Windows 7 - Shortcut Arrow - Change, Remove, or Restore

**Brink**

How to Change, Remove, or Restore the Windows 7 Shortcut Arrow Overlay Icon

Information

This will allow you to change, remove, or restore the default shortcut arrow on all new or old shortcuts in Windows 7.

Note

If you remove the shortcut arrow using this method, you will still be able to Pin to Start Menu and Pin to Taskbar the shortcut.

Warning

Removing the shortcut arrow will make it harder to tell which files are shortcuts or not. You can tell by right clicking on the file and clicking on Properties to see if you have a Shortcut tab or not.

OPTION ONE

Using "Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover" Program

1. If you have not already, click on the Download button below to download the Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover (Vista Shortcut Overlay Manager) program below for the 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 you have installed. Save the .msi file to your desktop, and install it.
32-bit (x86) Windows 7

64-bit (x64) Windows 7

2. Double click on the program's shortcut to run the program.

3. To Change, Restore, or Remove the Arrow for All Shortcuts
A) Select (dot) the arrow option you want for the shortcut arrow. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If you selected Custom Arrow to change the shortcut arrow, then click on Select and navigate to and choose a ICO (icon) file you have downloaded to use as the shortcut arrow.

4. To Remove the "Shortcut" Name from All Shortcuts
NOTE: See also: Shortcut Extension - Remove or Restore
A) Check the box to also remove the - Shortcut name extension for new shortcuts that are created.

5. Click on Apply.

6. Click on Yes to log off to apply the changes. (See screenshot below)

7. Log back on and your done.

OPTION TWO

Manually in Registry Editor

1. For how, see: Shortcut Arrow - Change

OPTION THREE

Using a REG File

1. Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Remove_Shortcut_Arrow.zip

2. To Remove the Shortcut Arrow
A) Open the downloaded ZIP file (step 1), and extract (drag and drop) the Blank.ico file, and the Remove_Shortcut_Arrow.reg to the desktop.

B) Right click on the Blank.ico file and click on Properties. Under the General tab, click on the Unblock button if there. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If the Unblock button is not there, then the file is already unblocked. Continue on to step D below.

Warning

If you do not unblock the Blank.ico file first before moving it in step 2C, then you will only get a default white icon instead of the blank transparent icon like below.

C) Copy and Paste the Blank.ico into the C:\Windows folder, then click on Continue, and Yes (if prompted by UAC) to approve the copy.

D) Right click on the extracted Remove_Shortcut_Arrow.reg file, and click on Merge.

E) Click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

F) Go to step 4.

3. To Restore the Default Shortcut Arrow
NOTE: This will only work if you had originally removed the shortcut arrow using step 2 above. If you used some other method, then you will need to use OPTION TWO below instead.
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop.
Default_LNK_(Shortcut).reg

B) Right click on the Default_LNK_(Shortcut).reg file and click on Merge.

C) Click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

D) In the C:\Windows folder, right click on the Blank.ico file and click on Delete, Continue, and Yes (if prompted by UAC).
NOTE: This file will only be there if you used step 2 above to remove the shortcut arrow.

4. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.

5. You can now delete the downloaded files on your desktop if you like.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**Huff09** · 10-29-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by Mr GRiM

Here you go Shawn, seemed to work for me. Attachment 2839

Thanks Mr. Grimm, this did the trick. Don't skim the read me file to quickly though, I did three restarts before I re-read it and realized I hadn't relocated the blank.ico file

Eliminate the user error, however, and it works perfect.

Thanks again.

WeGrok · 12-12-2009

Hello Brink:

I only found out about the Windows Seven Forums the other day and have been avidly ready since then. I downloaded the script to remove the shortcut arrows on the desktop but it didn't seem to do anything. I didn't run into any problems with the directions and when I checked the registry the settings were correct as per the .reg file.

Any idea what I may be doing wrong? Obviously this is pretty low priority but I'd like to find out what the problem is. I'm taking my time loading up my machine and I'm trying to learn as much as I can about 7.

Thanks for the info,

J. R.

**Brink** · 12-12-2009

Hello J. R., and welcome to Seven Forums.

Double check to make sure that everything was done exactly as it is in steps 1, 2, and 4. One tiny bit off, and it will not work.

WeGrok · 12-13-2009

Ok Brink, I'm following the steps correctly but when I right click on the reg file, there isn't a 'merge' item in the context flyout.

I'm in the Admin group and I've done nothing to my user rights, I just don't get the 'merge' item. Any ideas?

J. R.

**Brink** · 12-13-2009

J. R.

Ok. It sounds like the .reg file extension may not have the correct default program assigned to it. In Default Programs, check to make sure that the .reg file extension has Registry Editor (C:\Windows\regedit.exe) listed as its "Current Default". If not click on "Change Program" to make it so. Afterwards, see if you have a merge option.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

WeGrok · 12-13-2009

YES! Works great now. I can't thank you enough for your patience. Us old guys sometimes miss the obvious.

I'm so glad I found this forum.

I'll keep reading.

J. R.

**Brink** · 12-13-2009

You're most welcome J. R.. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted now.

GWT · 12-14-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by Brink

You're most welcome J. R.. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted now.

So will this method still allow you to pin working shortcut icons to the taskbar?

I heard some of these methods disable the ability to do that.

**Brink** · 12-14-2009

Hello GWT,

Yes, you will still be able to "Pin to Taskbar" after removing the shortcut arrow using this method.

Windows 7 - Shortcut Arrow - Change, Remove, or Restore

Shortcut Arrow - Change, Remove, or Restore

Shortcut Arrow - Change, Remove, or Restore problems?