Windows 10: Hiding Shortcut Arrow

Hello folks

I am new to both these forums and windows 10, so please try and bear with me.


Okay, in previous iterations of windows I was always able to hide those unsightly shortcut arrows that are attached to shortcut icons on the desktop. I can do so in Windows 10, but a problem arises. After I log out and back in the arrows are gone, but then many of my icons are turned into nothing but a black square!

I actually used this method:

Shortcut Arrow Icon - Change, Remove, or Restore in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

read this one as well (more or less the same)

How to get rid of app shortcut arrows on the Windows 10 desktop | Windows Central

Anyone have any idea how to get rid of the arrows while keeping my icons from turning into black squares? Oh, and I have tried different graphics drivers as well.

Thanks in advance

:)

 

Unable to pin icons to Taskbar after making registry changes

Hi,

"Undo" the registry edit. Add the "IsShortcut" registry value back for .lnk file type.

Better method to hide shortcut arrows is to override the default icon using "Shell Icons" registry key.

 

Desktop Arrow Symbols

The arrow symbol in your screen capture is the standard arrow for a shortcut, it does not mean compression !!

For a step by step registry hack to remove these standard shortcut arrows -
Click HERE

 

Hello Plainjane, *Smile

Either option in the tutorial below should allow you to remove the shortcut arrow without having the black square. Using the downloadable transparent.ico file works best for this if you unblock it first, and save it to your System32 folder.

Shortcut Arrow Icon - Change, Remove, or Restore in Windows 10

 

Sorry to be a bother, but could you break that down a bit for me. Unblock it and save it to my system32 folder? I have downloaded transparent.ico and have it right here on my desktop. How do I unblock it and save it to that particular folder?

 

It's never a bother. *Smile

The tutorial below can show you how to unblock it if needed.

Unblock File in Windows 10

You would then just copy/move the transparent.ico file into your "C:\Windows\System32" folder, and click on Continue to approve.

You would specify the C:\Windows\System32\transparent.ico path in Registry Editor at step 6 in OPTION TWO below.

Shortcut Arrow Icon - Change, Remove, or Restore in Windows 10

 

Yay, that worked like a charm. Thanks for clarifying that for me, and thanks again for your help in the other thread. I really do appreciate all that.

Off to go mess around with my new OS a bit more. *Smile

 

You're most welcome. *Smile