This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Why does Microsoft insist on giving us useless features that we cant disable without going through x hours of troubleshooting and re-programming? The current thing for me is the annoying Show Windows Desktop Button in Win 7 thats attached to the start bar and serves no practical function other than to look tacky.
For those of you who don't know this already, the same function can be achieved by pressing the windows key+d.
Personally, I find this feature to be inconvenient even for novice users due to its inconvenient location in the bottom right corner; essentially as far away from the start button as physically possible.
I'm a rather advanced user and I decided to switch back to Window$ from Ubuntu after 7 came out because of the performance improvement and support for adobe cs4. (though thats another story entirely)
I suppose the question I have is where can this little 'feature' be found in the registry so I can remove it? (or if there is an easier way to remove it i'd be interested in that as well, though Im nearly certain it doesn't exist)
Also as a side note to Microsoft: Perhaps an update to make this icon movable and removable via gui would be nice, seeing as how im sure several other people do not like it and have less experience than I do in programming and customization.
Edit: Im not interested in 'disabling' the active feature of it, I want to remove it entirely.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Hello,
Unfortunately, this is by design. However, there are 3rd party applications that would definitely accomplish the task at hand for you. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Thank you,
Aaron
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think
I have a similar issue when using my Samsung Series 7 Slate tablet PC. Often when I am viewing a fullscreen video (especially Youtube), when I go to click the fullscreen button in the bottom right, it also clicks the showdesktop button that is below it. I don't know if it is somehow registering a second click or not but it is very annoying to always be minimizing everything after exiting a fullscreen video.
Please just let us easily move it or disable it.
I am starting to dislike Win 7 due to this one 'design' flaw. I have been using windows since Win 3.1. Yes that long. Sometimes, I get in a loop where the cursor get stuck on the Show Desktop button and keeps minimizing my web browser and shows desktop to the point where I have to reboot my system. The only thing that is on my desktop is the Recycle Bin which I would pin to the task bar if I could, and remove from desktop.
This is “by design”? Really? Can you please link to a doc, tech spec, memo, or something to indicate such? I find it hard to believe that the ability to remove the Show Desktop button would be purposely and specifically omitted.
It is possible to remove all the other aspects of the Start Menu, taskbar, and notification area, including System Icons, so what possible reason would there be to intentionally prevent users from removing that one element?
Foisting this action onto third-party tools is absurd and unacceptable. Why should I have yet another process running to perform this one, small, trivial action when it could easily have been incorporated into the shell along with the ability to remove all those other elements? (And yes, it has to be an active, running process, using up memory and CPU as opposed to just an auto-run program that hides it and quits, otherwise the button would return in the event of an Explorer crash.) Besides, the only third-party tools that do this do not remove it, they only hide it, leaving behind a blank space in the tray.
This answer has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The answer was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Comments have been turned off. Learn more
