[Number6]

I am a Windows and Linux user and I just got my first Mac. (iMac G5)

Everything is going real well but there's something I can't seem to find anywhere I look.

Is there a Mac equivalent of (WindowsKey + M)? It sends *all* open windows to the taskbar in Windows.

In Mac, I want to send *all* open windows to the dock and show a blank desktop.

A friend who has a Mac told me about the F13 (I think it was F13) key which sends all open windows to the sides of the screen. But that's not what I want. I want everything sent to the dock. Is there a way to do this easily? I googled this quite a bit and didn't get much.

Any help greatly appreciated.

[nbn22385]

Try +Option+H . It hides everything.

[Number6]

That doesn't work. It leaves one window open.

[Chuckit]

I don't think there is a way to do this. What are you trying to do, aside from just send a boatload of windows to the dock?

[krisneph]

option+command click on the Finder icon

[Number6]

What are you trying to do, aside from just send a boatload of windows to the dock?

I'm just trying to send everything to that "minimize" area of the dock all at once.

Generally, I have a great number of programs and files open at once. Sometimes I need to get everything out of the way and clear it without shutting down apps.

I'm trying to mimic the "Show Desktop" button in Windows on the taskbar, if it's possible.

[krisneph]

the other thing you can do is use the show desktop feature of expose I believe it's f12

[Catfish_Man]

No, it's F11. F12 is dashboard, and F13 doesn't do anything.

[MindFad]

-Option-M (or clicking the minimize button while hold Option) will minimize every window within an application to the Dock (but not all windows visible), if that's how I understand what you're trying to do. F11 is a default Exposé function to send all windows to the side of the screen.

[PurpleGiant]

F11 actually. F11 is 'show desktop'. Even better than the Windows version, since you can hit it again when you are finished to continue working where you left off.

[nbn22385]

Originally Posted by nbn22385

Try +Option+H . It hides everything.

Edit: first click on the desktop.

[Number6]

Originally Posted by nbn22385

Edit: first click on the desktop.

Having to click on the desktop first is a pain.

And the F11 option doesn't do anything useful for me, since if I bring back one window, they *all* go back to where they were.

I simply cannot believe that this very simple thing can't be done easily in Mac!

[Superchicken]

Well part of it is that it's one of the few ideas M$ has come up with on their own I guess. So there's nothing to point to that M$ copied from on Mac OS. That said, try getting used to F9 F10 and F11 IE Exposé. If you have a multi button mouse you can assign your scroll wheel to Exposé all windows. It's what I use to navigate though the mess of windows I often have open. Also if you want to hide an app that you're working with you can hold alt/option when switching and that will hide the app you're leaving. Honestly With the fact that not everything on OS X is held on one window for an app I actually think it's better that we don't have a quick way to do this. That said hide all will only leave a window open if you're doing it from an app with an open window.

[Appleman]

Your tiltle of your thread is awful: it doesn't make it understable what you want to know or what your problem is.
Anyway, Expose seems to be your answer, although Option-Command-Clicking Finder is a good one as well.
IMHO it all comes down to getting used to how things are done: somtimes Windows procedures aren't better/worse then Mac procedures, it's more a matter of what is your habit.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Number6

I simply cannot believe that this very simple thing can't be done easily in Mac!

I honestly don't understand the utility of this. If you want the desktop, use F11. If you want a specific window, use F9. The Dock isn't meant as a place to keep all your windows.

[Number6]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

I honestly don't understand the utility of this. If you want the desktop, use F11. If you want a specific window, use F9. The Dock isn't meant as a place to keep all your windows.

Well if I use F11, all the windows go to the side, which might be OK, but when I click on one of the windows, all of them come back.

The problem with f9 is that it only seems to work on windows which are currently already on the desktop. If a window is already sent to the dock, it doesn't appear that I am able to select it via this method.

I think it all comes down to how you are used to working. I'm not used to Mac at all and there is a rather large learning curve here.

Your tiltle of your thread is awful: it doesn't make it understable what you want to know or what your problem is.

My apologies. I tried to edit it but it seems its not allowed.

[budster101]

Why hide them?

Just tab through your open aps as you need them...

Apple + Tab... continue tabbing through as you see the ap that you want to bring to the top and then release.

You can then hold and hit the Q key for quitting any open ap as you tab as well..

[danman]

It's the Apple key + M to minimize all windows.

[PurpleGiant]

Number6: It seems like you want to 'hide everything', and then switch to a specific application. In this case, try holding cmd-option when clicking on the program you want in the dock. This will show that application, and hide all others.

In a similar sense, you can use cmd-option-H to hide all apps except the one at the front. If you actually want to use the desktop, F11 is there. You should have your bases covered with at least one of those options?

[NeilCharter]

This is what you want

http://www.versiontracker.com/php/dl...esktop.dmg.sit

Works pretty well

[Number6]

Originally Posted by NeilCharter

This is what you want

http://www.versiontracker.com/php/dl...esktop.dmg.sit

Works pretty well

That's exactly it! Thanks so much! Yay!