Forum Discussion
How to Hide Desktop Icons on Windows 11 (3 Ways)
1. Make use of the Desktop Context Menu
• To begin, go to the desktop and right-click on a blank area.
• Next, go to View and uncheck the box beside Show desktop icons.
(external link removed by moderator)
2. Make use of the Local Group Policy Editor
• To launch the Run command dialogue box, press Win + R.
• To open the Local Group Policy Editor, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
• Select User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop.
• On the right-hand side pane, double-click the "Hide and disable all items" on the desktop option.
• Select Enabled in the following box, then click Apply and OK.
(external link removed by moderator)
3. Make use of the Registry Editor
• To launch the Run command dialogue box, press Win + R.
• To launch the Registry Editor, type regedit and click Enter.
• Goto HKEY CURRENT USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > Explorer
• Then, in the right-hand side pane, right-click a blank space and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
• Enter NoDesktop as the value for the DWORD.
• Set the NoDesktop Value Data to 1 by double-clicking it.
• To save these changes, click OK and then restart your computer.
3 Replies
I'm trying to hide the wifi icon on windows task bar but unfortunately all the methods I use via "regedit" or "policies" don't work. Can you help us ?
ammarjaved I have been searching for an option to prevent users to hide desktop icons in general for w11.
Is there a way to hide this option completely for users?
Thanks in advance for your answer.ammarjaved I used the third way in order to change my laptop desktop icon. If I want to change it back would I just set the NoDesktop Value Data to 0? Or can I delete the whole NoDesktop and restart my laptop?
