How to Show or Hide Specific Desktop Icons on Windows 10
- Mahesh Makvana
@maheshhari
- May 3, 2021, 8:30am EDT
Windows 10 includes an option to hide all the icons on your desktop thats easy to find. But if you want to hide only a few icons, youll need to dig a little deeper. Heres how.
How to Show or Hide System Desktop Icons
Before we get into hiding regular files and folders on the desktop, its worth noting that Windows 10 includes a dedicated panel that lets you hide and unhide system icons such as your user folder, This PC, Recycle Bin, and Network.
If you want to hide or show one of these, open Settings and navigate to Personalization > Themes > Desktop Icon Settings. Check the boxes beside any icons that you want to show.
Advertisement
Click OK to save your changes, and youll see the results reflected on your desktop instantly.
RELATED: Restore Missing Desktop Icons in Windows 7, 8, or 10
How to Hide Non-System Desktop Icons
If you want to hide a non-system icon on your desktop, things get a little more tricky. Luckily, Windows allows you to set any file or folder as Hidden with a check box in the items Properties window. When you enable this option, the selected item will disappear from File Explorer. The item will continue to exist, but it wont show up in any of your File Explorer windows, including your desktop.
You can use this option to hide specific non-system desktop items, but youll need to prevent File Explorer from showing hidden files first. To do so, open File Explorer by pressing Windows+E, or by opening the Start menu, typing This PC, and hitting Enter.
The Best Tech Newsletter Anywhere
Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of features, articles, news, and trivia. Sign Me Up! We've got your info - thanks for signing up! We were unable to subscribe you! Please check your e-mail address or contact us for assistance. Signing you up...
By submitting your email, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
In the File Explorer window that opens, click View in the menu bar and select Options in the toolbar below.
Advertisement
In the Folder Options window, click the View tab. Then, look in the Advanced Settings box and select Dont show hidden files, folders, or drives.
Click OK to save your changes, and the Folder Options window will close.
Go to your desktop and find the icon that you want to hide. Right-click it and select Properties.
In the Properties window, click the General tab and then locate the Attributes section near the bottom of the window. Place a check mark beside Hidden.
Click OK, and your icon will disappear.Advertisement
Keep in mind that hiding an icon using the method described above will only make it invisible. The file or folder that you hid will remain on your PC, and anyone with access to your user account will be able to locate it if they know how to reveal hidden items.
How to Unhide Previously Hidden Desktop Icons on Windows 10
Since you cant right-click a hidden icon to uncheck the Hidden option, you must first enable File Explorers Show Hidden Files setting to see any non-system icons that you hid using the method listed above.
To do so, open a File Explorer window, click View in the menu, and select Options in the toolbar. In the Folder Options window, click the View tab. In the Advanced Settings box, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
Then click OK, and the Folder Settings window will close.Advertisement
Now go to your desktop, and youll see hidden icons that appear translucent. Right-click a hidden icon and select Properties.
In the Properties window, click the General tab, and then uncheck Hidden.
Click OK at the bottom to save your changes, and the Properties window will close.
In the future, if youd like to prevent others from accessing your apps, you might want to consider adding password protection to your apps instead. Good luck!
RELATED: How to Password Protect Applications on Windows 10
Mahesh Makvana
Mahesh Makvana is a freelance tech writer who specializes in writing how-to guides. He has been writing tech tutorials for over a decade now. Hes written for some of the prominent tech sites including MakeUseOf, MakeTechEasier, and Online Tech Tips. Read Full Bio »