Show Desktop

How to Create a Show Desktop Shortcut in Vista

information   Information
This will show you how to create a Show Desktop shortcut to use to switch between a open window and the desktop. You will also see how to add this back to Quick Launch.
Note   Note
You can also use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + D to use Show Desktop.

For how to create a keyboard shortcut of your own for this Show Desktop shortcut, see: How to Create a Keyboard Shortcut for a Program in Vista
Tip   Tip
How to Add Show Desktop Back to Quick Launch
1. Go to: How to Use Quick Launch in Vista
NOTE: See OPTION ONE under the How to Add or Remove Shortcuts to Quick Launchsection.

2. Move the new Show Desktop shortcut (On Desktop) from above to inside the Quick Launch folder location.


EXAMPLE: Show Desktop shortcut in Quick Launch
Show_Desktop.jpg







METHOD ONE
Download the Shortcut

1. Click on the download button below to download the Show Desktop.zip file.​
download

2. Click on Save and save the .zip file to the Desktop.​
3. Right click on the downloaded .zip file, and click on Open.​
4. Click on Allow in the UAC prompt.​
5. Extract the Show Desktop shortcut to the desktop.​
6. Right click on the extracted Show Desktop shortcut, and click on Properties. In the General tab, click on the Unblock button and on OK. (see screenshot below)​
NOTE: If you do not see a Unblock button, then the shortcut has already been unblocked and you can skip this step.​
Unblock.jpg

7. Put the shortcut where you like to use it at.​
8. When done, you can delete the downloaded .zip file if you would like to.​







METHOD TWO
Manually Create the Shortcut

1. Open the Start Menu.​
2. In the white line (Start Search) area type Notepad and press Enter.​
3. Copy and Paste this into Notepad: (See code below)​
Code:
[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT][Shell][/INDENT][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT]Command=2[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT]IconFile=shell32.dll,34[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT][Taskbar][/INDENT][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT]Command=ToggleDesktop[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT]

4. Click on File and Save As. (See screenshot below)​
Notepad.jpg

5. Change the Save as type: to All Files (*.*). (See screenshot below)​
Save As.jpg

6. Type Show Desktop.scf in the File Name: field. (See screenshot above)​
7. Click on the Browse Folders button and click on Desktop. (To save to desktop)​
8. Click on Save.​
9. Close Notepad.​
10. You now have a Show Desktop shortcut on your desktop.​
That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

  • Show Desktop.zip
    200 bytes · Views: 56,878
  • thumb_Desktop.png
    thumb_Desktop.png
    8.9 KB · Views: 430
Last edited by a moderator:
:cool: Excellent post, I could not find this anywhere else in the Internet. Super, Thanks a lot. My Quick launch got deleted by a virus scanner and this one restored my shortcuts.
 

My Computer

Your welcome Jilka007. I'm glad to hear that it was able to help you.

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Your welcome Sonofire, and welcome to Vista Forums. :party:

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
very nice load it onto "Stardock Objectdock" and it is really handy... for those who don't have i'll just post a link here, it's free, doesn't slow things down(you can tell cos i use it on my slab!!!see below for my sweet rig:cool:(sarcastic laugh)) and you can put all the shortcuts you need on it or even drag and drop files onto the icons for speedy opening! i highly reccomend it!

Stardock ObjectDock

thanks for the tutorial and enjoy!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite p300D
    CPU
    Intel Core2 Duo T9300 - Overclocked-3.0ghz
    Memory
    4gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATi HD 3650
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Truebrite XVGA - 1440x900
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 - 1200p
    Hard Drives
    2 x 320GB 7200 RPM
    Keyboard
    Laptop keyboard with a numpad!!!!!!!!!
    Internet Speed
    2mbs
    Other Info
    HDMI output, external blu-ray writer, dvd Lightscribe drive
Your welcome eejit.

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
None of this works. I don't want to click on the icon and get a "Do you want to open this file?" screen... I want to see the Desktop. I don't want the program in my taskbar, I want the working shortcut there. I make the shortcut, and same darn thing, an install screen appears, not the actual desktop. Man, how hard can it be? It'd also be nice to have the old XP icon that is more visible in colors. Thank you for any help. Ruth

Vista Home x64
 

My Computer

Hello Pastelskies, and welcome to Vista Forums.

You would just need to make sure that you do step 6 in METHOD ONE to unblock the shortcut first. Afterwards, you should not get that message anymore. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
You're most welcome Ruth. I'm happy to hear it's working for you. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
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