gohide vs Boss Key(MindGems)

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

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.