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Windows XP and the Display - Desktop

Quickly Hide or Show Your Desktop Icons

SUMMARY: This tip lets you hide or show all of your Desktop Icons on your Windows XP machine.

Tired of icons clogging up your Windows XP Desktop and covering your wallpaper? Perhaps you'd like to temporarily remove all of the icons to clean up space while working on applications or admiring your wallpaper photo. You can do this and still have quick access to your icons later when needed.

1. Right-click an empty area of the Desktop and choose "Arrange Icons By".

2. Now, check or uncheck "Show Desktop Icons" as desired.

3. Wait a few seconds, and your icons should appear or disappear as selected!

If you are concerned about losing your desktop icons when performing this tip, you may wish to first backup your icons to another folder or removable media.

Toggling whether or not to show the Desktop icons on a Windows XP machine