# Is there a keystroke in Windows to close all applications? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281 "2004-02-26T13:38:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/21 "2004-02-27T14:27:56Z")
Actually, to minimize all current open windows you can do two things: 1. Hit Windows+M to minimize everything. The Windows key is the one between your Ctrl and Alt key on the lower left of most keyboards. 2. If you happen to be using a mouse at the time, and don’t want to appear as if you’re rushing to shut stuff off, you can just click on the Desktop button that should be in your Quick Launch bar at the bottom of your screen. It looks like a desk mat with a pencil and paper on it. Give 'em a try! ---
**Author:** ![menudomucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@menudomucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/menudomucho)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/22 "2004-02-27T17:42:17Z")
Just make sure that your desktop wallpaper isn’t of a naked lady draped seductively over the hood of an Ford Mustang. You’d be jumping into the fire minimizing to that. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/23 "2004-02-27T22:42:12Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > Actually, to minimize all current open windows you can do two things: > > 1. Hit Windows+M to minimize everything. The Windows key is the one between your Ctrl and Alt key on the lower left of most keyboards. > > 2. If you happen to be using a mouse at the time, and don’t want to appear as if you’re rushing to shut stuff off, you can just click on the Desktop button that should be in your Quick Launch bar at the bottom of your screen. It looks like a desk mat with a pencil and paper on it. > > Give 'em a try! To minimize all your windows, you can either use WindowsKey + M (to minimize), or WindowsKey + D (to bring up the desktop by minimizing everything). Both shortcuts do the same thing, as far as I can tell. As mentioned earlier, you can also set the Taskbar properties to “Autohide” so you can’t see it unless you mouse-over the taskbar area at the bottom of the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/24 "2004-02-27T22:56:49Z")
> [@Waenara](#): > > To minimize all your windows, you can either use WindowsKey + M (to minimize), or WindowsKey + D (to bring up the desktop by minimizing everything). Both shortcuts do the same thing, as far as I can tell. AFAICT, the only minor difference is that if you have something that doesn’t usually minimize, like an error box, up, Show Desktop will minimize that too. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/25 "2004-02-27T23:24:41Z")
> [@Lagged2Death](#): > > I’ve just tried this on Win2k Pro and WinXP Pro, and it doesn’t appear to do anything. Maybe you’re running some special utility (a debugger?) to do this? You’re right - a bit of investigation reveals that the Ctrl-Alt-H thing is a feature, previously unknown to me, of a rather nifty utility called IconDesk which I always have running, and not an inherent Windows feature as I had assumed. And it is in fact reversible by Ctrl-Alt-S. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/26 "2004-02-27T23:34:53Z")
I’m pretty sure there’s not one in Windows. If there were, it probably would have been removed at the insistance of the business community long ago. It’s great that you can get freeware, and spend some time thinking about and programming whatever shutgown routine you need. But to have some kind of blanket version of that in your typical office environment is kind of like having booby traps in the file cabinets. It’s too dangerous to put in the hands of your average office worker. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/27 "2004-02-28T04:41:38Z")
In desperation, Windows Key-L will lock your machine and display the logon box. ---
**Author:** ![Boppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Boppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boppy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/28 "2004-02-28T04:58:49Z")
Here is a link to the free download [http://web.archive.org/web/20030623164614/ghostzilla.com/getit/index.html](http://web.archive.org/web/20030623164614/ghostzilla.com/getit/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![ReverseCowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@ReverseCowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReverseCowgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/29 "2004-03-01T16:42:47Z")
This is a good little utility. I like Ghostzilla, too. But for S&G’s IconDesk has got me going. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/30 "2004-03-01T18:41:39Z")
I appologize for contributing nothing to the discussion at hand, but I just had to tell \*\*ReverseCowgirl[/] that I love that screen name! ---
**Author:** ![collinsc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@collinsc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/collinsc)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281/31 "2004-03-01T19:18:26Z")
> [@Achernar](#): > > AFAICT, the only minor difference is that if you have something that doesn’t usually minimize, like an error box, up, Show Desktop will minimize that too. The difference is when you press the shortcut a second time. Windows+M will minimize everything, and Windows+D will take you to the desktop (by minimizing everything). Press Windows+D a second time though, and you will be right back where you were. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-keystroke-in-windows-to-close-all-applications/231281.md?page=1)