Windows XP: Hide All Desktop Icons

Contributor Icon Contributed by gouthro Date Icon November 20, 2005  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows

For whatever purpose you can hide all the icons on your desktop without having to delete them.


This is a very simple way to show you how to temporarily hide all desktop icons (including My Computer and Recycle Bin)

    1. Right-click on your desktop.

    2. Select Arrange Icons By.

    3. You will see a Show Desktop Icons with a check on it; click that.

    4. To return the appearance of your desktop items, repeat steps one through three.

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  • cbp
    I do not have that option when I right click, why not?
  • risherz
    Hmm... that's interesting. Are you sure you are right clicking on your desktop (this is where all the icons are and you can see your wallpaper). Make sure that you aren't right clicking on your taskbar or something else.

    It should be one of the first options you see when you right click. Then just hover your mouse over it and another menu should pop-up, in that just click on "Show Desktop Icons". And that should hide all the icons...

    Hope this helps :D
    Risherz
  • Anonymous
    WOW So easy! Been fiddling using other blogs etc. Got lost.
    Very easy to understand.
    Thnx U


    genimac 8) 8)
  • Jthib
    I have lost the ability to do this for some reason. Is there a way to fix this?
  • Fred
    it also removes my wallpaper... so its totally idiot for me cuz i want to hide the icons just to see my wallpaper
  • J
    Worked like a charm... Best thing to do on friends is take a screenshot of your friends computer while everything in minimised and then apply this as the desktop background.

    Now hide all the icons and watch and laugh as the try clicking on @icons' and nothing happens
  • Rob
    One of my PC's (XP Pro) also does NOT have that option.
    Anyone come up with a solution ?
  • fgsfds
    Well that was ridiculously simple.
  • buzz
    there is a god.
    thank you
    buzz
  • Riyas
    many thanks!
  • Neil
    There is no such "Show Desktop Icons" option.
  • reedsmith
    On step number 1, you say right click on your desktop. What does that mean? There is no desktop icon, just the front page where all the icons are located. Tell me specifically how and where to find the "desktop" so I can right click it
  • Ger
    Hah. I have seen this option before. For whatever reason, I don't have it now. I had it before formatting my PC. I have NO idea what makes it appear or not, lol. So strange. Oh well.
  • I don't see "Show Desktop Icons" on my XP box
  • frolo11
    1: just right-click on your screen and read options
  • winston09
    How do I make a hide desktop items on the taskbar for shortcut method in XP (sp2)?
  • Name
    Just found the solution.
    http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

    go to line 246, left hand side. right click and save link as. save it to your desktop, and make sure once its saves it doesn't have .txt at the end. open it and say yes to merg with the registry. you should now have the show desktop icons option
  • Name
    forgot, you will also have to restart explorer.exe (if you don't know how, a restart or log on and off will do it too)
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