I'm always accidentally minimizing most of my windows. This is really annoying. How do I disable Aero Shake?
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1What is Aero shake?– asjoCommented Jul 25, 2009 at 1:53
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2You can grab an application window by the titlebar and "shake" it to minimize all other applications. istartedsomething.com/20081103/…– Jared HarleyCommented Jul 25, 2009 at 3:40
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31It's also worth mentioning that you can re-shake the window to bring all the windows back up. I was looking to disable the feature until I discovered that.– PhilCommented Mar 5, 2012 at 17:08
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2Why do companies have to brand things like this. Aero shake, seriously? Why not Shake 2 Min or Shake 2 Hide– Alan B. DeeCommented Mar 6, 2013 at 16:31
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2// , That might be a good question for marketing.stackoverflow.com, @AlanB.Dee. meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2987/…– Nathan BasaneseCommented Sep 1, 2015 at 16:22
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5 Answers
The best way to do this is to use the Group Policy editor. Go into the start menu, type in gpedit.msc, and hit enter. When it comes up, go into User Configuration -> Administratrive Templates -> Desktop.
In here you'll see a settings called "Turn off Aero Shake window minimizing mouse gesture". Set this to enabled and no more Aero Shake.
Here's a picture of the Group Policy Editor, with the setting highlighted:
Another option is to edit a key in the registry. If you don't have Group Policy Editor for some reason (lower end Windows 7 edition), this might be your only option. There's a downloadable reg file that will handle this automatically from the How-To Geek.
answered Jul 24, 2009 at 12:33
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2Added that in. I figure the Home editions of 7 might not have Group Policy Editor like in Vista. Commented Jul 24, 2009 at 13:19
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What's funny is that I had to memorize stuff like this for my windows 7 cert (70-680) two years ago. Today I couldn't remember this part. Commented Mar 6, 2013 at 16:26
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4+1, especially for the screenshot - makes it really easier to find this if the Windows language != en– MartinCommented Nov 17, 2014 at 10:32
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2Note that this requires administrator privilege. For a standard user, Cheran's solution may be more suitable. Commented Jan 22, 2016 at 0:55
If you don't mind turning off Aero Snap (which resizes your windows when you drag the title bar to the top or sides of the screen), then you can turn off Aero Shake through the Ease of Access Center:
It is possible to turn off this feature, though the setting to do so is not readily apparent. Here’s what you need to do:
- Click the Start button to open the Start menu.
- Type mouse in the Search Files And Programs box.
- Select Change How Your Mouse Works from the list of items that are found.
- Select the checkbox for the option Prevent Windows From Being Automatically Arranged When Moved To The Edge Of The Screen.
Note that this will also disable the Aero Shake feature, which lets you shake a window to minimize all other open windows.
(source, emphasis on the last sentence mine)
answered Jan 17, 2014 at 4:30
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3
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3Note that this also disables the Control-Shift-Arrow keyboard shortcut. Commented Jan 24, 2016 at 23:02
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3This is a better answer for when you don't have access to group policy or registry. For example, a lot of companies only allow limited privileges over certain settings like this. Commented Apr 12, 2016 at 11:14
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You sir, saved my office window from having a chair being thrown through it.– OwlCommented Sep 8, 2017 at 15:24
As some editions of Windows do not include the Local Policy Editor, and importing a .reg (without inspecting it) doesn't quite show you what it does, I'd like to chime in with a method to change this setting from the command-line.
Check current state (you will get an error if the value doesn't exist, in which case Aero Shake is enabled)
reg query "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /v "NoWindowMinimizingShortcuts"
Disable Aero Shake
reg add "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /v "NoWindowMinimizingShortcuts" /d 0x1 /t REG_DWORD /f
Return to default setting for Aero Shake (Enabled)
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /v "NoWindowMinimizingShortcuts" /f
Hope this helps!
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Does that need a logout? After adding the key via an admin command prompt, Aero Shake still works in my Windows 10. Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 17:19
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This does not require you to log out. Immediately after applying the registry key the change should be active.– InnyCommented Mar 4, 2019 at 15:17
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I had to restart Explorer to apply this change (I just killed it from Task Manager).– NulanoCommented Aug 6, 2020 at 19:27
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1The REG_DWORD key
DisallowShakingwith a value of1in registry pathHKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advancedalso works as of Windows 10 21H2, without affecting Aero Snap. Commented Nov 7, 2022 at 3:11
If you don't want to touch the registry (or GPE), download Ultimate Windows Tweaker which allows you to to turn it off in the 'Personalization' settings (along with lots of other TweakUI type stuff).
Another way to disable shake AND the auto arrange that occurs when bumping a window against the outside edge of the screen in Windows 7:
(1) Right-Click on your Desktop and Select "Personalize".
(2) Select "Make the mouse easier to use".
(3) Check the box that reads "Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edge of the screen".
(4) Click "Apply" then "OK".
This will disable both shake and auto arrange from edge of screen.
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1Perfect! On Windows 8.1, another step is needed between 1 and 2: In the "Personalisation" window, click "Ease of Access Center" at the bottom left.– SphinxxxCommented Nov 11, 2015 at 18:53