Q: how to minimize all windows in one entry

As far as I know it can only be done if all the windows are in the same application.

OS X Lion: Shortcuts for windows

However, you can hide all other application windows by clicking on the Desktop and then choosing Finder menu -> Hide Others (⌘ Shift H). The windows won't be minimized in the Dock but they will restore if you click on the application's icon in the Dock.

Coming from Windows world (but on MBP-R15 now), this sound really ridiculous: 4 (FOUR) things to touch in order to get to the desktop!

For the last 10 years - since Win XP - Windows has had a single click action for this: an "switch to desktop by minimizing all windows" button on the taskbar (on the very left on XP and Vista , and the very right on Win 7).

But it is not only Windows - most popular Linux GUIs have the same.

Desktop is the most natural place for any regular person to put their stuff - after all, that is where the word for the technical term is coming from, your "on top of your desk".

Apple should do a fundamental revamp on usability and productivity for Mac OS X and provide the experience they have delivered with iOS: brilliant powerfull fucntional simplicity.

You could be a little creative in how you work. Create a separate workspace that you use for only accessing the Finder's desktop (Control # sends you there in an instant), put the Desktop folder in the Dock to provide you access to anything in the folder, etc. I always laughed when my old boss using Windows would go to his clustered desktop trying to find the one icon he wanted out of several dozen because everything and anything placed an icon there when it was installed along with what he dragged there.

One Key F5 shows desktop or simply set a hot corner in Mission Control , or actually try Mission control as a window manage

The OS has a differing paradim for Window Management, AND that IS the KEY differentiator.

Use of the dektop and DRAG and DROP is far superior in OSx

I have to agree with Applentice.  Considering that Apple OS's are famous for being intuitive and requring less hoops to be jumped through, this is a klugy (but apparently the best way) to minimize all applications.

BTW, apparently all applications have the hide others command.  I find I most often want to hide all the others when using Photoshop  since PS leaves the desktop and any other applications displayed, even when PS is active.

I've also discovered that if I have several apps open, go to the hot corner to close them all, then click on the one I want in the dock, they all spring back to the desktop.  Definitely not want I want.

Instead of minimizing all windows to the Dock, you could configure keyboard shortcut for the "Show Desktop" feature under System Preferences.  This way, invoking the shortcut again will bring you back from showing desktop to your normal workflow.

There is a five finger spread gesture to do this as well.

fn+F11 works fine

just hold the four fingers on the mouse pad and scroll it up. you are done.

Actually no that is incorrect. Holding the four fingers on the mousepad and scrolling up does not show the minimise windows and show the desk top so really, you're not done! Check previous solutions, they all work except for your four finger solution.

Maz

Hi there,

I think that the fn+f11 is a half solution. Using these keys does minimise the windows by moving them outward but as soon as you select an app or a folder, the 'minimised' screens all return back.

The aim that Anotnio wants is that the screens should all be minimised - similar to hitting a global amber button.

Maz

Dears Just Press F11 Key itself, It works in Latest Apple OSX Maverick

Hi there,

Actually it doesn't!

I'm on latest OSX - F11 lowers the volume!

However, I think you have assigned your F keys as standard function keys but even so, if you press F11 or fn + F11, you do not minimise the windows - you just spread them away. As soon as you open an app, all the screens come back!

What the original poster's question is "Is there a way of minimising ALL the windows at the same time onto the dock?"

Your method doesn't do that because if you look closely, the windows are at the top and on the side AND NOT IN THE DOCK.

Maz

Here's what I want to do: I have x number of applications open, but I want to only have Finder viewable and some open space on my Desktop, so that I can drag files to and from. None of the methods above allow me to do this as far as I can see. I've tried the four-finger, F11, and hot keys method. It's like Maz K said, these methods do not work like Show Desktop in Windows. If I go to Desktop via one of the three aforementioned methods, as soon as I select Finder from the Dock, all the other apps I have open return to their original window size. True, I can drag to Desktop in my Sidebar, but because of the precision involved, it's a lot easier/faster to drag to the actual Desktop.

Hi Bioloo,

try Command+Option+H+M

this works for me like what you need.