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Restore & Recreate “Show Desktop” Icon on Quick Launch Toolbar
June 20th, 2006I use the handy Quick Launch toolbar on my windows lower navigation bar to quickly open programs that I use very often. It has quick launch shortcuts to notepad, firefox, messenger, media player etc… and my favourite and most useful shortcut is “Show Desktop”.
Clicking on the “Show Desktop” icon minimizes all open windows to show you the desktop. For some unknown reason, the Show desktop icon disappeared from my Quick Launch toolbar. I realized this is not like any other simple shortcut to a program. Of course I found a keyboard shortcut – pressing Windows key + M does the same job of minimizing all windows too.
In case you do not have a Quick Launch toolbar. Right click on the lower navigation bar, select Toolbars, check Quick Launch and the Toolbar should appear beside your start button. Drag and drop as many quick launch softwares as you want. Easily drag them to realign the order. Limit the length of the toobar by right click and selecting “Lock the Taskbar”.
I created a shortcut to “C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop” on my desktop and dragged it to the quick launch toolbar. The same icon appeared. But when I clicked on it opened a new window showing the desktop contents. I could tweak the settings in Properties such that it opened minimized. But that is not what I wanted.
Then I found this Microsoft support article and which instructed on how to recreate the Show Desktop icon. And here are the simple steps.
1. Open Notepad
2. Copy and Paste this exactly (in multiple lines)
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
3. Save the file on Desktop as Show Desktop.scf (not with a .txt extension)
4. Drag the file to the Quick Launch toolbar
Click the Show Desktop Icon and it works!
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“Windows + D” can also be used to hide/show all windows on desktop.
Windows Key + M minimizes all windows, but Windows Key + D actually does the same thing as hitting that shortcut.
An article on “How to Add Show Desktop Icon on Quick Launch Toolbar” helped me a lot.
Thank you!
work for me
Worked…thanks!!!!
it works… thanx for the tips..
ur my god
That totally worked for me. Thanks alot!
Exactly what I was looking for. Not having this icon was driving me crazy!!
Thanks!
Bonnie
Thanks for this how to file, it saved me a bit of mental anguish trying to figure out how to restore it. Thanks.
I am so glad I found this article, my QL button vanished and it irritated the hell out of me.
Thank you for the simple shortcut of Windows Key + M. Why the microsoft website couldn’t bring itself to offer this simple solution will always puzzle me. We should all be thankful for technical savy people who are actually interested in helping those of us technically challenged.
Worked Fine
show desktop item helped me a lot..
thanks.. its very useful..
OMG! Thank you so much. I feel like a genius and now my favorite icon is back!
you can use this also :
start/run :
regsvr32 /n /i:U shell32
My first icon is, in quick launch, Internet Explorer and it also disappears and soon coming back and soon also disappers. Also disappears the second icon, when first is already dissapeared.
This have to be some windows problem, not just “show desktop” problem and how to solve this problem.
Hey, thanks a million for the code above. I lost my shortcut somehow and couldn’t find it in the system.
Thank you so much! I looked all over Windows Help to try to figure this out and finally gave up. Found your article through Google search – worked like a charm.
I tried all of above and the icon is back in Q/L. However it just did not work. This link fixed it. Took awhile to find it http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm. This fixes the Registry entry
It really helped me.
Thank u.
Yippee. It worked.
Bansty, loved your way of doing it!
Thanks :)
THANKYOU!!!! i have been going nuts trying to figure out how to restore that thing….your article was easy to understand..AND IT WORKED!
thanks alot.
thanks a lot this helped me out :)
Hi- your article was the first I found in google when searching for “my show desktop icon has disappeared” so I gather you’re very popular- cos you work!
Thanks.
Instead of dropping more clutter on your desktop, save this to C:/ and then link it from there.
Thanks for the tip though man, worked like a charm!
That was awesome,, like magic.. thanx man
Hey,
You really made my day. I’m a techie but still couldn’t figure out how to get the icon back to my QL bar. I followed your steps and it worked.
Thanks a lot!
harsha.
It worked! Thanks.
helpful website
Many thanks :)
Thanks pal – worked a treat
Many thanks; had somehow lost quicklaunch icons and now retored thanks to your simple right click instructions.
Spot on
Hey! Really helped me out.. was feeling lost without that short cut! thank u so much!! :)
The repository for the “Quick Launch Taskbar” is : “C:\Documents and Settings\[your_username]\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch”.
So Cut & Paste the file “Show Desktop.scf” there if you want. No link needed.
very much helpful information.thanks a lot to you.
This was exactly what I was looking for! Thanks so much for this.
Thanks heaps – nice and simple help! Great work!
Thanx mate ;) Appreciated info’s and very usefull.
That certainly helped. Thanks a lot!! :)
thanks, really it was helpful :)
lovely just lovely i like it thanks
Excellent article. It works for me :)
Whow! works like a charm, thanks for the tip!!
i have check times without a number but my quicklaunch isnt coming up in the taskbar if i go to taskbar and startup and click it,it will select when i click apply too but when i click ok and go back to the properties it is uncheck again. am so mad in need of this cos the quicklaunch does more than enough for me.how can i make it work again,how can i make the arrow sign reappear on my taskbar am in trouble pls help.
Thank you. easy, concise. exactly what i needed
Thank you very much… I try to find the way for a long time
Thanks a lot :-)
:O :O
Thank you soooo much! I can finallly be at peace hehe
These tips are really helpful. Thanks a Lot
Click the start Button and choose run
just copy this and paste in that combo box and press ok button:
regsvr32 /n /i:U shell32
Now you could c the Desktop icon reappearing on quick launch bar !
It works! Thanks a lot
Hi,
It was a lovely article….Thank you very much…
Though, I knew that “Windows + D” can also be used to hide/show all windows on desktop, But I love my “Quick Lunch Icons” as they are quite handy…among them “Show Desktop” is my darling one….
Your trick worked for me….And I got back my icon back in its place……
Thanks again…
Useful. But it isn’t a complete solution. Taskbar icon stops working if you delete the file you created. Registry tweak would have been a better solution. Thanks for the post.
i always wanted this… 10x mate
Very useful n Interesting article..
Good Work… :)
thank you very much!!!
Fantastic…what grief when I lost the “Show Desktop” Icon…and now it has very simply been restored, thanks.
Thank you so much. I accidently deleted my shortcut and could not find how to get it back. The keyboard shourtcut was cumbersome. I live by my “show desktop” icon. Thank you for helping me get it back!
Thank you so much! My computer at work was replaced, and it didn’t have any icons in the Quick Launch bar any more. Now I do again!
woow, thank you soo much. i was desperate because i didnt know how to bring the ‘’show desktop” to my lower toolbar. kiss you, many thanks. :)
Just to comment On what Ian said earlier . . . make sure that you can view hidden files, as Application data is a hidden file . . CP> folder options> view> show hidden files…
Great article!
Cheers..:P
PERFECT! Thank you for this help!! :)
I found that I had to do this also, I had the icon but it was not working:
Go to My Computer->Tools->Folder Options->File Types
click New
type “SCF” (no quotes)
Click Advanced
For @ssociated File Type type “Windows Explorer Command” (no quotes)
Thank you so much. Saved my freaking life!
Great, this worked instantly!
Magic, it worked, cheers mate :-)
Thank you very much. You saved my life!!
Thanks man. It is exactly the explanation I was looking for!
Awesome! Exactly what I was looking for.
Thanks. It worked!
THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU…
I’ve spent all day trying to get it sorted… Why didn’t I think to search the Web earlier in the day!!!
Exactly what I was looking for :)
its majic wow worked
Very very helpful article. thanx man.
Thanks Mate …. no idea how I deleted it and couldnt get it back!!!! Thanks a bunch …. LEGEND
Thank you for your post !!!
T
Great, this help me a lot. Thanks.
really useful, thanks
Thanks…..
I really works…….
Thank you…….
Cooool, I am glad that the icon is back !!!
thanks, worked very well!
You save me a lot of frustration. Nice one!
Thanks heaps dude. works a treat
Worked perfectly! Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for the nice trick. It worked great
great…
but it works only if the created icon remains on the desktop forever…anyway thanks
Thank you so much perfect instructions.
Thanks bro..