How to show the desktop on a Mac, like Windows-D
Short answer: press Command-F3 (Command with the Mission Control key) or Fn-F11. On a trackpad, spread your thumb and three fingers apart. To choose your own shortcut, go to System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Mission Control → Show Desktop. Press the same keys again to bring the windows back.
Keyboard shortcuts
- Command-F3 on Apple keyboards, where F3 is the Mission Control key.
- Fn-F11, or F11 alone if your function keys are set to act as standard keys.
The windows slide to the edges of the screen instead of minimising. Press the shortcut again, or click one of the edges, to bring them back.
Trackpad gesture
Place your thumb and three fingers on the trackpad and spread them apart. Pinch them back together to return. Turn it on or off in System Settings → Trackpad → More Gestures → Show Desktop.
Click the wallpaper
Since macOS Sonoma, clicking the wallpaper can move every window aside. The setting is System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Click wallpaper to reveal desktop: Always does it everywhere, Only in Stage Manager limits it. Many people turn it to Stage Manager only after windows vanish by accident.
A hot corner
Open System Settings → Desktop & Dock, click Hot Corners…, and set a corner to Desktop. Push the pointer into that corner to reveal the desktop. See hot corners on a Mac for how to stop them firing by accident.
Set your own shortcut
- Open System Settings → Keyboard and click Keyboard Shortcuts….
- Choose Mission Control in the list.
- Double-click the shortcut next to Show Desktop and press the keys you want.
Hiding windows is different: Command-Option-H hides every app except the one in front, and Command-Option-M minimises all the front app's windows.
Get every Chrome profile into your Dock
Okie Dockie builds a real Dock icon for each Chrome profile you use, badged with that profile's own picture. Click one and you land back in the window it already had open.
Everything except Chrome profile icons is free forever, and the profile icons come with a 7-day free trial that starts on its own — no sign-up, no card. macOS 13+, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Frequently asked questions
What is Windows-D on a Mac?
Command-F3 or Fn-F11 shows the desktop. On a trackpad, spread your thumb and three fingers.
How do I stop windows disappearing when I click the desktop?
In System Settings, Desktop & Dock, set Click wallpaper to reveal desktop to Only in Stage Manager.
How do I change the Show Desktop shortcut on a Mac?
System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Mission Control, then Show Desktop.
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