Celeb Spill Daily

Home / updates

How to restore all minimized windows in Windows 7

William Harris |

Does anyone know how to restore all minimized windows in Windows 7 to their original positions?

I know I can right click the taskbar to cascade, stack, or display them side by side. I also know that some apps let you right click on their icon in the taskbar and restore all windows for that applications.

I want them back in their original positions and sizes before I hid them to see my desktop.

Is this just not possible? I've done web searches looking for the answer and nobody lists a way to restore ALL minimized windows to their ORIGINAL positions.

Anyone?

[Edited to add: After restoring one of the minimized windows. The normal hide/restore shortcuts only toggle desktop and the restored window. Not all of the minimized windows. I'm looking for a way to restore all minimized windows regardless of how many of them may have been restored individually.]

8 Answers

Shift+RightClick on the button on the taskbar, and click on "Restore all windows" or type R.  It "restores all windows".

Note: "Restore all windows" will appear as a context menu option only if "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" → "Taskbar buttons" is set either to

  • "Always combine, hide labels" or
  • "Combine when taskbar is full " and windows to restore are combined

"Restore all windows" will not appear in the context menu (replaced by "Restore" only the selected window) if "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" → "Taskbar buttons" is set either to

  • "Never Combine" or
  • "Combine when taskbar is full " and windows to restore are not combined

To open "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties":

  • Right click any empty area on the taskbar and select "Properties"     (hint: "Properties" will be at or near the bottom of the menu; the first item under "Lock the taskbar"), or
  • Right click the Windows Start Button, select "Properties", and, in the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window that opens, click the "Taskbar" tab.
2

Win+Shift+M should do the trick.

9

This question was asked three years ago, so it looks like the answer is: There isn't one.

But, if you're the scripting type, it's easy to make one:

With the WASP Powershell library, and a tiny amount of Powershell script, you can make one:

Import-Module .\WASP.dll
Select-Window | foreach { if ($_.GetIsMinimized()) { $_.Restore() } }

And to make it a hotkey, you could use AutoHotKey:

; Windows Key + Shift + M
#+M::
PowershellExe := "C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe"
PowershellCommand := " -Command ""& { "
PowershellCommand .= " Import-Module ""C:\WaspDirectory\WASP.dll""; "
PowershellCommand .= " Select-Window | foreach{ "
PowershellCommand .= " if ($_.GetIsMinimized()) { $_.Restore() } } } "" "
Run %PowershellExe% %PowershellCommand%
return
1

Maybe could sound silly, but did you try Win+D?

It should Hide and Show back all Windows in their original position.

2

Win+D, Win+Shift+M, and Right-Click in taskbar and type U

These all work to restore minimized windows on Windows 7.

1

For WASP 2.5.0.1 this is how I modernized @sam's original version to achieve the same:

PS C:\> Select-UIElement | foreach { if ($_.GetCurrentPropertyValue( [System.Windows.Automation.AutomationProperty]::LookupById( 30075 )) = "Minimized") { Invoke-Window.SetWindowVisualState -state normal -InputObject $_
}}

To install WASP, do a chocolatey install wasp. See for details.

Here is an AutoHotKey script which will restore all minimized windows when Win + Shift + M is pressed

; ### unminimize all windows
#+M::
WinGet, WindowList, List
Loop, %WindowList%
{ WinRestore, % "ahk_id " . WindowList%A_Index%
}
return

Tidytabs groups all windows and has a customisable shortcut to restore all windows from all groups to the locations you have set. It has a free version which is basically a trial, I use the paid version (I have no connection with them or any other marketing, I just like the program).

You Might Also Like