Immediately, all the desktop icons, including the Recycle Bin, will disappear.
Any new shortcuts or files added to the desktop will also be hidden.
In older Windows versions, right-hit the desktop and go toPersonalize>Change desktop icons.
Uncheck the box next toRecycle Binand any other system icon you want to hide, and then selectOK.
To hide the Windows XP Recycle Bin, see ourHow to Remove the Recycle Bin From a Windows Desktopguide.
Hiding the Recycle Bin does not turn it off.
It just won’t be accessible directly from the desktop.
Right-smack the file, shortcut, or folder that you want to hide.
Choose theGeneraltab if it isn’t already selected, and selectHiddenfrom theAttributessection at the bottom.
SelectApplyto see the file disappear.
If it’s a folder, you oughta also selectOKon the confirmation box.
Make an Invisible Desktop Folder
Do you have lots of files or icons you want to hide?
you could put it all in a hidden folder that sits on the desktop.
Change the folder’s icon.
When you’re picking a folder, scroll to the right until you find one that’s blank.
Rename the folder, but typeAlt+255as the file name.
The quickest way to pop swing open the rename option is to left-smack the folder once and select theF2key.
After typing the alt hotkey, pressEnteror click elsewhere on the desktop to save it.
There are a few ways to go about this, depending on the method you used.
This will show you everything that was previously visible on the desktop.
The exception is the Recycle Bin; change the path to sayRecycle Binto view it.
When you show hidden files/folders, they appear a bit darker than non-hidden items.
A hidden desktop folder is easy to locate if you highlight everything on the desktop withCtrl+A.
As the previous section showed, it’sreallyeasy to unhide desktop icons in just a few seconds.
It’s much safer toencrypt your files behind a password.
Then you might select images included with Windows
There’s a key on your keyboard labeledPrtSc.
