Stop Aero Shake from Minimizing Windows

How to Stop Aero Shake from Minimizing Your Windows

Aero Shake—a fun little feature that lets you grab a window by the title bar and shake it to minimize all other open windows—can sometimes get in the way. If you don’t like it, you can turn it off with a quick Registry or Group Policy edit.

Disable Aero Shake by Editing the Registry Manually

To disable Aero Shake on any PC running Windows 7, 8, or 10, you just need to make an adjustment to one setting in the Windows Registry.

Standard warning: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and misusing it can render your system unstable or even inoperable. This is a pretty simple hack and as long as you stick to the instructions, you shouldn’t have any problems. That said, if you’ve never worked with it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. And definitely back up the Registry (and your computer!) before making changes.

Open the Registry Editor by hitting Start and typing “regedit.” Press Enter to open Registry Editor and give it permission to make changes to your PC.



In the Registry Editor, use the left sidebar to navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced



Next,you’re going to create a new value in the Advanced key. Right-click the Advanced key and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value DisallowShaking .



Double-click the new DisallowShaking value to open its properties window. Change the value from 0 to 1 in the “Value data” box and then click “OK.”



You can now close Registry Editor. The change should take place immediately, so test it out by shaking a window while some other windows are open. The action will no longer cause other windows to minimize. If you want to reverse the change later, you can go back into Registry Editor and either set the DisallowShaking value back to 0 or delete the value entirely if you don’t think you’ll need to turn it back on again.

Download Our One-Click Registry Hacks

If you don’t feel like diving into the Registry yourself, we’ve created some a couple of registry hacks you can use. The “Disable Aero Shake” hack creates the DisallowShaking value and sets it to 1. The “Enable Aero Shake (Default)” hack restores the default setting by deleting the DisallowShaking value. Both hacks are included in the following ZIP file. Double-click the one you want to use and click through the prompts.

Aero Shake Hacks

These hacks are really just the Advanced  key, stripped down to the DisallowShaking value we talked about in the previous section and then exported to a .REG file. Running either of the enable sets that value to the appropriate number.  And if you enjoy fiddling with the Registry, it’s worth taking the time to learn how to make your own Registry hacks.

Pro and Enterprise Users: Disable the Microsoft Consumer Experience with the Local Group Policy Editor

If you’re using Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, the easiest way to disable Aero Shake is by using the Local Group Policy Editor. It’s a pretty powerful tool, so if you’ve never used it before, it’s worth taking some time to learn what it can do. Also, if you’re on a company network, do everyone a favor and check with your admin first. If your work computer is part of a domain, it’s also likely that it’s part of a domain group policy that will supersede the local group policy, anyway.

In Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, hit Start, type “gpedit.msc,” and press Enter.



In the Local Group Policy Editor, in the left-hand pane, drill down to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop. On the right, find the “Turn off Aero Shake window minimizing mouse gesture” setting and double-click it.



In the properties window that opens, select the Enabled option and then click OK.



You can now exit the Local Group Policy Editor. The change takes place right away, so test it by shaking a window while some others are open. If at any time you want to enable Aero Shake again, just follow the same procedure and set the “Turn off Aero Shake window minimizing mouse gesture” option back to Disabled or Not Configured.