In Windows 10, there is a small button to the right of the time and date that can quickly display the desktop. This button is called “Show desktop briefly” or “Aero peek”.
By moving the mouse over this “Show desktop briefly” button and holding it for a moment, all open windows on the desktop become transparent. By making these open windows transparent, you can temporarily display the contents on the desktop.
Below is an example before and after image. This gives you an idea of what exactly this function does.
It's a feature you usually have to enable first. You can do this in the following way.
Enable shortcut desktop in Windows 10
You enable the “show desktop briefly” function by right-clicking on the small part of the taskbar next to the time and date. Then click on “Show desktop briefly” in the menu.
If you have enabled this feature, you can briefly view the contents of the desktop by hovering and holding the mouse over this small part of the taskbar. This function is also called “Aero peek”.
If you want to disable the brief display of the desktop, change the function to “show desktop”.
Show desktop briefly option is grayed out
If you are unable to change the “show desktop briefly” feature because it is grayed out, you will need to adjust the performance settings.
In the search bar in the taskbar type: sysadm.cpl. Then click on the “Advanced” tab and then on the “Settings” button in “Performance”.
Click on custom and select the “Enable short view” option. Then click Apply and then OK.
I hope this helped you. Thank you for reading!
Also read: Make Windows 10 faster.