Do you have window upon window upon window open on your desktop and need to quickly minimize them all? Or maybe you don’t need to minimize them, you just need to temporarily move them out of the way so you can see something that’s sitting on your desktop. This blog is for you. Windows offers simple commands that make getting to your desktop easy.
Windows XP
If you’re using Windows XP, try these steps:
- Move your curserdown to the task bar (that’s the bar at the bottom of your screen where your start button is on the left, your system tray is on the right and your open programs are in the middle).
- Right click.
- Select “Show Desktop”.
All your programs are instantly minimized. Much faster (and easier on the mouse-clicking fingers) than minimizing each individually.
Windows 7
Windows 7 not only allows you to go to your desktop, it allows you to peek at it at any time. Again, it’s pretty easy:
- You’ll see a rectangular box in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. Move your cursor to hover over it.
- As you hover over the box, all programs are temporarily minimized, allowing you to see what’s on your desktop. That’s great for taking a quick look at any desktop gadgets* you might have. When you move the mouse away from the corner, your programs reappear on your desktop.
- If you click the rectangle in the lower right-hand corner of your screen, all your programs are minimized and you are on your desktop. To bring a program back up on your desktop, you must click on it in the task bar.
*Gadgets are applications that run on your desktop. Phil, for example, has gadgets that monitor his system performance and a weather monitor – he always wants to know the weather! You might have gadgets that monitor headline news or your stock portfolio. I’m a calendar/schedule gadget kind of person myself.
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