How to Hide Desktop Icons in Windows 7

Learn how to hide your desktop icons by following this step by step guide. We will teach you how to do so in a couple of ways.

In this tutorial, we will show you how to hide desktop icons in windows. For the purpose of this tutorial, we have customized our desktop and placed desktop icons. There are quite a few ways in which you can hide desktop icons in windows.

Step 1 -- Show on desktop

First of all, we will go to the start button and from the menu, right click on "Computer". From the drop down menu, we will uncheck the "show on desktop" option. The computer icon will disappear from our desktop as a result.

Step 2 -- Go to personalize

Next, we will right click on our desktop and select the "personalize" option.

Step 3 -- Change desktop icons

Click on the "Change desktop icons" option located towards the left pane of the personalization window.

Step 4 -- Uncheck desktop icons

This will open the desktop icon settings. From there, uncheck the desktop icons you want to hide from your desktop. Once done, click on the "ok" button and return to your desktop.

Step 5 -- Hide desktop icons

You will notice that the icons you unchecked would no longer be there on the desktop. In this manner, you can easily hide desktop icons in one go.

Step 6 -- Uncheck show desktop icons

Lastly, you can always right click on your desktop; go to "view" and uncheck the "show desktop icons" option. This will hide all the desktop icons currently on your desktop. Remember, hiding all of the icons on your desktop doesn't delete them; it just hides them until you choose to show them again.

[Gunsong]

And thus the office prank wars began. :P

[dhanushprabhakd]

Thanks bro it's helped me in 2022

[tuee]

THANK YOU SO MUCH :D I've searched so long for this!

[MsLanapoo]

Oh my word! I have been trying to remove the hundreds of pictures from my desktop forever! Thank you thank you thank you this was so very helpful!

[falcon]

Thank you bro i like you so much huh i solve the problem!!!!

[liamkucht]

how do i hide icons that aren't default programs, like ones that i have installed

[howtechpc]

It seems you have Windows 7 Starter Edition. So the second step cannot be done. But the third one will work fine. Also you can try:
enter “icons” in the start menu search and select the “Show or hide common icons on the desktop” link.
Or use third-party application:

[oztabone]

right click desktop, view, uncheck show desktop icons. thats how i did it! the other way didn't work

[atan]

thanks, i try this rendomly so my destop icorns totally removed thankks thanks