This article provides simple steps on how to show or hide desktop icons on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Once you follow these steps, you can manage your desktop icons to your liking.

Windows has several ways to control the visibility of desktop icons. You can show or hide all icons simultaneously, choose which system icons to show or hide, and manage individual app icons on the desktop.

How to hide all desktop icons in Windows

Hiding all desktop icons in Windows is a quick and easy process.

These steps will help you hide all desktop icons

1. Right-click an empty area on the desktop and select View.
2. Uncheck Show desktop icons.
3. Your desktop icons will now be hidden.

As a result of hiding your desktop icons, you can access those applications through File Explorer. To do this, open File Explorer and you will see the desktop menu in the left side panel.

How to Show or Hide Desktop Icons on Windows 10

To hide or show desktop icons on Windows 10, you can use the Desktop icon settings panel to choose which Windows icons to show and hide.

You can personalize your desktop by managing desktop icons following these steps.

1. Open Windows Settings.
2. Go to Personalization.
3. In the left-hand pane, select Themes.
4. Under Related settings, select Desktop icon settings.
5. A pop-up window will open, allowing you to choose which desktop icons to show or hide.

That's all you can do desktop customization on Windows 10.

How to Show or Hide Desktop Icons on Windows 11

If you are using Windows 11 then follow the below steps to hide or show desktop icons.

1. Open Windows settings
2. Select the left-hand side panel you see the Personalization menu
3. Now choose Themes
4. Under related settings, you can see desktop icon settings 

Once you click on that menu you can pop up that will allow you to select or unselect icons.

Conclusion

In this article, I help you to customise your desktop by showing or hiding your desktop icons.

I hope you can customize your icons on your Windows 10 and Windows 11 after this.