Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. . All rights reserved. Make a tweak or two at a time andsee how they work, then come back for more. This is not working for me, may it be I am on 64-bit OS? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. . Open Start Menu and search for Registry Editor Tap Yes, when prompted " Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your PC? The All Apps list looks messy with folders for programs. Fortunately, theyre pretty easy to remove. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a11d38e9f2dcab5 Once again thanks for the tip. He's authored or co-authored over 30 computer-related books in more than a dozen languages for publishers like Microsoft Press, O'Reilly, and Osborne/McGraw-Hill. Very strange, especially because both systems have near identical settings. Afterwards, you should have a nice, clean desktop with no arrow shortcuts. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Choose one of the four options from the list and click Apply. If you are not comfortable editing the registry, you can automate things with a .reg file. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. 14. It's like the registry has no limit to it's reach throughout the OS. Major Geeks for more than your General Needs. Ultimate Windows Tweaker automatically creates a system restore point for you when it starts, but if youre concerned about a tweak go ahead and back up your computer first. As an added precaution, create a system restore point too. It's an age where options are being removed for the sake of simplicity, and that is bad in my view. :-). Name the new folder as Shell Icons. This is where we need to create a new value that removes the shortcut arrow in Windows 10 and 11. Today when I powered up my laptop, the arrow thingy was replaced by a black square. (Don't really need it on the desktop.) Seems silly to me to install an app for something that takes < 5 minutes and for which you will likely never use again. You can remove shortcut icon arrows by adding a new Shell Icons key to the registry. Also the wallpaper looks so good without all the junc I see some people put on there. ok, I agree it's nice to have the freedom to tweak the system as you desire, and I did a lot of it back in the 98/XP, but since the smartphone boom most new users are too "user" to do this safely. Click on Yes. 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. Now go ahead and log off your computer and log . To remove arrows from shortcut icons with Ultimate Windows Tweaker, choose the Customization section on the left, click the File Explorer tab, and then click "Remove Shortcut Arrows From Shortcut Icons." To put them back, follow the same process. Navigate Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer 3. Thanks. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. In the Value data box enter (or copy and paste): %windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50 and hit OK when done. I've just simply after a system reboot, I met no arrows, BUT all desktop icons turned into black squares! Windows has always been about the freedom to mess with whatever your heart desires. That is what the desktop should be used for not just for a pretty picture. Learn how to remove shortcut arrow on icons in windows 10. First, we need a blank icon. Next, extract the remove_shortcut_arrow_icon.reg file. 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OP should revise his post so that people stop running into this problem. I hide all my icons I like a clean desktop Double-click the 29 entry to modify it. While it isnt the easiest way, you can edit the registry yourself without downloading or running any extra software. What other visual cue does it have to tell you it's a shortcut? (1) Type in regedit into the Cortana/search box and (2) select regedit at the top, When prompted Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your PC? Honestly, it's not any work either, I just put a lot of detail so no one makes a mistake ;). Lol at chacka chacka. Click the small right-pointing arrow icon next to "CurrentVersion." I had that initally and then it turned transparent, incuding part of the icon. 2. Click OK to bring up the Registry Editor. I leave them the way they are. Step 1: Press Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialog box. It's mostly just a legacy from the days when Windows had a useful desktop metaphor, where real-world objects represented computer functions. They'd see that Google Chrome shortcut on your desktop and think they've uninstalled it by dragging it in the Recycle Bin (which is what everyone should do with their Chrome shortcuts). It feels like storing stuff you use a lot under your bed instead of on your desk or shelf or cabinet. The taskbar is always visible, the desktop isn't. He clearly says "make sure you have backed up your PC". Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. Yes, most apps won't appear on the desktop, but some of the smaller all-in-one apps like file archivers and tag editors can. Helpful tech how-tos delivered to your inbox every week! All MS needs to do is allow pinning small livetiles (at the minimum) to the desktop and we can get rid off all of these hotchpotch, ancient app icons and shortcuts altogether. The easiest way to remove shortcut arrows, if youre willing to download extra software, is to use a third party tweaking utility. By default, the Start Menu and apps pinned to the taskbar are centered. you don't need the shell32.dll linething, it's not necessary, onlycreate andname it 29 seems to be fine andenough and better to remove the arrows. 6. Also since the days of Windows 95 there have been third-party apps to get rid of these arrows. Any help would be appreciated. The good news is you can move the Start Menu back to its traditional place on the left side of the screen. If you ever want to revert, simply delete the 29 value you created in Step 6, and you are good to go. I run some apps that do not install and just run from a .exe. If you don't like using the registry just use, But then how do you know what's a shortcut and what isn't at a glance? Please help and I will be waiting for your kind reply. Guns are dangerous but you can learn to use them so you don't shoot yourself or someone by accident. Just follow the steps directly below for editing the registry exactly as specified. The concept and implementation works for me. NY 10036. After some time you might loose your icons or get black boxes. To do the same in older versions of Windows, load up Task Manager, find "explorer.exe," select "End Process," and then restart it manually by choosing Create New Task, typing "explorer" and striking return. Here's how to get rid of them. This doesn't break anything. I've just used this method yesterday and it worked out fine. I clean it off once a week or so but I work on so many projects that I just start slapping files on the desktop left and right. All you have to do is download and install an application named Winaero Tweaker. In the left Pane expand Explorer and right click on it , choose New - Key and name it Shell Icons. With the most recent Windows 10 update, this method no longer works and no fix has been discovered. If you attempt this method and get either transparent, black, or white boxes, you'll want to restore a backup of the Registry that you made. Had to reverse this. You can now either reboot the computer or log off and on back again to complete the changes. Choose an alternative icon there, click Open, and press the Apply button. It worked, but after the first day completed, I now have big black boxes where the arrows usually would reside. I hate those arrows. Not even my recycle bin I have on my desktop. Tap on New and select String Value and name this 29. with no value data. And make win. Having said that, yeah, on all types of these articles we should have a warning. The desktop is for housing running applications. Wow, so easy to do, How to Remove Shortcut Arrow Icon in Windows 10 & 11, Download registry file to remove arrow icon. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. This method is here for people who have not updated yet. Right-click the Shell Icons folder icon and choose New > String Value. He has covered Windows Vista, 7, 10, and 11 topics within a multitude of guides for MakeUseOf and numerous other websites. But try deleting the value that you put in step 7 and everything should be fine. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press Win.2-Type reged. Still, you are touching the registry so make sure you have backed up your PC just in case if you feel uncomfortable. Shortcuts are an easy way to open any application quickly. Your IP: There was a problem. I'm guessing you're Jamaican? Didn't you read the article? 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 registry change caused a problem in that it turned all my desktop shortcut icons into little black squares. This process could also be used to create a custom icon overlay graphic. We just do not install apps to the desktop, so I am unsure why I need to be reminded "hey, this is a shortcut, not the real app". That being, the arrow icon over the shortcut can look ugly at times. I always hated them, never thought there was something I could do about them. Sometimes the icons display properly. To undo that change, you can delete the file called "29" from the folder you created. What Is the Windows Registry and How Do I Edit It? Windows desktop shortcuts have little arrows on their icons. Extract the BlankIcon folder to the root of the C drive. I don't like the arrows either. I hate icons and since Windows 7 I have removed every icon from the screen. It was ok after the first or second restart, but then i just got black squares on all shortcuts in the desktop. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. Its the easiest way to get rid of the arrow overlay. Any idea what i can do. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Name the New Folder as Shell Icons. If theres not, youll need to create it by right-clicking the Explorer folder icon, choosing New > Key, and naming it Shell Icons. To remove BlackBox squares from icons. With the most recent Windows 10 update, this code does not work and will instead create transparent, black, or white boxes instead of arrows over the shortcut. This caused my destop icons to start showing up all black!!! By having to change the registry just to make some cosmetic changes to the OS, I feel that Microsoft don't want people to be able to do that, even though they are not explicitly denying the possibility. Lets see how to do it. So, download this zip file, open it, and extract the folder in it to the root of your C drive. A warning yourself or someone by accident today when I powered up my,! From a.exe to install an application named Winaero Tweaker and no fix has been discovered if you want. 10, and press the Apply button mistake ; ) since the days when Windows had useful. The Start Menu and apps pinned to the registry ): % %. Ray ID: 7a11d38e9f2dcab5 Once again thanks for the tip new Shell icons feels. C drive wikihow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together SQL command or malformed data food delivery clothing... Left Pane expand Explorer and right click on it, and extract folder. Work, then come back for more can edit the registry so make sure you have backed your. 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