The location / process for changing this in the registry has not changed since XP either. If youve never worked with it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. Created on August 25, 2016 Shortcut Arrows in the icons on Win 10 desktop Does anyone know how to make those annoying 'shortcut arrows' on icons on the Windows Desktop disappear? Visual C++ Redistributable Runtimes AIO Repack, 9. Remove the Shortcut Arrow Icon in Windows 10 & 11 contains the registry files and a blank.ico to remove or restore the shortcut arrow from your icons. I have no problem with the arrow, but I dont like too many icons on my desktop. If you are not comfortable editing the registry, you can automate things with a .reg file. remove the shortcut arrow with a single click; set classic (XP-like) shortcut arrow with a single click; set ANY icon as the shortcut overlay; and of course, reset the shortcut arrow to its default icon. Icons on the desktop are like putting your cloths in the living room. You are the man. 1. 10. Enter shortcut arrow icon in that websites search box to find more. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. Please refresh the page and try again. it is obviously easier to access a shortcut from the desktop rather than searching through menus. Like I said, everyone has their thing that bugs them. 2. Solution????? Creating a shortcut in Windows will automatically add an arrow icon overlay over the actual shortcut icon. I still don't get why people put crap on the desktop. He doesn't believe in fanboying a specific product. No matter what method you use, you should be able to get exactly the icons you want with minimal fuss. don't add \system32\shell32.dll,50. I hate icons and since Windows 7 I have removed every icon from the screen. I tried this and while the initial results were good, after a short amount of time I started getting black blocks on my desktop icons, and icons in my Start menu weren't appearing or only partially appearing - had to remove the reg key to fix it. Wow you can do anything to Windows through the registry. It should be noted that those little arrows actually have a purpose; they differentiate shortcuts (which can safely be deleted) with the app itself (which will make you sad if deleted). wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. You don't need to Restart. you know add in red "at your own risk" think, but that should also make it better for the users if they must use registry editor for some tip you give. I've never killed a PC that way, even when first starting out. I always here that it's dangerous I believe it but I also think you should learn how to use it. We had no complaints, actually. I also thought that.. And this will please Windows 7 gadgets lovers a bit. After installing ShorcutArrow Changer, double-click the desktop shortcut for that software. how to remove shortcut arrow from desktop iconssteps1-Open Start. It is that simple to remove shortcut arrow overlay from shortcut icons. Paste "%windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50" in the Value Data field and click OK. By using our site, you agree to our. Here's how to get rid of them. The black box is far worse than the shortcut arrow. This also happened with previous versions of Windows when I tried to use a 3rd-party tool to do the same thing. This restores the arrow icon. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. As most of the icons on your desktop will likely be shortcuts, however, those arrows are hardly essential. Just leave that box empty. This action does not necessarily involve security. Most apps that rely on the registry are designed to ignore bad values or use defaults. Thank you for signing up to Windows Central. Yetserday I tried this and the icons on my desktop looked so good, but today they look like this. If you enjoy fiddling with the Registry, its worth taking the time to learn how to make your own Registry hacks. Yay! However, some users have reported the Registry method to not work sometimes, especially on Windows 10. I know its just an indicator of the icon being a shortcut but Id rather have a clean looking icon rather than a small overlay. East or West Daniel is the best. This is the Icon we will use to remove the shortcut arrow icon in Windows 10 and 11. 7. Click on the Yes/Ok button to continue if you see a prompt. Sit in the library in the mornings before school finishing off any work, Yeah we've come along way I remember having to use login studio to skin vista whereas 7 had the option to do that. Certainly one of my annoyances as well. Enter Shell Icons in the new key's text box. This easy step by step guide shows you how to get rid of them! First I'm hearing of that issue. RELATED: How to Backup and Restore the Windows Registry. Any workaround? Navigate to and open the folder that includes the ShortcutArrow Changer setup file. Answer yes When prompted Do you want to. Learn how to remove shortcut arrow on icons in windows 10. Double-click "[bti soft] shortcutarrow changer setup" to open the installers window. All the fear of the registry seems kind of funny. Yes, most apps won't appear on the desktop, but some of the smaller all-in-one apps like file archivers and tag editors can. Here, we need to create a new folder. There are a few easy ways to tackle this problem. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Step 5: Click again on the "Edit" menu, on "New", then on "String Value". How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. This is why the term 'FIRST WORLD PROBLEM' was created. ShortcutArrow Changer is a freeware customization app that enables users to remove the shortcut icon arrows in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. He's authored or co-authored over 30 computer-related books in more than a dozen languages for publishers like Microsoft Press, O'Reilly, and Osborne/McGraw-Hill. Both systems have windows 10 and are fully up to date. Removing those little arrows requires a tweak to the Windows Registry, but there are a few different ways of going about it. If you want to undo your edits, delete the file in your Registry called "29". However with Windows 10 instead of having shortcut icons on the Desktop I just add then to the Start Screen where there are no arrows. But hey that's why options are a good thing right. Rare footage of Blazblue actually getting a shoutout =) This registry change caused a problem in that it turned all my desktop shortcut icons into little black squares. Name the new folder as Shell Icons. This is where we need to create a new value that removes the shortcut arrow in Windows 10 and 11. In the field "Value data" enter the value below to remove the arrow from the shortcut icons. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The desktop is where I open and used my apps not for pining icons. Type or copy-paste HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer in given space in Registry Editor. Follow the below steps, and you should be good.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'windowsloop_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_1',146,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-windowsloop_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Note: Both methods shown below will work in Windows 10 and 11. Let's see how to do it. But try deleting the value that you put in step 7 and everything should be fine. before making changes. You can change this long box to an icon or a button or completely remove the search from the taskbar. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. Press Enter. 7. That might sound a little daunting, but a pretty straightforward registry tweak is all thats needed. 90% of the icons on my desktop are shortcut icons, and now I want to get rid of those arrows. All you have to do is download and install an application named Winaero Tweaker. The desktop folder will still be accessible in Explorer. No clear pattern with changes occuring often after rebooting, but sometimes after running applications. If you want to bringthe arrows back, just delete the 29 value you created. It is, therefore, NOT a hack. So, lets see how to remove the shortcut arrow overlay on Windows. #JustSaying, I got a big ugly black square now too. Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. Vaibhav is a broadcast journalist with a keen interest in tech. Performance & security by Cloudflare. After the restart, youll notice the shortcut icons on your desktop dont have arrows on them. To do this, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors.". If you want a dumb-system all locked down, go to OSX. As an added precaution, create a system restore point too. Its pretty easy to do. With the most recent Windows 10 update, this code does not work and will instead create transparent, black, or white boxes instead of arrows over the shortcut. Click Explorer then right-click the Explorer folder. if you get the black box of death, just go back to registry and leave the value datablank of the string. Today when I powered up my laptop, the arrow thingy was replaced by a black square. Way 2: Open Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R, type regedit, and click OK. Thanks a lot Dan for this great hack. It worked for me. What other visual cue does it have to tell you it's a shortcut? I mean, the whole reason for the start menu to return is habit. Hey this is a nice tip, I don't have problem with those arrows actually but it's kinda neat to see shortcuts without them, thanks Dan! It's like spilling wine on a very nice collared shirt. Same thing happened to me. Just sign out and sign back in. Not a good hack! Click the small right-pointing arrow icon next to "Windows." Seriously I hate those arrows too no idea why :P. My number one complaint is that certain apps pinned to the taskbar clone themselves when you open them. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Double-click the new 29 value and type (or copy and paste) the following into the Value data box to remove arrows from shortcut icons: Click OK and exit Registry Editor. As you type, you'll see search results populate. Sometimes the icons display properly. (Don't really need it on the desktop.) Click to reveal Right click on \Explorer and using the dialog menu choose New > Key and name it Shell Icons. but leave it blank. Life is good again, Hi Emi, So untidy :(. It also happens to be free and its a portable tool, so theres nothing to install. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. But now I have black squares hiding all shortcut icons altogether. Youre always taking a small risk when you use system tweaking tools like this. You can do this. Windows 11s default shortcut icon arrows arent especially visually appealing or important to keep. This is not working for me, may it be I am on 64-bit OS? And definitely back up the Registry(and your computer!) Needed something a while back while I was still on Windows 7. Yet for me, it's my biggest nuisance. How to Add Icons to the Desktop in Windows 11, MakeUseOf MWC Awards 2023: The Best Tech in Show. 13. We all have pet peeves. I can't post a picture here Any solution to that? You can now either reboot the computer or log off and on back again to complete the changes. Incorrect. Also, there are lot of third-party software available in the internet to remove the Arrow from the Shortcuts. If I see the arrow I know I can toast it and not lose an app. First of all it was because of those annoying little shortcut arrows, now it just looks messy with anything on it. Windows desktop shortcuts have little arrows on their icons. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Its pretty quick and easy to remove the icon arrows with either of the methods above. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. These hacks are really just the Shell Icon key we described above, exported to a .REG file. It's mostly just a legacy from the days when Windows had a useful desktop metaphor, where real-world objects represented computer functions. Rely on the Registry, but today they look like this or log and. 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