Windows 10: Add or Remove Default Desktop Icons in Windows 10

How to: Add or Remove Default Desktop Icons in Windows 10

How to Add or Remove Common Desktop Icons in Windows 10


Windows includes the common This PC (aka: Computer), User's Files, Network, Recycle Bin, and Control Panel shortcuts that you can add or remove as icons on your desktop.

This tutorial will how you to add or remove common desktop icons for your account in Windows 10.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Add or Remove Common Desktop Icons in Settings app
• Option Two: To Add or Remove Common Desktop Icons using a REG file

EXAMPLE: Desktop icons









OPTION ONE [/i] To Add or Remove Common Desktop Icons in Settings app
1. Open Settings, and click/tap on the Personalization icon.

*note If you like, you can open Run (Win+R), type the desk.cpl ,5 or rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,0 command into Run, and click/tap on OK to directly open Desktop Icon Settings at step 4 below instead.

2. Click/tap on Themes on the left side, and click/tap on the Desktop icon settings link on the right side under Related Settings. (see screenshot below)



3. You can now close Settings if you like.

4. Check (add) or uncheck (remove) the Desktop icons you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)








OPTION TWO [/i] To Add or Remove Common Desktop Icons using a REG file
1. Do step 2 (This PC), step 3 (User's Files), step 4 (Network), step 5 (Recycle Bin), and/or step 6 (Control Panel) below for the desktop icons you want to add or remove from your desktop.


2. To Add or Remove This PC Desktop Icon
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.

*Arrow Add_This-PC_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download


*Arrow Remove_This-PC_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download

3. To Add or Remove User's Files Desktop Icon
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.

*Arrow Add_Users_Files_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download


*Arrow Remove_Users_Files_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download

4. To Add or Remove Network Desktop Icon
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.

*Arrow Add_Network_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download


*Arrow Remove_Network_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download

5. To Add or Remove Recycle Bin Desktop Icon
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.

*Arrow Add_Recycle_Bin_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download


*Arrow Remove_Recycle_Bin_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download

6. To Add or Remove Control Panel Desktop Icon
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.

*Arrow Add_Control_Panel_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download


*Arrow Remove_Control_Panel_Desktop_Icon.reg

Download
7. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

8. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

9. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

10. Refresh (F5) your desktop to apply.

11. You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Enable or Disable Changing Desktop Icons in Windows
• How to Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons in Windows 10
• How to Create Desktop Icon Settings Shortcut in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Dropbox Desktop Icon in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Homegroup Desktop Icon in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Libraries Desktop Icon in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove OneDrive Desktop Icon in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove 'Personalize (classic)' context menu in Windows 10
• How to Hide or Show All Icons on Your Desktop in Windows 10
• How to Change Desktop Icon Horizontal and Vertical Spacing in Windows 10
• How to Change the Size of Desktop Icons in Windows 10
• How to Pin Recycle Bin to Taskbar in Windows 10
• How to Add Empty Recycle Bin to Context Menu in Windows 10
• How to Change Default Icon for This PC in Windows 10
• How to Change Default Icon for User's Files in Windows 10
• How to Change Default Icon for Network in Windows 10
• How to Change the Default Recycle Bin Icon in Windows 10
• How to Create Shortcut to App, File, Folder, Drive, or Website in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Drop Shadows for Icon Labels on Desktop in Windows

:)

 

show icons on desktop

Please see:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/6994-hide-s...

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/6942-add-re...

 

Inability to empty recycle bin

This should help bringing back the Recycle bin:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/6942-add-re...

 

Hello sflesch, *Smile

Do you have any issues setting this in "Desktop Icon Settings" from Option 1?

 

Actually, that is where I find the issue. I have been doing some more playing and found that if I log in and back out, the error is gone. Ideally I would like to avoid the issue altogether so when a new user logs in, they don't see the error.

I originally thought it wasn't enabling the This PC icon and broke it completely, but I just realized at some point I broke the script so it didn't enable the icon. I need to do a fresh load for sure to see if my script works, but I think the error still exists. I think changing that reg ksy though was a red herring since logging out and back in seems to fix the issue.

Here is the script in case you are curious. It's actually called by another script, but I think I have narrowed it to this one.

Code: :: Various registry keys from Shawn Brink:: Via Windows 10 Help Forums REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel" /V {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /FREM REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\ClassicStartMenu" /V {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F:: Show Explorer MenusREG ADD "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\AlwaysShowMenus" /V "DefaultValue" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /FREG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V AlwaysShowMenus /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F:: 0 Show, 1 Hide:: Show File ExtensionsREG ADD "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\HideFileExt" /V "DefaultValue" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /FREG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V HideFileExt /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F:: 0 Show, 1 Hide:: Show DrivesREG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /V NoDrives /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F:: 0 Show, 1 Hide:: Open File Explorer toREG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V LaunchTo /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F:: 0 Quick Access:: 1 This PC"\\d073456\Software$\(1)ImageTools\Scriptfiles\SetDefaultBrowser.exe" "Google Chrome"pause:: To kill and restart explorertaskkill /f /im explorer.exeTIMEOUT /T 3start explorer.exe[/quote]

 

I should clarify. The manual part of option one, not the command line. When I click on Desktop Icons, I get that error.

It's nothing critical. Upon further research, once you log out and back in again, this also fixes it, so no need for the registry key I mentioned above. I guess that would be a red herring.

It also only seems to happen for the first account created after running the script. I will have to do more research, but as long as I create one account (which is what I usually do as long as I remember) after running it, it doesn't look like any new future users see the issue. It's rather interesting.

 

Odd. I look forward to hearing your findings.

 

I think I figured out the issue. It wasn't any of the registry keys, but when I'm done, I kill explorer.exe and then restart it. To confirm, I ran:
Code: TASKKILL /F /IM explorer.exe TIMEOUT /T 3 START explorer.exe[/quote] alone and I get the same results. Once I log out and back in again, everything works as it should.

 

Interesting.

Does refreshing (F5) the desktop help any instead of having to restart explorer?

 

Nope. Still need to logoff once.

At least I know I can run my script and it doesn't totally mess the PC up permanently.

I'll keep researching as I get time. At least I know I can narrow it down to a force shutdown and restart of explorer.

Thanks for your help.

 

If you like, here's a context menu you can add in the tutorial below to help make restarting explorer easier as needed.

*Arrow Restart Explorer Context Menu - Add in Windows 10 Customization Tutorials

 

Thanks. I may mark this for later use, but right now these are my little obsessive one-time tweaks after imaging a PC to make my life a little easier.

 

You can also use:

desk.cpl ,5

instead of

rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,0