gohide vs Boss Key (MindGems)
Les deux masquent fenêtres, boutons de barre des tâches et icônes de zone de notification par raccourci. Les différences : une version gratuite sans minuterie, des raccourcis par application, une restauration en place et la prise en charge de la zone de notification de Windows 11.
Boss Key by MindGems is the best-known name in this category and has been around since the Windows XP days. It hides every open window with one hotkey or mouse gesture and can mute sound, hide desktop icons and even switch the display resolution. gohide is a newer tool built for Windows 10 and 11 that solves the same problem with a different model: you pick the apps, and everything about them — window, taskbar button and system-tray icon — disappears and comes back exactly where it was.
Side by side
| gohide | Boss Key (MindGems) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for up to 3 apps, no time limit · Pro is a one-time purchase | Paid lifetime license · the demo restores everything after 10 seconds |
| What it hides | The apps you choose: window + taskbar button + tray icon | All windows at once (with an exclusion list); tray icons, desktop icons, wallpaper |
| Hotkeys | One hide-all hotkey, one restore hotkey, plus a hotkey per app | One privacy hotkey or mouse gesture |
| Restore | In place: position, size and stacking order intact | Restores applications to the same state |
| While hidden | Mute (free) · suspend the process so it uses no CPU/GPU (Pro) | Mute or set volume |
| Cover | Privacy cover screen or a cover-story app (Pro) | Bring a chosen app to the front, change resolution |
| Windows | 10 and 11, x64 and ARM64 · also on the Microsoft Store, Microsoft-signed | 7 through 11, 32- and 64-bit |
| Privacy | Offline, no account, no telemetry | — |
Facts about Boss Key are taken from the vendor's website in September 2026 (version 5.8.0.0); check there for current details.
Where Boss Key is the better pick
- You want everything on the screen gone in one press, including desktop icons and the wallpaper, and you would rather maintain a short exclusion list than an allow-list.
- You need it on Windows 7 or 8, which gohide does not support.
- You want a display-resolution switch as part of the panic action.
Where gohide is the better pick
- You want to try it for real before paying. gohide's free tier has no timer: 3 managed apps, forever. Boss Key's demo un-hides everything after 10 seconds, so you cannot use it for actual work until you buy.
- You hide the same few apps every day — a game, a chat client, a browser — and want a hotkey per app, not only an all-or-nothing key.
- You share your screen. Hiding only the chat window while the presentation stays up is the normal case for gohide; see hide apps while screen sharing.
- You want the hidden game to stop using the GPU: gohide Pro suspends the process; see pause any game with a hotkey.
- You are on Windows 11 and care about tray icons: gohide hides other apps' tray icons on current builds — how, and the one known limit (Smart App Control), is documented in tray hiding on Windows 11.
- You prefer an installer that is Microsoft-signed (the Store build) and a tool that never phones home.
Try it
Download gohide — free for up to 3 apps, with no time limit — or read the one-minute boss key setup.
Unlimited apps, process suspend, the privacy cover, mouse triggers and dynamic rules are gohide Pro — a one-time purchase with free updates, no subscription. See pricing.
Les informations sur les concurrents proviennent de leurs sites et d'annuaires publics au moment de la rédaction et peuvent évoluer ; les noms de produits appartiennent à leurs propriétaires. gohide n'est affilié à aucun d'eux.