Tip of the Week: Remove or Hide Desktop Icons

How often do your icons get cluttered on your Windows desktop? Sometimes it would just be nice to delete some of them or hide them from view so you can focus on being productive. Let’s go over how to accomplish this with your Windows PC.

One thing to note before we get started is that deleting the icons on your desktop does not remove the programs themselves from your computer. This is a common misconception. The icon is simply a shortcut to open the application itself, so if you actually want to delete the apps themselves from your computer, you’ll follow a very different process.

Delete Icons from Your Desktop

Deleting icons from your desktop can’t possibly be any easier, and you even have a couple of different options for doing so. To get started, all you have to do is find the icons you want to delete. If you want to select multiple icons, you can hold down the Ctrl key and then click on the icons you want to delete. Once they are all selected, you just right-click on one and select the option Delete from the menu.

This sends the icon to the Recycle Bin where you can find it later on if you need to. You can also simply click and drag the icons to your Recycle Bin to delete them.

Hide Icons on Your Desktop

You also have the option to hide all icons on your desktop. This option is simple to find and use as well. All you have to do is right-click on your desktop and hover over the View option in the menu. Then, uncheck the option for Show Desktop Icons. This will hide them all from view. To bring them back, just recheck the option.

What are some other ways you stay productive with a cluttered desktop? Be sure to let us know, and perhaps we can offer you a couple more tips of our own!