and that's not always a good thing, it's very dangerous to mess with the registry, I only do it for important things, and this arrows thing is not one of them, if there isn't an option in the settings, then I consider it's not meant to be. It seems like your suggestion doesn't works on Windows 10 (no mutter 32 or 64 bit). So, here were was how to remove the arrow shortcut overlay on Windows. I always hated them, never thought there was something I could do about them. Thanks Daniel. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Select the Shortcut arrow and choose No Arrow. That's a cool trick, although I'm not sure what the point of the desktop icons are when you can pin apps to start, taskbar, or search for them by name without having to minimize all your windows. Yay! Is there a way to just link the iTunes icon rather than the folder? because leaving it blank removes itcompletely, not justreplaces it witha transparecy icon that seems toget crappy black square after some time. I only have skype on my desktop so i uninstalled it and then reinstalled it and it worked but then when i shut down and restart the black blank space returns. This is an irrational one to me. 5. That might sound a little daunting, but a pretty straightforward registry tweak is all thats needed. This thread is locked. Just clean icons! When you purchase through our links we may earn a commission. I have tried what you advise, however it just makes the wwhole icon disapear. but leave it blank. And I'm happy, Cool! Right click program, select open file location, copy shortcut, paste it one up to start menu, delete previous folder. when you make the icons bigger or smaller, is everything perfectly fine? The button will now be named Restore Shortcut Arrows To Shortcut Icons.. No boxes, no arrows. Also can't quit skype from the task bar. Still, you are touching the registry so make sure you have backed up your PC just in case if you feel uncomfortable. Vaibhav is a broadcast journalist with a keen interest in tech. Open the start menu, search for Registry Editor, and click the result to open the Registry Editor. yeah, I agree, although that just means that Microsoft should re-think about how they represent apps and deletion. Now copy and paste the value below in the Value Data fieldand hit Ok. Voila, its done. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Answer yes When prompted Do you want to. 13. Saves the convienence of logging in and out or restarting your computer. If you have updated Windows 10 since Oct 2020, there are no ways currently to remove shortcut arrows. (Don't really need it on the desktop.) Double-click the new 29 value and type (or copy and paste) the following into the Value data box to remove arrows from shortcut icons: Click OK and exit Registry Editor. First, we need a blank icon. Seriously I hate those arrows too no idea why :P. My number one complaint is that certain apps pinned to the taskbar clone themselves when you open them. For Windows 7, youll need UWT 2.2. To undo that change, you can delete the file called "29" from the folder you created. . Copy or move blank.ico to your C:\Windows folder. I was looking for how to do this. You can show/hide the assorted system icons on the desktop from the Control Panel. Daniel, I mean, the whole reason for the start menu to return is habit. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). 10. Click the small right-pointing arrow icon next to "Microsoft." In the field "Value data" enter the value below to remove the arrow from the shortcut icons. No wonder why some people have alot of duplicates and fragmented files caused by dumping every thing on their desktop. Is this a problem with resources? But it sure didn't sound like a joke no hard feelings, I know I can be harsh sometimes, I was just emphasising (maybe too much) how I think this kind of cosmetic changes, like the settings' dark theme, shouldn't need an registry editing. You can leave the Shell Icons key in place. However with Windows 10 instead of having shortcut icons on the Desktop I just add then to the Start Screen where there are no arrows. I'm asuuming that if I delete the Shell Icon file from registry the problem is gonna go away but the arrow will be back. Thanks!!! OP should revise his post so that people stop running into this problem. But when I tried your string for the I hate desktop icons so much that I just remove them completely. Never the less removing those arrows really makes the icons look better but not like the start menu. Running the hack adds the key to the Registry. Step 3: Right-click on the Explorer Registry Key. I appreciate you sharing. I had to undo everything and cope with the tiny "arrows" for now. Enter Shell Icons in the new key's text box. This wikiHow will teach you how to remove shortcut arrows on your Windows shortcut icon by changing a few things in the Registry Editor. It worked for me. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, NY 10036. I leave them the way they are. In Windows 10, just load up Task Manager (Run > taskmgr, via Ctrl+Alt+Del, or by right-clicking on Start button), scroll down to find "Windows Explorer" under the "WIndows processes" grouping, select it, and click the Restart button. 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Download Remove the Shortcut Arrow Icon in Windows 10 & 11. Everything can be taken wrongly if it's through text. We had no complaints, actually. Press Windows + R keys to open Run. Now ,perfect and clean my pc desktop. For more resources, don't forget to check our Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks page. Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve. Name the New Folder as Shell Icons. It has consistently beenone of the first things I would change on an XP (or newer) installation. Way 1: Type r egedit in the Cortana's search bar and then click the result. This is not a solution, since it introduces apparent randomness into the display of desktop icons. Depends. Have to admitlost a bit of respect for DRubino seeing him use desktop shortcuts for launching apps. I've never killed a PC that way, even when first starting out. So?? Tap on New and select String Value and name this 29. 80.86.180.77 Didnt at 1st but after a couple automatic restarts its there now. It went blank after a day. Press the folder icon on the taskbar to bring up Explorer. Get the best of Windows Central in your inbox, every day! Customize your desktop screen easy. File it for instance and skype right now. This is how you can disable shortcut icon arrows with ShortcutArrow Changer. If I see the arrow I know I can toast it and not lose an app. You can also type it in the search bar at the top. I had the same issue, I'm going to attempt to change the black squares to transparent ones. I think doing a system backup is more effort. I am so glad we have a start menu so i can pin my apps, they are so much better to look at. Right-click Explorer on the left of the Registry Editor to select New . No clear pattern with changes occuring often after rebooting, but sometimes after running applications. Anyway, OCD person's nightmare. 209.236.71.63 Cool trick. I also thought that.. And this will please Windows 7 gadgets lovers a bit. This is a simple hack that anyone can do, as long as you stick to the instructions. Just Task manager and restart exploler.exe. That is what the desktop should be used for not just for a pretty picture. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/02\/Remove-Shortcut-Arrows-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Shortcut-Arrows-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/02\/Remove-Shortcut-Arrows-Step-1.jpg\/aid11836538-v4-728px-Remove-Shortcut-Arrows-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":545,"licensing":"
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