How To Get To The Desktop Quickly

Q. I usually have a half-dozen applications open at any one time and there are times I want to clear my desktop by minimizing the apps. Sure, I can click on the little dash in the box in the upper right-hand corner of the screen for each app—one at a time—but there’s got to be a better way.

A. There is. If you have one of those new keyboards with the Windows logo button, hold it down and press the letter M. To restore the minimized windows, press Windows button+Shift+M.

If you don’t have a new keyboard with the Windows button, the mouse can do the job; right-click on an empty portion of the taskbar and from the drop-down menu choose Minimize All Windows. To restore the apps, choose Undo Minimize All. And if you’ve engaged the Active Desktop toolbar, you’ll find a Show Desktop icon that can toggle between Minimize All Windows and Restore.