Aero Peek has stopped working. What to do?

It can happen for no apparent reason that "Aero Peek" just doesn't work anymore. We'll tell you how to get the design features working again.

Transparent windows thanks to "Aero Peek"

"Aero Peek" makes the windows on your screen transparent. First of all with the "Show Desktop" button at the bottom right by pointing the mouse at it. You can also have a single program highlighted by hovering over the icon in the task bar and then its preview window.

Troubleshoot troubleshooting

With "Troubleshoot" Windows 7 has a useful tool that detects certain errors and solves them for you. This is also the case with "Aero Peek".

1. Open the "Control Panel" with the "Start" button.
2. Switch to one of the two "Icon" views in the "Display" option at the top right.
3. Click the "Troubleshoot" entry.
4. Directly under the heading "Appearance and Personalization" you will find the item "Show Aero desktop effects" (see screenshot). Choose it.
5. After clicking on "Next" the automatic troubleshooting starts. Wait for it to finish.
6. When the tool ends up saying "The problem could not be identified by the troubleshooter." displays and "Aero Peek" still doesn't work, continue with the next few paragraphs.

Reset the settings

1. From the "Start" menu, right click on "Computer" and click on "Properties".
2. On the right edge of the window, select "Change settings" (see screenshot).
3. Now click on the "Advanced" tab and then under "Performance" on "Settings".
4. Make sure that the "Automatically select optimal setting" option is activated. If not, select it.

Create a new user account

If the error persists, you can create a new "Windows 7" profile.

• Read our practical tip "Set up multiple user accounts".

If your "Windows 7" design cannot be changed, you can find out here why.