How to recreate the "Show Desktop" icon on Windows
If you want to recreate the "Show Desktop" icon on Windows, the first step you need to take is to open the Block notes (which you can find in the menu Start> Windows Accessories, or in the menu Start> All Programs> Accessories, if you are using a version of Windows older than 10) and paste the following code into it.
[Shell] Command = 2 IconFile = explorer.exe, 3 [Taskbar] Command = ToggleDesktop
When done, select the item Save with name from the menu Fillet which is located at the top left. In the window that opens, set the option All files in the drop-down menu Save eat and select the folder where you want to save the new "Show Desktop" icon (for example the Windows desktop or the "Documents" folder).
Finally, type Show Desktop.scf in the field File name, pig sul sul bottone Save and the new "Show Desktop" shortcut will be saved to the location you want.
At this point, you have your icon "Show Desktop" which, if selected, shows the Windows desktop. To see it in the taskbar and always have it just a click away, however, you need to take additional steps.
To get started, right click on taskbar (the bar at the bottom of the Windows desktop) and, if present, remove the check mark from the item Lock taskbar: in this way, you will unlock the taskbar and you can add new icons to it.
At this point, right-click on the taskbar e seleciona le voci Toolbars> Links from the menu that opens: by doing so, you will enable the display of the "Links" toolbar, in which you can then place the "Show Desktop" icon.
Then go to the folder that houses the "Show Desktop" icon you created earlier, select it with the mouse and drag it to the shortcut bar.
After inserting the "Show Desktop" icon in the shortcut bar, make sure that only large icons are displayed in the toolbar in question, without any type of writing. To do this, right-click on the link bar, remove the check mark from the items Show text e Show Title and put it on the option instead View> Large Icons.
Finally, if you wish, move the shortcut bar before the standard icons in the taskbar (eg the icons of File Explorer, Edge etc.) and change the icon of the "Show Desktop" function.
To change the icon of the "Show Desktop" function, right-click on it and select the item Property from the menu that appears. In the window that opens, press the button Change icon, select the icon you want to use for the link and click the button OK to save the changes. Easier than that?
If you want, at this point, you can also activate the blocking of the taskbar again by right-clicking on the latter and putting the check mark next to the item Lock the taskbar.
When you hover the mouse cursor over the icon "Show Desktop", a written unsightly appears " - link" after the title of the latter? Then fix it like this: right click on the "Show Desktop" icon and select the item Property from the menu that appears. In the window that opens, select the tab General, just type Show Desktop in the text field at the top and presses the button OK per salvare i Cambiomenti.
Reset the Aero Peek function
Starting from Windows 7, Windows includes a practical button on the right of the taskbar (the taskbar) which, if clicked, shows the desktop, while if highlighted with the mouse cursor, it allows you to have a live preview of the desktop without closing or minimize the windows of the applications in use.
This function is called Aero Peek. If it is not available to you, then by keeping the mouse cursor stationary on the button located in the lower right corner of the screen nothing happens, do this: click with the right mouse button on the Aero Peek button and put the check mark next to the item View desktop on the menu if you press.
By doing this, the Aero Peek function will be restored and you will be able to return to the Windows desktop by simply moving the mouse cursor to the button located in the lower right corner of the screen.
Key combinations to show the desktop on Windows
You may not be aware of them, but Windows includes some keyboard shortcuts which, if used, allow you to view the desktop simply by pressing key combinations. The combinations in question are the following.
- Win + D - show the Windows desktop by hiding all currently open windows. By repeating the combination pressure, the windows become visible again.
- Win + M - hides all windows, minimizing them to the taskbar. Pressing the combination Win + Shift + M it is possible to cancel the operation and go back to seeing all the windows minimized previously.
The key Win, in case you don't know, it is the one with the Windows flag located at the bottom left of the computer keyboard. The button Shift, on the other hand, it is what is needed to make the capital letters always placed in the lower left corner of the PC keyboard.
How to show the desktop on Mac
MacOS, the Mac operating system, does not offer a "Show Desktop" icon like that of Windows, however it does allow you to quickly access your desktop via key combinations and trackpad gesture: here they are all in detail.
- cmd + f3 or fn + f11 - hides all windows at the edges of the screen showing the contents of the desktop. The same operation can also be performed with a trackpad gesture: the opening of the thumb and three other fingers.
- cmd + option + click anywhere on the desktop - show the contents of the desktop by hiding all active windows (except those of the Finder).
If the combination cmd + f3 or the combination fn + f11 does not work for you, go to System preference (the gear icon located on the macOS Dock bar), select the icon of Mission Control from the window that opens and choose the key you want to use to bring up the desktop from the drop-down menu Show Desk. By selecting F11, you can bring up the desktop by pressing the combination fn + f11.
If, on the other hand, the trackpad gesture to display the desktop does not work (opening the thumb and three other fingers), go to System preference, then in Trackpad, select the scheda Other actions and apponi il segno di spunta accanto alla voce Show Desk. Easier than that?
Another function that allows you to quickly view the macOS desktop is the one called Active corners, which must be activated in the Mission Control settings. By activating the active corners, you can set your Mac to hide all windows displayed on the desktop whenever the mouse cursor is placed in one of the four corners of the screen. Convenient, right?
To activate the Active Corners in macOS, go to System Preferences> Mission Control and click on the button Active corners which is located at the bottom left. In the window that opens, choose the corner of the screen you want to use to show the Desktop and select the option Desk from the drop-down menu corresponding to the latter. That's all.
How to recreate Show Desktop
