A lot of us use the Windows desktop as a temporary holding zone for files we need quick access to for a short time. If you're in that camp, try this handy shortcut to quickly drag files to the desktop.
Reader ssj4Gogeta points out a few favorite ways to use Windows 7 features to shuttle your stuff to the desktop. Specifically:
You can use Aero shake to drag and drop something to your desktop (for example a picture from a browser). Just move the window back forth and everything else gets minimized. Drop your item to the desktop and move the window back and forth again to return all your windows to their previous states. Maximize your window again with a quick aero snap gesture.
Dragging your item to the bottom right to the show desktop button and hovering over it for a second also reveals the desktop where you can drop it. You can click on the button afterwards to bring your windows to their previous states. It works the same way as dragging your item to the taskbar icon of a running app or open folder.
I demonstrate the second suggestion in the short video above, but it's definitely a mouse-lovers shortcut. It's also worth noting that if you're a keyboard lover, you can, for example, copy and paste things between Windows Explorer and your desktop with quick stroke of Ctrl+C (copy), Win+D (shows desktop when windows are visible), Ctrl+V (paste), and Win+D again (toggle show desktop) to restore your workspace.
Quickly move files to your desktop with Windows 7 [Lifehacker #tips]