Quickly show the desktop on Mac
Whether you need to grab a file from the desktop, check a widget, or just clear the screen for a moment, macOS gives you three fast ways to push all your windows aside without closing anything.
1. Keyboard shortcut — ⌘F3
Press ⌘ Command + F3 (Mission Control's "Show Desktop" key) to sweep all windows to the edges and reveal the desktop. Press it again to bring everything back.
On a Mac with the function key set to media/brightness controls by default, you may need ⌘Fn+F3 instead. To make F3 work without Fn: go to System Settings → Keyboard and turn on "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys."
2. Trackpad gesture — four-finger spread
On any Mac with a trackpad, spread four fingers apart on the trackpad to show the desktop. Pinch them back together to restore your windows. This gesture is on by default. If it isn't working, go to System Settings → Trackpad → More Gestures and make sure "Show Desktop" is enabled.
3. Hot Corner
Assign the "Desktop" action to a screen corner so you can trigger it by flinging the mouse there:
- Open System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Hot Corners…
- Set one corner (bottom-left is a common choice) to Desktop.
- Move your mouse to that corner to reveal the desktop.
Add an ⌥ Option modifier if you want a guard against accidental triggers — hold Option while hovering the corner for the action to fire.
About the Sonoma wallpaper-click behavior
macOS 14 Sonoma added a fourth way: clicking the wallpaper directly hides all windows. Many people find this fires accidentally. If you want to disable it, go to System Settings → Desktop & Dock and turn off "Click wallpaper to reveal desktop" — or see our dedicated guide.
Mainspring has a visual Hot Corners configurator that shows all four screen corners in one panel. Assign "Desktop" to a corner, pick a modifier-key guard, and you're done — no hunting through System Settings dialogs.
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Which method is fastest?
The trackpad gesture wins if your hands are already near the trackpad. The keyboard shortcut is fastest if your hands are on the keys. A Hot Corner is best if you use a mouse rather than a trackpad — one flick to the corner and you're done. All three bring your windows back with the same action, so there's nothing to undo.