What keyboard shortcuts take me to the desktop if I have no Windows key?

My work has provided me with a smaller keyboard with no numpad due to musculoskeletal problems. I have one at home so I didn't think this would be an issue, however the new one has no Windows key, which I have not seen before.

The keyboard is a Logitech Logitech K380

I do a lot of programming and analysis work so I often have many windows from various software open at once across multiple screens, and I rely on the Win+D shortcut to access the desktop without closing or minimizing each window in turn. Is there any way of doing something similar on this keyboard?

(I don't have admin rights at work and can't even install new software myself, so workarounds requiring editing registry files etc. are probably not going to be possible.)

photo of keyboard


I'm pretty sure that start is the windows key on that particular keyboard, so start+d is likely going to do just what you need.


The accepted answer points out that your keyboard actually does have the WinLogo/Start key.

But if you ever get a keyboard that really doesn't have this key, there's still a way to make such a shortcut.

As suggested here, create a file named Show Desktop.scf (make sure the filename extension is indeed .scf) with the following contents:

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Then you can create a shortcut to this file via Right Mouse Click on the file → Send to → Desktop (create shortcut). Then open the shortcut's file properties (Right click → Properties), and on the Shortcut tab give it a Shortcut key by clicking in this field and performing the key combo you want.

I've tested this approach with Ctrl+Alt+D, and it works. One issue though is that the shortcut appears to trigger only after a delay of about two seconds. This is a known problem (with a (weak, but) solution)


If you really don't have the "Windows" key, you can use the "shake the window" technique: grab a window by its title-bar and move it back-and-forth quickly. This will minimize all other windows. Then minimize (or close) the window you shaked.

This is called "aero shake".

To reverse the effect: just shake the same window again (noted by the user IMSoP)! You can even minimise and then restore that window, then shake it, and the other windows will return to their previous state. Restoring any other window will lose the memory of which windows the shake should restore, as it does with Win+D.