Want to clean your cluttered desktop by removing these unnecessary icons? No problem! Hiding desktop icons on Windows 11 is easy task and it only takes a minute (or less) to do.
Hi, my name is Megan. Like many of you, I’m also just a normal PC user who happens to be a bit geeky. I’ve been using Windows for more than a decade and a few months ago I just updated my Lenovo PC to the latest version of Windows 11.
In this guide, I’ll show you a quick tutorial on how to get rid of desktop icons that you probably won’t even click – so that you can enjoy a better and less crowded desktop experience.
Let’s get started.
How to Hide All Icons on Desktop
This method can help you hide all icons, whether they are built-in Windows system icons or third-party app icons.
Step 1: Right-click on a blank area on your desktop. A menu will pop up. Move your mouse cursor on View.
Step 2: A sub-menu appears. Uncheck Show desktop icons at the bottom of the menu on the right side.
Done. All the icons on the desktop are hidden now. To show all icons on your desktop, you only need to repeat the steps above and make sure the “Show desktop icons” option is checked.
(See how clean my Windows 11 desktop is)
If you want to hide only specific built-in icons, see the method below.
How to Hide Specific System Icons
Sometimes you’ll find certain system icons show up unexpectedly on the desktop like this. Follow the steps below to hide them.
Step 1: Right-click on a blank area on your desktop and click Personalize, or press Windows + I shortcut keys.
Step 2: Navigate to Personalization on the left side and click Themes on the right-side pane.
Step 3: Find and click on Desktop icon settings.
Step 4: Uncheck specific system icons you want to hide. Then click Apply and OK.
That’s it, done.
So, do you find this step-by-step guide helpful? Any other solutions to hide desktop icons on a Windows 11 PC? Share your thoughts below.
