How to show or hide desktop shortcut icons

As you use your Windows PC, you may start to notice you accrue many shortcut icons on the desktop. You can always delete them, but sometimes it is easier to hide icons temporarily so you can view them again later. To proceed, follow the instructions in the sections below.

Windows has default desktop icons built into the operating system. To hide or show desktop icons (e.g., Recycle Bin, My Computer, etc.), see: Missing My Computer, My Network Places, or My Documents icon.

To hide your desktop icons because there are too many, you can also create a new folder on your desktop to store icons. For example, you could divide your icons into groups (e.g., Programs, Games, Documents), then move each group into its own folder. See: How to create a directory or folder.

Show or hide all desktop shortcut icons

1. Press the Windows key + D on your keyboard to display the Windows desktop.
2. Right-click an empty area on the desktop and select View in the drop-down menu.

1. Click Show desktop icons to uncheck the option and hide all desktop icons.

To show the desktop icons again, follow the same steps above to place a check next to the «Show desktop icons» option.

How to show or hide an individual shortcut icon

If you have previously set hidden files and folders to be visible, using the steps below results in the hidden shortcut icon being greyed out instead.

1. Press the Windows key + D on your keyboard to display the Windows desktop.
2. Right-click the desktop shortcut icon you’d like to hide.
3. From the drop-down menu that appears, select Properties.

1. On the General tab, locate the Attributes section.
2. Check the box next to Hidden ( A), click Apply ( B), then click OK ( C).

To show the icon again, follow the same steps above, but uncheck the box next to «Hidden» in step 5.

To show icons, files, and folders you’ve marked as «hidden,» see: How do I view hidden files in Windows?

How to change the icon of any shortcut in Windows 10

In Windows 10, you can change any shortcut icon, whether it’s a regular one linking to an app, file, folder, or web page or one of the standard desktop icons. This is useful if you dislike the default icon of an app or if you want to add a personal touch to your Windows 10 computer or device. Changing the icons for certain shortcuts, especially when it comes to the ones with boring, generic icons, such as files, folders, and web pages, can also help you find and access them faster. This tutorial illustrates how to change icons on Windows 10, replacing them with others that are more to your liking:

NOTE: The features presented are available in Windows 10 November 2019 Update or newer. If you’re using an older version of Windows 10, you might not have access to all the features. Check your Windows 10 build and, if necessary, get the latest Windows 10 update available for you.

First things first: Find icons for your shortcuts

In Windows 10, the icons you use for your shortcuts can be stored in several file types:

“.ico” – the best-known file format used for icons in Windows operating systems. It can only store one icon.

“.exe” – icons can be embedded into the executable files of an app or program. An executable file can store one or more icons.

“.dll” – sets of icons can also be embedded into DLL (Dynamic-link library) files. A “.dll” can store one or more icons. Windows 10 uses DLL files to store most of its icons. To learn the location of the default icons, read Windows 10 icons. Where are they located? In which files and folders?.

Only some “.exe” and “.dll” files store icons, depending on how they were created by their developer, while “.ico” files always contain an icon. If the icons that come with Windows 10 don’t fulfill your needs, you can always download others. To get you started, feel free to check out these 7 sites where you can download free desktop icons for Windows 10. To learn how to create your own icons, read 2 ways to convert PNG, SVG, JPG files to ICO files in Windows.

How to change the icon of a shortcut to a file, folder, app, or program

After creating your shortcut, right-click or press-and-hold on it to start changing its icon. Then, in its contextual menu, click or tap on Properties. This section illustrates changing the icon for a file’s shortcut, but the process is the same for folders, apps, or programs.

In the Shortcut tab, click or tap on the Change Icon button.

The Change Icon window opens, displaying all the icons found in one of Windows 10’s DLL files.

You can now select a different icon from the list of available icons or change the file in the field under “Look for icons in this file.“ One way to change it is to type in the path to another file, and then press Enter on your keyboard to see the icons it stores. When it comes to downloaded icons, we found it easier to click or tap on Browse. Navigate to the file that stores the icon you want for your shortcut, select it, and then click or tap on Open.

NOTE: Microsoft recommends using an icon with a size of at least 256×256 pixels, to ensure it is properly displayed in the Large icons view.

When you’re done, click or tap on OK.

The new icon replaces the old one in the Shortcut Properties window. Confirm your choice by pressing either OK or Apply.

Your shortcut’s icon has now changed.

How to change the icon of a shortcut to a web page

By default, all the shortcuts to web pages use the icon of your default web browser. However, this can become confusing in the long run, so we recommend changing them. Right-click or press-and-hold on the shortcut, and then click or tap on Properties from its contextual menu.

In the Web Document tab, press the Change Icon button.

This opens the Change Icon window, where you can select a different icon from the list or change the file under “Look for icons in this file.“

To change the file, you can type in a new path, and then press Enter on your keyboard.

You can also click or tap on Browse, navigate your PC, and select the file containing the new icon. Then, press Open.

Click or tap on OK to close the Change Icon window. Then, press OK or Apply to confirm your choice in Properties.

The web page shortcut now displays the icon you chose.

How to change the icon of a standard Windows shortcut

Windows has a predefined set of shortcuts, like the Recycle Bin. To learn more about them, you can check out our tutorial on How to add or remove desktop icons (shortcuts) in Windows 10.

If you want to change the icon displayed by one of these shortcuts, you first need to access the “Desktop Icon Settings.“ Right-click or press-and-hold on an empty area on your desktop, and then click or tap on Personalize.

In the Personalization settings window, select Themes from the column on the left. Then, on the right side of the window, scroll down and click or tap on the “Desktop icon settings” link from the Related Settings section.

This opens the “Desktop Icon Settings” window. You can change any of the icons displayed in it.

Select the icon you want to change and then press the Change Icon button.

In the Change Icon window, select one of the available icons. If none of them are to your liking, you can also change the path under “Look for icons in this file” to select an icon stored in a different file. Type in a new path manually, and then hit Enter on your keyboard, or click or tap on Browse to navigate to it.

Once you find the file that contains your icon, select it and click or tap on Open.

When you are done, click or tap on OK.

Now, in the “Desktop Icon Settings” window, you can see that your icon replaced the old one.

TIP: To prevent any accidental changes to the icons used by default shortcuts, and preserve the custom icons, make sure to uncheck the box next to the “Allow themes to change desktop icons” option by clicking or tapping on it.

Click or tap on either OK or Apply when you are happy with your choices.

You can see the new icon displayed on your desktop.

TIP: If you want to revert to the default icons displayed by Windows 10 for its standard shortcuts, read How to restore default Windows shortcuts and their icons.

The Control Panel icon is not displayed among the others, but that does not mean you can not change it. First, make sure to select the box next to its entry from the Desktop Icons Settings window to show the shortcut on your desktop. Then, right-click or press-and-hold on it and click or tap on Create Shortcut.

Once you have the Control Panel shortcut on your desktop, head on to its Properties to change its icon. You can use the same procedure illustrated in this tutorial for changing icons that point to a file, folder, app, or program. You don’t need the original Control Panel desktop icon anymore, so you can remove it.

TIP: You can also change the icon for a removable drive. To learn more, read: How to set a custom icon and label for removable drives in Windows.

Which shortcut icons do you want to change?

Changing the icons for your shortcuts can be both useful and aesthetically pleasing. Before you close this page, we are curious to know which shortcut icon you wanted to replace. Did you feel like your desktop icons needed a makeover, or was it just one icon that was getting on your nerves? Let us know in a comment below.

BUG: Desktop shortcut icons, overlay keeps changing

The shortcut icons on my desktop have started changing the shortcut overlay icon seemingly at random, although I can force it to change.

Normally it’s the proper shortcut arrow, which is fine. But occasionally it changes to a green tick, a circular double arrow, or two people. If I create a new shortcut on the desktop then it almost always changes the overlay icon, and changes it back if I delete the shortcut.

This is only happening on the desktop. If I open Explorer to a folder with shortcuts they are fine. Even if I open the ‘Desktop’ folder all the shortcuts there are fine.

This has only started happening since I upgraded to Win10 from Win7.

So here is the problem. This is not specifically related to One-drive, Dropbox or any other particular piece of software. It a problem where multiple pieces of software are all trying to win the «It’s my job to update the icon overlays» war. Many pieces of software use icon overlays and they way Microsoft has implemented it they do not have an awareness that «I only touch this icon». From windows its self (shortcut overlay) to cloud drives to revision software to AutoCAD to development suites and the list goes on and on and on.

One would think Microsoft could address this because F5 or right click «Refresh» will set things right everything. But only for a short time. I agree this is very annoying but unless you want to run nothing on your computer but the OS it’s self you are out of luck until Microsoft fixes the implementation.

By the way the more software you run with overlays the more you will see this problem. I run all of the software mentioned above and my computer only goes a few hours after refresh and things are messed up again.

Contemplating creating a shell script to refresh every 30 minutes or so but I hate band-aids so I have not been able to bring myself to do this!

Hope this help understanding wise so someone doesn’t wait time on a reinstall but no fix as of yet.

How to add or remove desktop icons (shortcuts) in Windows 10

While desktop icons or shortcuts are useful, knowing how to add or remove them helps you avoid clutter and keep your desktop screen tidy. Showing only one icon by default, Windows 10 appears to encourage a “clean” desktop, but you can add as many shortcuts as you want, as long as they fit on your screen. This tutorial illustrates how to add and remove desktop icons or shortcuts, helping you quickly access whatever you need on your Windows 10 computer or device:

NOTE: The features presented are available in Windows 10 November 2019 Update or newer. If you’re using an older version of Windows 10, things might look different. Check your Windows 10 build and, if necessary, get the latest Windows 10 update available for you.

First things first: About desktop icons or shortcuts

Desktop icons or shortcuts are one of the most efficient ways to access your favorite locations on your Windows 10 computer or device. They can save you the time you would otherwise spend “digging” through your files and folders. On top of the regular shortcuts you can create to reach apps, files, folders, and web pages, Windows has a predefined set of desktop icons. Most of these standard icons were shown by default on your desktop on previous versions of Windows, but, starting with Windows 7, only one icon was displayed: the Recycle Bin.

Before seeing how you can personalize your desktop by adding more standard shortcuts, let’s go over what each of them does.

• This PC – allows you to browse your computer and the shared contents of other computers on your network: partitions, folders, files, libraries, and more; corresponds to the Computer entry from the list of Desktop icons.
• Network – shows a list of computers currently connected to your network and the folders and devices they share with the network.
• Recycle Bin – stores deleted files and folders temporarily until they are permanently removed.
• Control Panel – it is the classic way to access important system settings.
• User’s Files (Username folder) – provides quick access to files and folders associated with your particular user account: Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and others.

How to add shortcuts on the Windows 10 desktop

Depending on the type of desktop icons or shortcuts you want to add, the process is different. We discussed how to Create shortcuts for apps, files, folders, and web pages in Windows 10, but things are not the same when it comes to the predefined set of desktop icons. To add more standard Windows shortcuts, you first need to access the “Desktop Icon Settings.“ Right-click or press-and-hold on an empty area on your desktop, and then click or tap on Personalize.

This opens the Personalization settings window. From the column on the left, click or tap on Themes.

Scroll to the bottom of the Themes tab and, in the section called Related Settings, click or tap on “Desktop icon settings.“

TIP: You can get to the same place by opening Settings, and going to “Personalization -> Themes -> Desktop icon settings.”

The “Desktop Icon Settings” window opens, displaying at the top a list of default icons that you can enable or disable. Check the boxes to choose the icons you want displayed on the desktop.

Press OK or Apply, and the shortcuts are displayed on the desktop.

If you can’t see any shortcuts or desktop icons on your screen in spite of your best efforts, you might have to restore them. We detailed the steps to get them back to your desktop in How to restore default Windows shortcuts and their icons.

TIP: Keep in mind that shortcuts are highly customizable. You can modify a shortcut’s size and change the icon of any shortcut in Windows 10.

How to delete desktop icons in Windows 10

When you install them on your Windows 10 computer or device, most programs and apps add, by default, a shortcut to your desktop for easier access. Over time, having too many items on your desktop can make it harder to find what you’re looking for, so it’s a good idea to know how to remove desktop shortcuts. Except for the Recycle Bin, you can delete any shortcut from your desktop the same way you would any other file. One way is to right-click or press-and-hold on it to open a contextual menu, and then click or tap on Delete.

Another way is to select the shortcut you want to remove and then press the Delete key on your keyboard. You can also grab the shortcut, by either clicking and holding or pressing and holding on it, and then dragging and dropping it to the Recycle Bin. Release when the message “Move to Recycle Bin” is displayed.

To remove the Recycle Bin and other standard icons, you must access the “Desktop Icon Settings.“ Follow the steps illustrated in the previous section and, then, uncheck the boxes corresponding to the icons you don’t want on your desktop.

Press OK or Apply to save your changes.

TIP: When you delete a desktop icon for a program or an app, you don’t remove the program from your device, only the shortcut helping you access it. To completely remove apps or programs, read 9 ways to remove desktop programs and Microsoft Store apps in Windows.

How many desktop icons or shortcuts do you have on your screen?

Knowing how to add more desktop icons or shortcuts helps you get easy access to your favorite items. Knowing how to remove shortcuts can be useful to organize things depending on your current focus and preferences. How many shortcuts do you have on your desktop? Do you have any standard desktop icons showing, except for the Recycle Bin? Let us know in a comment below.