{"id":1405,"date":"2006-06-20T09:24:00","date_gmt":"2006-06-20T03:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:34:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T07:04:36","slug":"how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Restore the Show Desktop Icon in Windows 11, 10, 7 and XP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Missing the <strong>Show Desktop icon<\/strong>? Clicking it minimises every open window so you can reach your desktop in one go. In 2006 ours vanished from the Windows XP Quick Launch toolbar, and we rebuilt it with a tiny Show Desktop.scf file. Windows has changed a lot since then. Here is how to get Show Desktop back in Windows 11 and 10, plus the classic fix for Windows 7 and XP.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-63436\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop-icon-windows.webp\" alt=\"How to restore the Show Desktop icon in Windows\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop-icon-windows.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop-icon-windows-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop-icon-windows-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop-icon-windows-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop-icon-windows-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Press <strong>Windows key + D<\/strong> to show the desktop instantly in any version of Windows. In Windows 11, the Show Desktop button is the thin strip at the far right of the taskbar; if clicking it does nothing, right-click the taskbar, open Taskbar settings, expand Taskbar behaviors and tick <strong>Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6adad27a22830\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6adad27a22830\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Show_Desktop_in_Windows_11\" >Show Desktop in Windows 11<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Show_Desktop_in_Windows_10\" >Show Desktop in Windows 10<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Keyboard_shortcuts_to_show_the_desktop\" >Keyboard shortcuts to show the desktop<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Recreate_the_Show_Desktop_icon_in_Windows_7_and_XP\" >Recreate the Show Desktop icon in Windows 7 and XP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Make_your_own_Show_Desktop_shortcut_in_Windows_11_and_10\" >Make your own Show Desktop shortcut in Windows 11 and 10<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Using_Show_Desktop_with_a_touchpad_or_touchscreen\" >Using Show Desktop with a touchpad or touchscreen<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Why_does_Windows_D_not_work\" >Why does Windows + D not work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Where_is_Show_Desktop_in_Windows_11\" >Where is Show Desktop in Windows 11?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/how-to-add-show-desktop-icon-on-quick-launch-toolbar\/#Is_there_still_a_Quick_Launch_toolbar\" >Is there still a Quick Launch toolbar?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Show_Desktop_in_Windows_11\"><\/span>Show Desktop in Windows 11<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose <strong>Taskbar settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Scroll down and expand <strong>Taskbar behaviors<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Tick <strong>Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Now click the far bottom-right corner, just right of the clock, to show or hide the desktop.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Windows 11 no longer has a Quick Launch toolbar, so the old .scf trick cannot be pinned there. The corner button and keyboard shortcuts replace it.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Show_Desktop_in_Windows_10\"><\/span>Show Desktop in Windows 10<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Show Desktop button is the small rectangle at the far right of the taskbar. To make it preview the desktop when you hover, right-click it and tick <strong>Peek at desktop<\/strong>. If the button seems missing, check that the taskbar is not set to auto-hide in Taskbar settings.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keyboard_shortcuts_to_show_the_desktop\"><\/span>Keyboard shortcuts to show the desktop<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Shortcut<\/th>\n<th>What it does<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Windows + D<\/td>\n<td>Shows the desktop; press again to restore your windows<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Windows + M<\/td>\n<td>Minimises all windows (Windows + Shift + M restores them)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Windows + comma<\/td>\n<td>Peeks at the desktop while you hold the keys<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Windows + Home<\/td>\n<td>Minimises all windows except the active one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>More handy shortcuts: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/02\/shutdown-windows-8-shortcut\/\">shut down Windows with a shortcut<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recreate_the_Show_Desktop_icon_in_Windows_7_and_XP\"><\/span>Recreate the Show Desktop icon in Windows 7 and XP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On older Windows with a Quick Launch toolbar, you can rebuild the icon exactly as we did in 2006. A normal shortcut to the Desktop folder only opens a folder window; this special file toggles the desktop instead.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open Notepad.<\/li>\n<li>Paste these lines exactly:\n<pre><code>[Shell]\r\nCommand=2\r\nIconFile=explorer.exe,3\r\n[Taskbar]\r\nCommand=ToggleDesktop<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<li>Choose File, Save As, set &#8220;Save as type&#8221; to All files, and save it as <strong>Show Desktop.scf<\/strong> (not .txt).<\/li>\n<li>Drag the file onto the Quick Launch toolbar.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>To turn on Quick Launch in XP, right-click the taskbar, choose Toolbars and tick Quick Launch. In Windows 7, add a new toolbar pointing to <code>%AppData%\\Microsoft\\Internet Explorer\\Quick Launch<\/code>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22829\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop.png\" alt=\"Show Desktop icon on the Quick Launch toolbar\" width=\"237\" height=\"75\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop.png 237w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/show-desktop-150x47.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Make_your_own_Show_Desktop_shortcut_in_Windows_11_and_10\"><\/span>Make your own Show Desktop shortcut in Windows 11 and 10<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you really want an icon to click, save the .scf file above to your desktop or Documents folder and double-click it whenever you need it. You cannot pin .scf files directly to the Windows 11 taskbar, but you can create a normal shortcut with the target <code>explorer.exe shell:::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}<\/code>, name it Show Desktop, change its icon and pin that shortcut to the taskbar.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_Show_Desktop_with_a_touchpad_or_touchscreen\"><\/span>Using Show Desktop with a touchpad or touchscreen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On most laptops you can also swipe down with three fingers on the touchpad to show the desktop, and swipe up with three fingers to bring your windows back. You can change these gestures in Settings, then Bluetooth and devices, then Touchpad. On touchscreen PCs, tap the far right corner of the taskbar. These gestures are often quicker than reaching for the keyboard.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_does_Windows_D_not_work\"><\/span>Why does Windows + D not work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Some full-screen games and apps block it. Check that a keyboard utility or remote-desktop window is not capturing the Windows key.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_is_Show_Desktop_in_Windows_11\"><\/span>Where is Show Desktop in Windows 11?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It is the far right corner of the taskbar, after the clock and notifications. Turn it on under Taskbar behaviors if clicking does nothing.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_there_still_a_Quick_Launch_toolbar\"><\/span>Is there still a Quick Launch toolbar?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Windows 10 can still add one as a custom toolbar. Windows 11 removed custom toolbars completely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Missing the Show Desktop icon? Clicking it minimises every open window so you can reach your desktop in one go&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":63436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-1405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63437,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1405\/revisions\/63437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}