release the keys. You can then navigate through open windows and programs using the arrow keys or the mouse.

Windows + Tab — Opens Task View, from where you can switch between open windows or virtual desktops. How to download videos from YOUTUBE to a computer (PC) for free
In addition to switching between programs, managing multiple program windows on the screen can be faster if done exclusively from the keyboard:

Windows + left arrow — Snaps the active window to the left half of the screen.

Windows + Right Arrow — Snaps the active window to the right half of the screen.

Windows + up arrow — magnifies the active window both vertically and horizontally.

Windows + Down Arrow — Restores or minimizes your active window.

Windows + Shift + Up Arrow — Expands the active window vertically while maintaining its width.

Windows + Shift + Down Arrow — Restores or minimizes your active window vertically while maintaining its width.

Windows + Home — Minimizes all inactive windows and restores them if you use the keyboard shortcut again.

Windows + Shift + Left Arrow — If you have multiple monitors, it moves the active window to the monitor on the left.

Windows + Shift + Right Arrow — If you have multiple monitors, it moves the active window to the monitor on the right.

Alt + Space — Displays the title bar menu of the current window. You can also access this menu by right-clicking on the title bar of the current window. The menu typically includes options for resizing the window and other application-specific options.

F11 — enable or disable full screen view of the active window. Only works for programs that support this feature, such as File Explorer and most web browsers.

Windows 10 taskbar shortcuts
The taskbar is one of the most important parts of the Windows operating system. The ability to quickly jump to or access the apps pinned to it is extremely useful:

Windows + 1, Windows 2, etc. — run the first, second, third … program pinned to the taskbar and the like. For example, Windows + 1 launches any program that is first in the list, numbered from left to right.

Windows + T — Highlights the first application on the taskbar. You can use the arrow keys to browse programs on the taskbar. Running programs also display a thumbnail above the icon when you select them.

Windows + B — When the notification area icons are set to «Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar», this key combination highlights the first program in the system tray. Use the arrow keys to browse through all the programs found in the system tray. If «Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar» is disabled, this keyboard shortcut highlights the «Show hidden icons» arrow. You can then press the Enter key to show hidden icons, or use the arrow keys to browse programs found in the system tray.

Shift + click on a program in the taskbar — Launches a new instance of the selected program. It only works for applications that support multiple instances, such as Microsoft Office or Internet browsers.

Ctrl + Shift + click on a program in the taskbar — Launches a new instance of the selected program with administrator rights. It only works for applications that support multiple instances, such as Microsoft Office or Internet browsers.

Shift + right click on a program on the taskbar — Launches a context menu for that program instead of listing recent items, pinned tasks or folders.

Hotkeys Windows 10 for games 9036 8
Windows 10 is the most gamer-friendly operating system Microsoft has ever released. Among other gaming features, Windows 10 also supports several keyboard shortcuts that gamers may find useful:

Windows + G — opens the game bar.

Windows + Alt + Print Screen — Takes a screenshot during playback.

Windows + Alt + G — Records the last 30 seconds of your gameplay (or the time frame set in game settings).

Windows + Alt + R — Starts or stops recording your gameplay.

Windows + Alt + M Turn the microphone on and off.

Windows + Alt + B — Starts or pauses your gameplay streaming on online streaming platforms.

Windows + Alt + W — Shows live webcam feed while streaming your gameplay online.

Keyboard shortcuts for virtual desktops in Windows 10
Windows 10 brought us the ability to use virtual desktops.

This is a feature that can improve your productivity. However, using a mouse is not the fastest way to control virtual desktops.

A quick way is to use the keyboard, and here are the keyboard shortcuts you can use:

Windows + Ctrl + D — creates a new virtual desktop.

Windows + Ctrl + Left Arrow — Switches to the previous virtual desktop.

Windows + Ctrl + Right Arrow — Switches to the next virtual desktop.

Windows + Ctrl + F4 Closes the current virtual desktop.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Accessibility Options in Windows 10
If you need to quickly launch Accessibility Options with Windows 10, here are the keyboard shortcuts you can use:

Windows + U — Starts the Ease of Access Center.

Windows + Control + Enter Launches Narrator.

Windows + Control + N — Opens Narrator settings.

Windows + + — Launches Magnifier and zooms in.

Windows + — — If the magnifier is open, it shrinks.

Windows + Escape — closes magnifier.