Show, hide, or resize desktop icons (2024)

FAQs

Show, hide, or resize desktop icons? ›

Right-click (or press and hold) the desktop, point to View, and then select Large icons, Medium icons, or Small icons. Tip: You can also use the scroll wheel on your mouse to resize desktop icons.

Your desktop icons may be hidden. To view them, right-click the desktop, select View, and then select Show desktop icons. To add icons to your desktop such as This PC, Recycle Bin and more: Select the Start button, and then select Settings > Personalization > Themes.

Your desktop is your digital desk. A clean desk has many psychological benefits, and the same applies to a computer desktop. Hiding the folders keeps the display clean and uncluttered.

To show or hide desktop icons

Right-click (or press and hold) the desktop, point to View, and then select Show desktop icons to add or clear the check mark.

Enable “Show Desktop Icons” feature

Restore your icons by enabling “Show desktop icons.” Right-click on an empty space on your desktop, hover over “View” in the context menu that appears, and click “Show desktop icons.” If there's no checkmark next to it, clicking it will make your icons visible.

Press and hold or right-click any empty space on the taskbar and select Taskbar settings. Under Taskbar corner icons: Select On for any icons you want to see on the taskbar.

Consider Screen Resolution: If you find icons too small or too large even after adjusting, it might be worth looking at your display's resolution settings. Sometimes, a resolution not optimized for your monitor can lead to display issues.

Click on Windows® Icon. Click on settings icon > System > Display Tab. On "Scale and layout" under "Change the size of text ,apps, and other items" select the option to adjust the size.

There is no reason that simply having a lot of “stuff” in the Desktop folder will make a computer slower in general.

Energy consumption and cost

Modern computers are more energy-efficient, but continuous operation can still contribute to higher energy bills. Utilizing sleep or hibernation modes can reduce power consumption when the computer is not actively in use and keep your computer ready to go for when you need it.

Do desktop icons take up memory? ›

Each time your computer starts, operating memory is used for all files on the Desktop. If those files are Shortcuts, the total amount of memory used will be small. If however, there are several or dozens of files on the Desktop, those will use lots of operating memory.

Make use of the Desktop Context Menu

To begin, go to the desktop and right-click on a blank area. Next, go to View and uncheck the box beside Show desktop icons.

The Alt + 255 alt code is a hidden character that makes your desktop icons appear to not have a name.

You can hide the taskbar both in desktop mode and tablet mode. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar, select Taskbar settings, select Taskbar behaviors, and select Automatically hide the taskbar.