Learn How to Hide Windows on Mac and View the Desktop

If you’re someone who frequently works on the desktop and needs to see it quickly, or you want to hide what you’re working on to access another app, then this tutorial is for you. The good news is that it’s quite easy to hide all the windows on your Mac with just a few keystrokes. You can even hide the windows of a specific app that you are not currently using. Read on to learn about the shortcuts and tricks that will help you view your desktop on a Mac.

Shortcuts to View the Mac Desktop

You can use keyboard shortcuts on your Mac to view the desktop quickly. Here are some popular ones:

1. To reveal the desktop, press Command – Mission Control (F3 key).
2. On older Macs, press the F11 key to show the desktop, while on newer Macs, this key is usually assigned to the volume control button.
3. If you want to assign a different key to view the desktop, go to System Preferences > Mission Control or press Alt/Option with the F3 key. Here you can assign a key of your choice to view the desktop.
4. You can also assign a mouse button for this function if you like.

You can find more shortcuts to use with Mac by reading this article.

Use Hot Corners to Display the Desktop Quickly

If you prefer using a mouse instead, set up Hot Corners to display the desktop.

1. Open Mission Control preferences and click on the Hot Corners button.
2. Select a corner and choose an action such as Show Desktop from the dropdown menu.
3. Now when you move the cursor to that corner of the screen, all the windows disappear from view, letting you see the desktop.

Note that if you have multiple screens, avoid assigning Hot Corners where the two screens meet, as this will activate the function inadvertently when you try to move to the second screen.

Hide Windows for One App Only

If you want to quickly hide the windows for only one app and keep the others open, you can do so easily:

1. Select a window associated with the app you want to hide.
2. Press Command-H to hide all windows for that app.
3. To restore the windows, click on the app icon in the Dock.

With these tips and tricks, you can quickly view your desktop on Mac and switch between apps seamlessly. You can also have more control over how you view your open windows and apps. If you’re interested in learning more about Mac productivity, head to our website and check out our other tutorials.