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Desktop Icon Hider

Hide desktop icons with a single key press and bring them back just as fast, without the right-click, View, Show desktop icons routine.

Buy for $2.49
One payment. No subscription.
14-day money-back guarantee.
A clean desktop in one press, and every icon back where it was.
Works on Windows 11, including 24H2, and on Windows 10.
A shortcut you choose, a click on the tray icon, or a double-click on the desktop.
Clear the desktop automatically when you step away.
Hide the taskbar too, and get it back the way it was.

A clean desktop in one press, and every icon back where it was.

190,000+downloads of EvlarSoft apps
Signed by EvlarSoftVerified US publisher
14-day money-backNo questions asked
Updates includedNo upgrade fees
Real supportEmail the developers

See it in action

Works on Windows 11, including 24H2, and on Windows 10.
Works on Windows 11, including 24H2, and on Windows 10.
A shortcut you choose, a click on the tray icon, or a double-click on the desktop.
A shortcut you choose, a click on the tray icon, or a double-click on the desktop.
Clear the desktop automatically when you step away.
Clear the desktop automatically when you step away.
Hide the taskbar too, and get it back the way it was.
Hide the taskbar too, and get it back the way it was.

A keyboard shortcut to hide desktop icons, which Windows never added

Windows lets you hide desktop icons, but only through a menu: right-click the desktop, open View, untick Show desktop icons, and repeat it all to get them back. There is no built-in key for it, which is a nuisance before every screen share, recording or screenshot.

Desktop Icon Hider adds that missing toggle. Press Ctrl+F7 in any program and every icon on every monitor disappears; press it again and they return to the exact spots they were in. It flips the same switch the View menu does, so nothing is moved, deleted or rearranged, and it does not need administrator rights.

If the F-keys on your laptop control volume or brightness, pick another combination: open Settings, click the current shortcut under Hide and show, then type the new combination.

How to hide icons on the desktop without the menu

Beyond the shortcut, there are two more one-step methods, and you can use whichever is nearest to hand:

  • Tray icon: one left click toggles them, and the right button brings up its menu.
  • Desktop double-click: hit a blank area of the wallpaper twice to clear it, and do the same anywhere on the bare desktop to restore. Your shortcuts still launch with a double-click as usual. Switch this off under Double-click the desktop if it gets in your way.
  • Open the app window and click the miniature desktop at the top; its icons sweep away along with yours.

Auto hide desktop icons when you step away

Turn on Hide when I step away and set After to a delay between 5 and 600 seconds, adjustable in 5-second steps. When the mouse and keyboard have been idle that long, the desktop clears itself, which is handy on a display PC, a lobby screen or a desk where you like a clean wallpaper while you are gone.

Under Bring them back, choose On any mouse or key press for an instant return, or When I use the desktop to keep things clear until you actually go back to it. Icons you hid on purpose are not brought back by this feature.

Desktop icons disappeared? Getting them back

A common fear with icon hiders is ending up with an empty desktop and no idea why. Here, quitting the app or restarting the PC brings every icon back, unless you deliberately turn on Keep icons hidden after a restart. A small note near the clock confirms each hide and show, so you always know what just happened; switch it off with Confirm with a note.

If the window ever says Explorer is starting or restarting, give it a moment. That happens when Windows restarts the desktop shell, and the app finds the desktop again on its own once Explorer is back.

Features

  • Toggle every desktop icon with Ctrl+F7 or a shortcut you record
  • Tray-icon click and desktop double-click as alternative toggles
  • Icons return to their exact positions; nothing is moved or deleted
  • Automatic hiding after a set idle delay of up to 600 seconds
  • Optional taskbar auto-hide while the icons are hidden
  • Icons restored on quit or restart, or kept hidden if you choose
  • Confirmation note beside the notification area
  • Start with Windows, waiting quietly in the notification area

When a clean desktop helps

Screen sharing and meetings

Clear private file names and clutter off the desktop before you share your whole screen, then restore them after.

Screenshots and tutorials

Capture a window or a wallpaper without a grid of shortcuts behind it, every time, with one key.

Showing off a wallpaper

Let the picture fill the screen when you are away, and get your shortcuts back on the first touch.

What's new in 2.0.5

  • Fixed: hiding icons did nothing on Windows 11 and on many updated Windows 10 PCs
  • Fixed: the shortcut stopped working after a restart or a Windows update
  • Fixed: icons could be left hidden with no way back. They now return when you quit, unless you choose to keep them hidden
  • New: choose your own shortcut
  • New: click the tray icon, or double-click the desktop, to hide or show
  • New: hide icons automatically when you step away
  • New: optionally hide the taskbar too
  • New: a window with a clickable miniature desktop, and settings

Questions

Anything else? Ask us

Does hiding the icons move, rearrange or delete them?

No. It flips the same Show desktop icons switch that is in the desktop's right-click View menu, so nothing is moved or deleted and the icons come back where they were.

Can I hide only some of my desktop icons?

No. It hides or shows all of them at once, the way the Windows switch does. On several monitors, the icons on every screen hide together.

Can I change the keyboard shortcut?

Yes. It starts as Ctrl+F7; click the shortcut in Settings and press the combination you want. A left click on the tray icon and a double-click on an empty spot of the desktop also hide and show the icons.

How does hiding when I step away work?

Turn it on and pick a delay from 5 to 600 seconds, in 5 second steps. The icons come back on any mouse or key press, or only when you use the desktop, and icons you hid yourself stay hidden.

Can it hide the taskbar as well?

Yes. It can switch the taskbar to auto-hide while the icons are hidden and switch it back when they return. If your taskbar already auto-hides, it is left alone.

What happens to my icons when I quit the app or restart?

They come back, and so does the taskbar, unless you turn on Keep icons hidden after a restart.

Is there a built-in shortcut to hide desktop icons in Windows 11?

No. Windows only offers the Show desktop icons option in the desktop's right-click View menu. This app adds a shortcut, Ctrl+F7 by default, that toggles the same option.

Why did my desktop icons disappear?

Usually the Show desktop icons option has been switched off, by accident or by a hiding tool. Right-click an empty part of the desktop, open View and tick Show desktop icons. With this app running, Ctrl+F7 or a tray-icon click does the same.

Which versions of Windows does it run on?

Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11.

Is it a subscription?

No. Desktop Icon Hider is a one-time purchase of $2.49, and updates are included.

How do I get it?

Buy it on this page and your license key arrives by email. If the button says Notify me, Desktop Icon Hider is not on sale here yet; leave your email and we will tell you when it is.

Prefer widgets? The Desktop Icons widget on WidgetSpark does a similar job, alongside over 100 other desktop widgets in one app.

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