How to Add or Remove the “Learn about this picture” Desktop Icon in Windows 11

Why You Might Want to Remove It

Hiding this icon keeps your desktop clean. This icon appears on Windows 11 versions 22H2 and later.

Windows allows you to control desktop items like the "Learn about this picture" icon. You can turn this feature on or off through Windows settings ⚙️.

Method 1Change Your Background (The Simplest Way)

You can remove the learn about this picture icon by changing your desktop background away from Windows Spotlight. Windows Spotlight is the feature that rotates daily lock screen and desktop images. Open Settings ⚙️, go to Personalization, click Background, and switch the dropdown menu from Windows Spotlight to Picture or Solid color to make the icon disappear immediately.

1. Right-click anywhere on your desktop.
2. Choose Personalize from the menu. (You can also go to Settings › Personalization).
3. In the Personalization settings, click on Background.
4. Under “Personalize your background,” find the dropdown menu. If it says “Windows Spotlight,” change it to Picture or Solid color.

This change also stops Windows Spotlight from automatically changing your wallpaper.

Method 2Using the Registry Editor (For More Control)

You can hide the learn about this picture icon while keeping Windows Spotlight turned on by editing the Windows Registry. The Registry Editor is a database that stores low-level settings for the operating system. Making a mistake here can cause system issues, so follow the exact key paths carefully to disable the desktop shortcut without turning off your changing background images.

⚠️ Important Note: The Windows Registry is a critical system component, and incorrect changes can lead to problems. Backing up your registry beforehand is a good practice. If you are uncomfortable with this process, Method 1 is a safer alternative.

Here's how to do it:

1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard. This opens the Run box.
2. Type regedit in the box and press Enter or click OK. You might see a prompt asking if you want to allow this app to make changes. Click Yes.
3. Now, you need to go to a specific location in the Registry Editor. You can copy and paste this path into the address bar at the top and press Enter:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
   
4. If you see an error saying the path can't be found, it means some keys might not exist yet. You'll need to create them. Right-click on the Explorer key, select New, then Key. Name the new key HideDesktopIcons. Then, right-click on the HideDesktopIcons key, select New, then Key, and name it NewStartPanel.
5. Once you are at the correct path, look in the right-hand side of the window. If you don't see a value named %1, you need to create it.
6. Right-click in the empty space on the right side.
7. Select New, then choose DWORD (32-bit) Value.
8. Name this new value exactly. Make sure to include the curly braces!
9. Double-click on the new value you just created.
10. In the "Value data" box, type 0. This tells Windows to hide the icon.
11. If you want to show the icon again later, change this value data back to 1.
12. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
13. You may need to restart your computer or sign out and back in for the change to appear.

Method 3Using PowerShell (For Automation Fans)

You can hide or show the learn about this picture icon automatically by running a command in Windows PowerShell. Windows PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management framework. Open PowerShell with administrator rights and paste the specific command to quickly toggle the desktop icon on multiple machines without manually clicking through menus.

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type powershell.
3. Right-click on Windows PowerShell in the search results.
4. Select Run as administrator. This gives PowerShell the permission to make system changes.
5. In the PowerShell window, type or paste the following command and press Enter:
   {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}
   
6. This command sets up the registry path and the item to change. It then sets the value to 0, which hides the icon.
7. To show the icon again later, use the same command but change the last line to:
   1
   
8. Close the PowerShell window. The change should happen right away, but a restart might be needed just in case.

Method 4Context Menu Option (If It's Available)

You can delete the learn about this picture icon straight from your desktop if your version of Windows 11 includes a direct remove choice in the right-click menu. Right-click the icon and look for a delete or remove option in the menu that pops up. This method depends on your specific update version and provides the fastest way to clear the shortcut if supported.

1. Find the "Learn about this picture" icon on your desktop.
2. Right-click on the icon.
3. Look for an option like Remove or Delete in the menu that appears.
4. If you see this option, clicking it will hide the icon. This is often the fastest and easiest way if your Windows 11 version has it. However, not everyone sees this option, so don't worry if it's not there for you.

Summary

You can remove the "Learn about this picture" icon from your Windows 11 desktop by changing your background to something other than Windows Spotlight. For more control, you can use the Registry Editor or PowerShell to hide the icon while keeping Spotlight active.