Forum Discussion
Is there any way to remove shortcut's arrow?
Guys I'm trying to make my Desktop as clean as possible without installing any application. So is there any way to achieve that? Thanks.
I'm using Windows 11 24H2.
7 Replies
Jan 1 2026 - Win 11 Pro - Build 24H2 - News! - All these posted solutions (both here and in YouTube) ceased to work with the latest patches applied for Build 24H2. Regedit solution no longer works after the patch was applied. I do not understand why Microsoft wants to dirty up the desktop with shortcut arrows overlaid on icons ... esp. when everyone understands these are shortcuts in the first place. Anyone deriving a working solution please post it here. BTW ... 3rd party software solutions (latest version) also can no longer remove these annoying shortcut arrows. Apply the latest MS patch for Build 24H2 and see for yourself.
If you ask the question on YouTube someone will show you how to do it. Always start with YouTube.
Solution as of latest Microsoft Patch for build 24H2 of Win 11 Pro no longer works. No regedit solution previously posted works either. Third party latest-version solutions also no longer work. YouTube solutions also no longer work.
1. Use the Registry Editor: Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons.
In the right pane, right-click on an empty space, select New > String Value, and name it 29.
Double-click 29 and set its value to C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll,197.
Restart the computer.
2. Using a third party tool: Download and install a third party tool
Open the tool and navigate to the “Shortcut Arrows” option.
Select “Remove shortcut arrows” and apply the changes.
3. Use a batch file:
Open Notepad and type the following: batchreg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons” /v 29 /d “C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dd”. System32\imageres.dll,197” /f
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
Save the file as remove_arrow.bat.
Right click on the batch file and select “Run as administrator”.This solution no longer works after applying the latest Microsoft patches. Any ideas?
Awesome, I had a way to do this before and all everyone who tried to do it did it with a different number which caused a black square, tried alot of numbers using the restart explorer and gave up..>Thankee Sai.
1. 使用注册表编辑器：按 Win + R，键入 regedit，然后按 Enter.
导航到 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons。
在右侧窗格中，右键单击空白区域，选择 New > String Value，并将其命名为 29。
双击 29 并将其值设置为 C：\Windows\System32\imageres.dll，197。
重新启动计算机。
2. 使用第三方工具：下载并安装第三方工具
打开该工具并导航到“Shortcut Arrows”选项。
选择 “Remove shortcut arrows” 并应用更改。
3. 使用批处理文件：
打开记事本并键入以下内容：batchreg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons” /v 29 /d “C：\Windows\System32\imageres.dd”。System32\imageres.dll，197“ /f
explorer.exe start explorer.exe
将文件另存为 remove_arrow.bat。
右键单击批处理文件，然后选择“以管理员身份运行”。
