Windows 7 - Desktop Icons - Hide or Show

**Brink**

How to Hide or Show Desktop Icons in Windows 7

Information

This will show you how to easily hide or show all icons (ex: files, folders, shortcuts) on your desktop in Windows 7.

By default, all desktop icons are set to show in Windows 7.

OPTION ONE

Using the Desktop Context Menu

1. Right click on a empty area of the desktop.

2. To Show All Desktop Icons
A) Click on Show Desktop Icons to check it. (See screenshot below step 3)

3. To Hide All Desktop Icons

A) Click on Show Desktop Icons to uncheck it. (See screenshot below)

B) Save your current theme to help prevent these settings from being reset after you log off and on, or restart the computer.

OPTION TWO

Using a REG File Download

1. To Show All Desktop Icons
A) Click on the download button below to download the file below.
Show_Desktop_Icons.reg

B) Go to step 3.

2. To Hide All Desktop Icons
A) Click on the download button below to download the file below.
Hide_Desktop_Icons.reg

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.

4. Right click on the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.
NOTE: You can also double click on the .reg file to merge it instead.

5. Click on the Run, Yes, Yes, and OK when prompted to approve.

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

7. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you would like to.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**docachmed** · 12-20-2009

when my computer restarts, the icons come back. why? i want them out of my screen in and out windows.

**Brink** · 12-20-2009

Hello Doc Achmed,

Did you make any changes to the theme?

Try setting the icons how you want them as hidden, then save your current theme to see if that may stop this.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**aem** · 01-05-2010

Information

Ever wanted to wonder off and not needing to lockscreen? Or using multiple monitors, but want to show your beautiful wallpaper but can't when you lockscreen? You're want is now realised with this simple registry add-on.

Note

Remember this tutorial, if you want to get things back to normal again

Steps:

1) Click Start > type regedit in the search box and hit Enter to bring up the registry editor.

2) Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > Explorer

3) On the right hand pane, right-click and New > Binary Value. Name the key as "NoDesktop" and add in the value of "01 00 00 00". See attachements.

4) No need to restart pc, logoff and on again is fine, for it to take effect.

Note

You may need to auto-hide your taskbar also to have that total stealth look. To do this just right-click taskbar > Properties > and tick "Auto-Hide the taskbar", like so.

Information

If you want to revert this effect, just go back and delete this registry key.

Happy stealthing.

**Zardoc** · 01-21-2010

Quote: Originally Posted by Brink

Hello Doc Achmed,

Did you make any changes to the theme?

Try setting the icons how you want them as hidden, then save your current theme to see if that may stop this.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Hit it on the nose Brink.

I disabled the feature in registry and the icons came back. Saved the theme and it worked.

Laptops, full of useless toys

Nice going bro.

**Brink** · 01-21-2010

That's great news Zardoc. I'll add a note in the tutorial for this.

**bratboy1** · 01-24-2010

Is there a way to make an icon/shortcut to hide/show gadgets? Like way you can make one to call 3D Flip? C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe DwmApi #105

**Zardoc** · 01-28-2010

Quote: Originally Posted by Brink

That's great news Zardoc. I'll add a note in the tutorial for this.

Hey Brink,

It isn't as great as I thought. After 2 or 3 reboots, the icons come back. This seems to be a common problem with laptops and I have also seen this happen with PGP shortcuts to desktop that vanish after a few reboots.

It's hard to repro since it doesn't happen every time.

I can't get my hand on what would cause a reg hack to re-activate itself.

I'll keep looking.

**Brink** · 01-28-2010

Do you have any included OEM software (ex: dock or toggle key pop-ups) common to laptops running that may be interfering with it?

**Zardoc** · 01-28-2010

No Brink, none of that (at least that I have seen)

OK I've tried a fix and it works.

Brink, if you want to modify your tutorial on desktop icons and add (force hide of desktop icons)

One thing that doesn't work (well not like one would want) is to use the Local Group Policy Editor. If you go to user configuration/Administrative Tasks/Desktop and enable ''Hide and disable all items on desktop'' it will keep icons hidden (won't affect Gadgets) but you will loose right click menu on desktop. So that's a no go.

Here is the fix based on 2 different registry commands. One exits (the one that will change the reg key when you right click on desktop and disable desktop icons) and the other you may need to create (it's the one that Aem talks about above to unlock double screen saver but gives the same result for hiding icons also). One won't work without the other.

Here is the simple way. First hide desktop icons (as shown in basic tutorial)

Open Notepad and paste this command and save as HideDesktopIcons.reg

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"HideIcons"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoDesktop"=dword:00000001

Double click to activate. Log off and back on. Should be fine.

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