Suppose I have any random application maximized, such as Vivaldi or Krita.
Then I click the “show desktop” icon in the bottom-right. Now the desktop is shown.
Now I double-click a folder on the desktop so that Dolphin opens. Except it also brings back (un-minimizes) the previously used application, now covering the desktop, with Dolphin on top of this. I obviously expect only Dolphin to appear when I double-click the folder on the desktop.
Why does this happen? Surely it must be a bug?
How do I make it stop?
Update: And it also often un-minimizes all running applications rather than just the last one used. And it also happens when opening other programs from the desktop, such as double-clicking an image which opens XnView. It’s driving me nuts.
That’s “show desktop”. What you’re probably looking for is “minimize all”. You can enable that in system settings>window management> kwin scripts. It comes with meta+shift+d. I believe there’s no icon/button for it but you can enable it as a hot corner/screenedge. If you’re on x11 you could make a desktop application for it with xdotool and use that instead of the “show desktop” icon ( or: https://www.pling.com/p/1084933). Furthermore, there’s a script called Shake which enables you to minimize all windows but the active one. You could have something similar using an xdotool script ( without the shaking part).
For example, using an xdotool command on x11:
I hope I’m not sounding rude now (which I’m frequently accused of), but while your reply led me to the solution, it was very confusing.
You made me realize that KDE Plasma makes a distinction between “peek at desktop” and “minimize all”, but simply following your instructions to enable the “minimize all” didn’t do anything. It still “peeked at desktop” every time, or swapped back to it if I changed it.
The solution that worked (I’m unsure if this required the KWin script to be enabled first) was to simply right-click the “peek” button, press “Show Alternatives” and then switch it over to “minimize all mode”. Now it appears to work as expected. Thank you.
I must say that I find it very strange that anyone could ever want the default behaviour, where windows come back up randomly when you launch unrelated applications. This really should default to “minimize all”, but I’m thankful that at least it was possible to change reasonably sanely.
I’m the one being stupid. Got so used at not using a button/icon for it that I overlooked there is indeed a minimize all widget for it ( so ignore my previous blabla) . Anywhoo…you have what you want.
coming from windows myself, i also found this default confusing and i’m not really sure what the point of “show desktop” is or why it’s use case is stronger than the one for “minimize all”, but that’s how my kubuntu implementation came as well.
i guess it forces you to explore all those “show alternatives” which can help teach you about the power of the KDE desktop environment, but it seems to me the default should always have been “minimize all”.
