Screen DividerHow to show the desktop on a Mac (and minimize all windows)
You want the desktop back: to grab a file, drop something on it, or just clear the clutter. macOS has several ways to sweep every window aside, and a separate set of shortcuts for minimizing and hiding. Here they all are, with which one to use when.
Checked against Apple’s Mac keyboard shortcuts page and Mac User Guide on October 22, 2026.
Show desktop on Mac: the shortcuts
These all do the same thing: slide every open window to the edges of the screen so you can see the desktop. Do the same thing again and the windows come back. From Apple’s Mac keyboard shortcuts and Mission Control guide:
| Where | Show desktop |
|---|---|
| Keyboard (most Macs) | Fn-H, or Command–Mission Control |
| Keyboard with function keys | Fn-F11 |
| Trackpad | Spread your thumb and three fingers apart (pinch them back together to return) |
| Mouse or trackpad (macOS 14 and later) | Click the wallpaper, if that setting is on (below) |
Fn-H is the easiest to remember on a recent Mac keyboard. On keyboards where the top row acts as F-keys, Fn-F11 is the classic one. You can change the shortcuts in Keyboard settings and the gesture in Trackpad settings.
Click the wallpaper to show the desktop
From macOS Sonoma (14) on, clicking an empty part of the wallpaper can also move every window aside. The setting is in System Settings › Desktop & Dock (Apple’s Desktop & Dock settings):
- On current macOS it’s called Show Desktop, under Desktop & Stage Manager: Always on Wallpaper Click, or Only in Stage Manager on Click.
- On macOS 14 it’s called Click wallpaper to reveal desktop, with Always or Only in Stage Manager.
If your windows keep jumping out of the way whenever you click the background, this is the setting to change: pick the “Only in Stage Manager” option. (More on that mode in our guide to Stage Manager on Mac.)
How to minimize all windows on a Mac
Minimizing and showing the desktop aren’t the same thing. Minimizing sends a window down into the Dock, where it stays until you click it. Apple’s shortcuts:
| Do this | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Minimize the front window to the Dock | Command-M |
| Minimize all windows of the front app | Option-Command-M |
| Hide the front app’s windows | Command-H |
| Hide every app except the front one | Option-Command-H |
Apple doesn’t list a single shortcut that minimizes every window of every app at once. The practical options are:
- To see the desktop for a moment: Fn-H (or Command–Mission Control), then the same keys to bring everything back. Nothing gets minimized, so nothing needs fishing out of the Dock later.
- To clear an app away: Option-Command-M minimizes all of its windows; Command-H hides the whole app, which is often better, because clicking its Dock icon brings every window back in place.
- To focus on one app: Option-Command-H hides everything else.
Hot corners: show the desktop with the pointer
Hot corners start an action when you push the pointer into a corner of the screen. Apple’s hot corners steps:
- Open System Settings and click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar.
- Click Hot Corners.
- For each corner, open its pop-up menu and choose an action. Apple’s examples include Notification Center, Apps and Lock Screen; look through the menu for the one you want.
- To avoid setting it off by accident, hold Command, Shift, Option or Control while you choose; then the corner only works with that key held.
- Click Done.
One thing to know: the bottom-right corner is set to Quick Note by default, which is why a note sometimes pops up when your pointer drifts down there.
Related: Mission Control and app windows
Two neighbors of “show desktop” on the same keys:
- Control-Up Arrow (or swiping up with three fingers) opens Mission Control, showing every open window at once so you can click the one you want.
- Control-Down Arrow shows all the windows of the current app. To jump straight between them, see how to switch between windows on a Mac (Command-Tab for apps, Command-` for windows).
Apple’s guide also has a neat trick: to move a file onto the desktop, start dragging it, press Command–Mission Control to sweep the windows aside, drop it, then press the keys again.
Putting the windows back where they belong
Showing the desktop is quick; rebuilding a tidy layout afterward is the slow part. macOS’s own tiling (Sequoia and later) handles halves and quarters, see how to tile windows on a Mac, and a single app can take the whole screen with the full screen shortcut. If you want the same uneven layout every time, Screen Divider lets you draw a grid once, merge cells into zones (a big main zone and a couple of side panels, say) and then drag each window into its zone to snap it to size. It’s a $12 one-time menu-bar app for macOS 13 and later. More options: how to snap windows on a Mac.
FAQ
What is the shortcut to show the desktop on a Mac?
Fn-H or Command–Mission Control on most current Mac keyboards, or Fn-F11. On a trackpad, spread your thumb and three fingers apart. Do it again to bring the windows back.
How do I minimize all windows on a Mac?
Option-Command-M minimizes all windows of the front app. Apple doesn’t list one shortcut that minimizes every app at once; to clear the screen, show the desktop with Fn-H, or hide other apps with Option-Command-H.
Why do my windows disappear when I click the desktop?
That’s the Show Desktop setting in macOS 14 and later. In System Settings › Desktop & Dock, change it from Always on Wallpaper Click to Only in Stage Manager on Click (on macOS 14: “Click wallpaper to reveal desktop” › Only in Stage Manager).
How do I set up hot corners on a Mac?
System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Hot Corners. Choose an action from each corner’s pop-up menu, optionally holding a modifier key so it only triggers with that key, then click Done.
What’s the difference between minimize and hide on a Mac?
Minimize (Command-M) sends one window into the Dock. Hide (Command-H) hides all of an app’s windows at once; clicking the app’s Dock icon brings them all back where they were.