How to Show Desktop in Windows 7 (Quick Launch Alternative)
Windows 7 has do away with Quick Launch Bar which is no longer a feature by default, and does not been shown or displayed on Windows 7 Superbar (Taskbar), although there is hack to enable Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows 7. With the removal of Quick Launch Bar, also missing is Show Desktop shortcut icon, which previously reside in Quick Launch Bar. Show Desktop allows user to quickly and instantly view the desktop by minimizing all opened windows in order to access files or shortcuts placed on desktop.
Although the Show Desktop icon which located inside the Quick Launch Bar have been made obsolete and removed from Windows 7, but the Show Desktop function is still been retained in different location and can still be used, and does exactly what Show Desktop does.
In order to quickly show desktop in Windows 7, just click on the Show Desktop bar at the far right end of the Windows Taskbar and notification area, which is next to the data and time clock (if you don’t hide the clock system icons in notification area). See illustration below for the exact location.
Other than typical Show Desktop feature, Windows 7 also has a feature called Desktop Preview, aka Aero Peek, that temporarily make all opened windows on the Windows 7 desktop transparent when user mouse over the “Show Desktop” button at the far right end of the taskbar.
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November 13th, 2009 23:48
Good tip, it can’t be identified easily. I found it by chance hovering over each icon. However, I still believe re-enabling Quick Launch is the more intuitive way to go:
1. If one has actually used Show Desktop before, then it would be expected to be in the same location: bottom left near the Start button.
2. It’s a horrible design to put two of the most used features on the opposite ends of the screen (i.e. Start button and Show Desktop).
3. If most of the common functions are left-justified (e.g. taskbar, Start button, etc.), why is that frequently used function sitting alone at the far right of the taskbar? It’s already annoying to move the mouse across the screen just to show the desktop, it’s even more so when I’m on the laptop using the touch pad.
Anyone know how to move this new button to the left OR remove it from taskbar (I don’t really like having 2 Show Desktop buttons after re-enabling Quick Launch)?
November 13th, 2009 04:27
Thank you! Thank you! I was lost w/o this!!
November 12th, 2009 18:50
[...] How to Show Desktop in Windows 7 (Quick Launch Alternative) [...]
November 10th, 2009 16:16
Thank you! I’ve been looking for the way to show the Desktop for a while!
October 31st, 2009 14:42
thanks for the tip, just googled here!
October 2nd, 2009 17:49
Great Tip, I missed that and was looking for it. Thank you!