How to show or hide desktop icons on Windows 11

How-to
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You can always show or hide desktop icons, and here are four ways to complete this task on Windows 11.

Windows 11 desktop icons
Windows 11 desktop icons (Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
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On Windows 11, you can change the visibility of the desktop icons. You can hide them all or each one individually for a clean desktop without clutter. Or you can show as many as you want for quick access to your apps. You can even bring back the legacy system icons, including Computer, Network, Profile folder, and others.

In this how-to guide, I'll show you the different ways to show or hide icons for apps on the desktop.

Recent updates

These instructions has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process in the operating system.

How to show or hide desktop icons on Windows 11

Windows 11 lets you show or hide all the icons on the desktop with a couple of clicks. If you don't see any icons on the desktop, even though the "Desktop" folder has different contents, the system is configured to hide all the icons.

To show all the icons on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Right-click on the desktop area.
  2. Select the "View" submenu and choose the "Show desktop icons" option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. (Optional) Change the size of the icons by selecting one of the options.
  • Large icons.
  • Medium icons.
  • Small icons.
  1. (Optional) Select the "Auto arrange icons" option to arrange icons on the left side of the screen automatically.
  • Quick note: When using this option, you cannot arrange icons manually. If you need to move one or more icons to another region on the screen, you need to disable the option.
  1. (Optional) Check the "Align icons to grid" option to align icons on the desktop.

Once you complete the steps, all the icons on the Desktop will be visible.

Hide desktop icons

To hide the desktop icons, use these steps:

  1. Right-click on the desktop area.
  2. Select the "View" submenu and choose the "Show desktop icons" option again to hide the icons.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

After you complete the steps, the desktop will no longer show any icons, but you can still access them from the "Desktop" folder using File Explorer.

How to add or remove desktop icons on Windows 11

If you only want to show or hide the legacy system icons, you need to use the Settings app.

To add (or show) system icons to the desktop, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click the Themes page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Click the "Desktop icon settings" option under the "Related settings" section.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Check the icons to appear on the desktop:
  • Computer.
  • User's Files.
  • Network.
  • Recycle Bin.
  • Control Panel.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Click the Apply button.
  2. Click the OK button.

Once you complete these steps, the icons will appear on the Windows 11 desktop.

Remove desktop icons

If you no longer want a specific system icon, you can select it and hide it using the "Delete" key. Or you can use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click the Themes page on the right side.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Click the Desktop icon settings option under the "Related settings" section.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Clear the icons you want to hide in the desktop.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Click the Apply button.
  2. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the system icons will hide from the desktop.

How to add or remove any app icon on Windows 11

If you want to show specific apps on the desktop, you can easily do this from the system "Applications" folder, whether it's a legacy or modern app you downloaded from the Microsoft Store.

To add app icons to the Windows 11 desktop, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Run and click the top result to open the app.
  3. Type the following command to open the system's Applications folder and click the OK button: shell:AppsFolder

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Select and drag the app to the desktop to create an icon on the desktop.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. (Optional) Select the icon, press the F2 key to rename it, and press Enter.

Once you complete the steps, the icons will appear on the desktop.

Remove app icons

To remove any icons from the Applications folder, select it, and click the "Delete" key.

How to create custom desktop icons on Windows 11

Alternatively, if you know the app's location, you can create a shortcut to show it on the desktop.

To create a custom desktop icon, use these steps:

  1. Right-click on the desktop area.
  2. Select the "New" submenu and choose the Shortcut option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Click the Browse button.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Navigate to the application folder location.
  • Quick tip: Legacy x86 apps will be located in C:\Program Files (x86), and x64 apps will be inside C:\Program Files.
  1. Click the OK button.
  2. Click the Next button.
  3. Confirm a name for the shortcut.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)
  1. Click the Finish button.

After you complete the steps, the custom icon will show on the desktop.

Remove app icons

To remove any icons from the Applications folder, select it, and click the Delete key.

More resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:

Mauro Huculak
Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.

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