How to Hide or Show Desktop Icons in Windows 11
You can hide or show all desktop icons in Windows 11 using a quick option in the right-click menu.
Hiding desktop icons declutters the Windows 11 screen. This action removes shortcuts, files, and folders from your main workspace, giving you a cleaner view. For example, hiding all icons reduces visible clutter by up to 15 items on a typical desktop.
Windows 11 desktop icons appear or disappear by controlling icon visibility in the standard desktop view. This control directly impacts how many shortcuts users see on their main screen; 10 is the default number of icons shown.
You can choose to hide icons for just your user account or for all users on the PC.
Right-click your desktop, select View, then click Show desktop icons to toggle their visibility. This option checks or unchecks the box, making icons appear or disappear.
Option One
Hide or Show Desktop Icons Using the Right-Click Menu
- Right-click on your desktop.
- Click View.
- Click Show desktop icons to turn them on (checked) or off (unchecked).
Option Two
Hide and Disable All Desktop Items Using Group Policy Editor
You can hide all desktop icons in Windows 11 using the Group Policy Editor, a tool that lets you change advanced settings, but it’s only on Pro, Enterprise, and Education versions and needs admin permission.
- Open the Local Group Policy Editor and navigate to one of these locations in the left pane:
(For all users)
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop
OR
(For a specific user or group)
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop
- In the right pane under Desktop, double-click Hide and disable all items on the desktop.
Hide and Disable All Items on the Desktop
- Select the dot next to Enabled.
- Click OK.
Undo Hide and Disable All Items on the Desktop
- Select the dot next to Not Configured.
- Click OK.
- Close the Local Group Policy Editor.
- Either restart the explorer process, sign out and back in, or restart your computer to apply the changes.
Option Three
Hide and Disable All Desktop Items Using the Registry
⚠️ Requires admin privileges
Hide and Disable All Items on the Desktop for All Users
This will also disable the desktop right-click menu.
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer" /v NoDesktop /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer" /v NoDesktop /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /fUndo Hide and Disable All Items on the Desktop for All Users
reg delete "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer" /v NoDesktop /f
reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer" /v NoDesktop /f
That’s it!
Summary
You’ve learned several ways to hide or show your desktop icons in Windows 11, with the right-click menu being the fastest for most users.
How to hide and unhide icons?
And here you will find a check mark show desktop icons the moment I click on that it will bring back the desktop icons. And if I want to hide. Again then I'll just do a right click i'll go to view.
Was this guide helpful?
About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
No comments yet — be the first to share your thoughts!