How to close all open windows at once?

Solution 1:

All answers I could quickly find on this topic involve either the tip Molly gave or using an application (or coding it yourself). For example (I haven't tried this), Close All Windows.

Also, by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc you get the Windows Task Manager, where you can see all running applications at once (among other things), select them, and End Task them.

Solution 2:

I like to see my open windows ungrouped, but realized that this i.e. closing multiple windows at once was a problem with such a setting. A less time-taking method would be to use the command line like this :

taskkill /im explorer.exe -f

And then restart explorer using :

explorer

Caution : This will cause processes like file copying on the default Windows interface to abort.

Solution 3:

Simultaneously close all open windows:

1. While pressing the Ctrl key, successively click each of the task icons on the taskbar.
2. Right-click the last task icon, and choose Close Group.

If you only want to minimize the windows, use the 'Show Desktop' shorcut.