RibbonHow to show the desktop on a Mac
Press ⌘F3 (the Mission Control key), or F11 on keyboards where the function keys work as F-keys. On a trackpad, spread your thumb and three fingers apart. On macOS 14 Sonoma and later, clicking the wallpaper also clears the windows away, which is great until you do it by accident.
Ways to show the desktop
| Method | How |
|---|---|
| Keyboard | ⌘F3, or F11 (FnF11 if your top row is set to media keys) |
| Trackpad | Spread your thumb and three fingers apart. Pinch them together to bring the windows back. |
| Click the wallpaper | macOS 14 and later; see below |
| Hot corner | System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Hot Corners…, set a corner to Desktop |
The windows aren't closed or minimized, just pushed to the edges of the screen. Do the same thing again, or click a window edge, to bring them back.
If F11 turns the volume down instead, your keys are set to media mode. Either hold Fn, or change the shortcut in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Mission Control → Show Desktop. The trackpad gesture can be turned on or off in System Settings → Trackpad → More Gestures → Show Desktop.
Stop windows vanishing when you click the wallpaper
macOS 14 Sonoma added Click wallpaper to reveal desktop, and it's on by default. Click an empty bit of desktop between windows and they all slide away.
To turn it off: System Settings → Desktop & Dock, in the Desktop & Stage Manager section, set Click wallpaper to reveal desktop to Only in Stage Manager. The keyboard shortcut and trackpad gesture keep working.
Hide or minimize windows instead
Showing the desktop is temporary. To actually clear things away:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘H | Hide the front app |
| ⌘⌥H | Hide every app except the front one |
| ⌘M | Minimize the front window to the Dock |
| ⌘⌥M | Minimize all windows of the front app |
There's no single shortcut that minimizes every window of every app. Hiding is usually better anyway: a hidden app comes back with all its windows when you click its Dock icon or ⌘Tab to it.
Why you keep needing the desktop
Most people show the desktop for one of three reasons: to grab a file, to drop something onto the desktop, or because the screen is a mess. The first two are easier with a Finder window showing the Desktop folder: in Finder, choose Go → Desktop (⌘⇧D) and leave that window open.
The third reason is the one a window manager fixes. With Ribbon, windows don't stack on top of each other; each one has its own column on a horizontal strip, and the strip scrolls. Keep a narrow Finder column on the strip and your files are always one swipe away, without sweeping everything else off screen. You can try the strip in the live demo and see pricing ($9.99 once) when you're ready.
FAQ
What's the shortcut to show the desktop on a Mac?
⌘F3, or F11 (with Fn on keyboards whose top row is set to media keys). You can change it under Keyboard Shortcuts → Mission Control → Show Desktop.
How do I stop my Mac hiding windows when I click the desktop?
Set "Click wallpaper to reveal desktop" to Only in Stage Manager, in System Settings → Desktop & Dock.
How do I minimize all windows on a Mac?
⌘⌥M minimizes every window of the front app. To clear all other apps, press ⌘⌥H to hide them.
How do I get my windows back after showing the desktop?
Repeat the shortcut or gesture, or click one of the window edges at the side of the screen.