Windows 7 Tutorial

Show or hide common desktop icons in Windows 7: Computer, User, Network, Recycle Bin, Control Panel

Windows 7 ships with a set of default settings, one of which determines which common icons will be visible on your desktop. But like most things in Windows, you can customize that, and choose the icons you want to hide or show on your desktop: this does not affect your files and folders, only "system icons" like Computer ("My Computer"), Network, User's Files (the folder that contains your files and folders, like Music, Pictures...), and Recycle Bin. The reason Windows 7 lets you optionally hide these icons is that they can be accessed in several other ways, making them "redundant" on the desktop.

 

Configure your desktop icons preferences

Follow these steps to show or hide common icons from your desktop:

Note: on a somewhat related topic, Windows 7 also lets you show or hide or desktop icons altogether (your files and folders, as well as anything else that would be visible on your desktop when all open windows are minimized, regardless of your common items settings).

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