This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the Show Desktop area on the taskbar for your account in Windows 11.
Show Desktop (Win+D) can be used to minimize and restore all of your open windows at once. The show desktop feature helps to take a quick look at what’s on your desktop behind all the open windows.
By default, you can click/tap on the far right corner of the taskbar on the main display to show the desktop and minimize all open windows, and click/tap on it again to restore all minimized windows.
Peek at desktop has been removed from the Show Desktop button in Windows 11, but you can still press and hold the Win+, (comma) keys to peek at the desktop, and release to keys to stop peeking.
Starting with Windows 11 build 22631.3155, the Copilot icon now appears on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar to make the entry point to Copilot more clear and easily accessible by being closer to where the Copilot pane opens. As part of this change, the display of Show desktop at the rightmost corner of the taskbar will be off by default.
Starting with Windows 11 build 22631.3810, Microsoft is now showing the “show desktop” button by default on the taskbar.
Disabling show desktop on the taskbar will not prevent you from using the Win+D shortcut to show desktop.
Contents
- Option One: Enable or Disable Show Desktop on Taskbar in Settings
- Option Two: Enable or Disable Show Desktop on Taskbar using REG file
- Option Three: Enable or Disable Show Desktop on Taskbar in Registry Editor
EXAMPLE: Show desktop on far corner of taskbar
1 Open Settings (WIn+I).
2 Click/tap on Personalization on the left side, and click/tap on Taskbar on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on Taskbar behaviors on the right side to expand it open. (see screenshot below step 4)
4 Check (enable) or Uncheck (disable - default) Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop for what you want on the right side under Taskbar behaviors. (see screenshot below)
5 You can now close Settings if you like.
This option will not work when Administrator protection is turned on.
1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.
2 Enable Show Desktop on Taskbar
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Enable_show_desktop_on_far_corner_of_taskbar.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"TaskbarSd"=dword:000000013 Disable Show Desktop on Taskbar
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Disable_show_desktop_on_far_corner_of_taskbar.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"TaskbarSd"=dword:000000004 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
1 Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2 Navigate to the key location below in the left pane of Registry Editor. (see screenshot below step 3)
HKEY_USERS\<SID>\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Substitute <SID> in the key path above with the actual SID for the account you want to apply this to.
For example:
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-2498639629-3946114050-4100787084-1001\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3 In the right pane of the Advanced key, double click/tap on the TaskbarSd DWORD to modify it. (see screenshot below)
4 Enter 0 (disable) or 1 (enable - default) for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
5 You can now close Registry Editor if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Last edited:
