How to Minimize All Windows in Windows 11

Do you want to know how to minimize all windows in Windows 11?

Windows 11 provides users with a sleek interface alongside easy-to-use controls, which improve productivity while enhancing the user experience. The ability to instantly minimize every open window enables users to enhance productivity.

Windows 11 offers an essential feature that allows users to minimize all their open windows simultaneously. You can use the all-window minimize feature as a quick method to reach your desktop or simplify your screen while beginning a new task.

You can close or minimize applications on Windows 11 through easy processes that require a one-click or keyboard shortcut.

So, in this guide, I’ll show you how to minimize all windows in Windows 11.

Why You Might Need to Minimize All Windows at Once

There are several reasons why users may want to minimize all open windows at once:

1. Quick Desktop Access: Quick access to desktop files and shortcuts becomes necessary from time to time. Instead of manually minimizing each window, you can use a shortcut or one click to minimize everything instantly.

2. Privacy and Security: If you are working in a shared or public space, minimizing all windows can help protect sensitive information from prying eyes.

3. Declutter the Screen: When multiple apps and software are open, your screen can become cluttered. So, minimizing all windows helps create a clean and organized workspace.

4. Improve Focus: Multiple or too many open windows (apps and software) can be distracting. So, minimizing all windows allows you to concentrate on a new task without closing applications.

5. System Performance: Having too many open applications can slow down your system. Minimizing them can free up system resources and improve performance because it allows the operating system to prioritize resources for the active applications in the foreground.

How to Minimize All Windows in Windows 11

Windows 11 provides multiple ways to minimize all windows instantly. Let’s explore these methods:

Method 1. Using the Show Desktop Feature

Windows 11 has a hidden “Show Desktop” feature that allows you to go to the desktop by minimizing all open windows quickly by using a button on the taskbar or a keyboard shortcut.

This feature allows you to quickly minimize all open windows and view the desktop with a single action. This can be useful for accessing files, shortcuts, or simply decluttering the screen.

Using Keyboard Shortcut (Windows Key + D):

1. Press Windows Key + D to instantly minimize all open windows.
2. Press Windows Key + D again to restore them.

Using the Taskbar Peek Button:

• Move your mouse to the bottom-right corner of the taskbar (next to the clock).
• Click on the small vertical line or empty space right to the vertical line to minimize all windows.
• Click it again to restore them.

If the Show Taskbar button is not showing on the taskbar, you need to enable it from the taskbar settings from the settings app.

How to Enable and Disable Show Desktop button on the Windows 11 Taskbar:

1. Right-click on the empty area of the taskbar and click on the Taskbar Settings option from the context menu.
   Alternatively, open the Settings app by pressing the Windows key + I from the keyboard and click on Personalization from the left pane. After that, from the right side, go to the Taskbar option.
2. Click on Taskbar Behavior to expand taskbar behavior settings.
3. Enable the Checkmark next to the “Select the far corner of the taskbar to show desktop”.
4. That’s it.

Method 2. Using Keyboard Shortcut (Windows Key + M):

Apart from the Show Desktop keyboard shortcut. Windows 11 also provides a keyboard shortcut Windows Key + M to minimize all windows, but unlike Win + D, it does not restore them when pressed again.

To restore the windows, you must use Windows Key + Shift + M.

How to Use It:

1. Press Win + M on your keyboard.
2. After that, all open windows will be minimized.
3. To restore the windows, press Win + Shift + M.

You can use this keyboard shortcut when you want to clear the screen without accidentally bringing back the windows.

Method 3. Using Title Bar Windows Shake (Aero Shake)

Windows 11 retains the “Aero Shake” feature, which allows you to minimize all windows except the one you’re using. It helps declutter the screen and focus on a single application without closing other programs.

By default, this feature or option is disabled. So, you need to enable this feature from the settings app.

Step 1. Enable Aero Shake in Windows 11

The steps are given below to enable the Aero Share feature:

1. Open the Settings app on your Windows 11 computer by pressing the Windows Key + I keyboard shortcut or from the Start Menu » Apps.
2. After opening the settings app, click on the System option from the left navigation pane.
3. Now click on the Multitasking option from the right side.
4. Enable or toggle on the “Title bar window shake” option.

Step 2. Minimize all Windows Except the one you’re using

1. Click on the title bar of the window you want to keep open.
2. Hold the left mouse button and shake the window quickly.
3. After that, all other windows will be minimized.
4. Shake the window again to restore them.

Video Tutorial

Method 4. Using Virtual Desktops

Instead of minimizing all windows, you can create a new virtual desktop to start fresh without closing or minimizing apps.

You can easily switch between multiple virtual desktops.

The steps are given below to use virtual desktops:

1. Press Windows Key + Tab to open Task View.
2. Click New Desktop from the bottom.
3. Switch to the new desktop for a clutter-free workspace.

You can use the Windows Key + Tab keyboard shortcut to create and switch between multiple virtual desktops.

Final Words

I hope this article helped you learn how to minimize all windows in Windows 11. Minimizing all windows in Windows 11 can improve productivity, enhance focus, and provide quick access to the desktop. Moreover, it helps to keep your desktop organized and protect your privacy when needed.

Whether you use keyboard shortcuts, the taskbar “Show Desktop” button, or the Aero Shake feature, Windows 11 offers multiple ways to do this task effortlessly.