In this article I will try to show you some methods to enable, disable and create shortcut Show Desktop button on Windows 11 taskbar.
Show Desktop (Aero Peek) is a feature available in Windows since Windows 7. Which allows you to temporarily view the desktop without having to minimize all the open windows. This button is called the Desktop button. Similar to Windows 7, windows 10 and Windows 11 has a Show Desktop button on the taskbar by default. When you click the Show Desktop button, all current windows will be minimized and you can see your desktop immediately. When on desktop, click on it again and the apps will be maximized and restored to their original order.
But the button is very tiny and doesn’t have a prominent look. There’s an easy workaround that lets you go directly to the desktop without click this area in Windows. It’s the Windows key + D shortcut, which replaces the Show Desktop button, though it goes without saying not everybody is a fan of hotkeys. Therefore you can create a “Show Desktop” shortcut on the taskbar.
Add the Show Desktop Shortcut to Windows 11 or Windows 10 Taskbar
Click on an empty space on the Windows 11 desktop, right mouse-button. And select “New”, “shortcut”.
In a new window, paste the following command into the “Type the location of the item” field:
explorer.exe shell:::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}
And Click the button “Next”.
Choose a name for the shortcut and click on Finish.
Change icon for the “Show Desktop” shortcut.
Right-click on the “Show Desktop” shortcut, and select Properties from the context menu. Select the Shortcut tab, and click the “Change icon” button.
At ‘Look for icon in this file’ box, type the following path and press Enter.
%SystemRoot%\System32\SHELL32.dll
Select a “Desktop” icon icon for your new ‘Show Desktop’ shortcut and press OK twice to exit shortcut’s properties.
Pin the “Show Desktop” shortcut to the taskbar
Now, Right-click on the shortcut on the desktop and choose the option Pin To Taskbar.
Then you will see the “Show Desktop” icon is on the taskbar. Once you click on the icon, Windows 10/11 will minimize all open windows at once and immediately show the desktop. Once you click the icon a second time, you will bring all the open windows back.
Generally, the show desktop button is pretty handy. That being said, if you are constantly clicking it accidentally, you can completely remove it.
Disable Show Desktop option
Open Windows Settings by pressing the Windows and ‘I’ key combination.
In Windows Settings, click Personalization, and select Taskbar on the right pane of your screen shown in the image below.
Select Taskbar behaviors. Uncheck the box next to Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop.
That’s all.
Published on: Apr 12, 2022-Last edited: 09-03-2024