I remember using Windows for the first time during my sophomore year in high school. It has come a long way since then! The first version of Windows I remember using (3.1) wasn’t very user-friendly. Fortunately, Microsoft is always looking for ways to make it more convenient. Today, I wanted to cover an interesting feature for users that are in the habit of having several windows open at a time.
There are a lot of great features in the later versions of Windows. Some of these features were added over the years, as Microsoft realized that their users’ behavior evolved.
One of the biggest difference between Windows users in 2019 and 1997 was that people have a lot more windows open at any given time. This can make it difficult to interact with certain features in the operating system. Windows has made things easier with the Aero Peek feature.
What is Aero Peek? Why May You Need it?
Aero Peek (or “Spy Desktop”) is a feature that has been available on the Microsoft operating system since Windows 7 and is usually enabled by default (except in Windows 8). The function allows the user to quickly view the desktop. The feature can be useful when you need to see something on the desktop, but the screen is full of open windows. When using Aero Peek, the user can see what they need without having to close or minimize any windows.
Using Aero Peek is very simple: move your mouse over the “Show desktop” button on the right side of the taskbar and all open program windows become transparent, so you can see your desktop.
If you do this and nothing happens, the feature may be disabled. To activate it, right-click on the right corner of the taskbar. In the menu that appears, click on “Spy desktop” to mark and activate the function.
Then, if you want to deactivate, you only need to repeat the process, to deselect the function.
How to speed up Aero Peek in Windows
The most common way is to press the “Windows + space” keys or place the mouse cursor on the button or the “Show desktop” area, so that all open windows are hidden in a short time. However, with the plugin, it is possible to display the desktop instantly. To do this, the option that determines the amount of time between hovering over the “Show desktop” button and displaying Aero Peek will be changed. Check it out below.
Run the Windows.html Registry Editor” class=”link-do-autolink-semantico”>Windows. To do this, press the ”Windows + R” keys simultaneously. In the window that appears, type “regedit” (without the quotes) and press Enter, or click the “OK” button. If prompted, provide the password or touch the “Yes” button to authorize execution.
With the Registry Editor open, navigate to the “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced” key;
With the “Advanced” key selected, right-click on an empty area in the right frame. In the menu that appears, click “New” and then “DWORD Value (32-bit)”;
Once the value is created, put the word “DesktopLivePreviewHoverTime” (without the quotes) in place of the default name, and press Enter to confirm.
Then double-click on the new value to be able to edit it. When the edit window appears, change the value of the “Value data” field to ”0” and then confirm by clicking on the “OK” button.
Aero Peek is a Great Function if You Have Lots of Open Windows
If you are like me, you often have a half dozen windows open at any given time. Even with modern web browsers, such as Chrome, you may still run into this issue. It can be a huge hassle to access the desktop in these situations.
Aero Peek is exactly what you need. It is a great feature that you can use to see the desktop at any time.