This did absolutely nothingto get rid ofmy shortcut arrows. 90% of the icons on my desktop are shortcut icons, and now I want to get rid of those arrows. thx, This stumped me for a while, go to step 4 and simply delete the 29 file leaving the default one. See, I like that yet I think it'd be more useful if it gave you the option to uninstall too ;), And it works with other versions of Windows too. I run some apps that do not install and just run from a .exe. Idon't mind using registry sinceI use Regmagik which is really good. Generally, the arrow icon overlay on a shortcut icon helps you differentiate between a file or application and a shortcut at a glance. No clear pattern with changes occuring often after rebooting, but sometimes after running applications. The little white arrows on shortcut icons can really mess up your aesthetic. To remove the shortcut arrow icon overlay, we need to edit the registry. Hot tip: You can also restart explorer.exe / end task then run explorer via run to have the changes to take effect. If youve never worked with it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. Read also: What Is the Windows Registry and How Do I Edit It? ShortcutArrow Changer is a freeware customization app that enables users to remove the shortcut icon arrows in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. It was ok after the first or second restart, but then i just got black squares on all shortcuts in the desktop. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 12. i'm sure he must have received complaints thats why this time it is there now. What now? Press the folder icon on the taskbar to bring up Explorer. How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. Just download it, run it, and start tweaking. Because in of itself the desktop is a top-level folder, The desk top to me is like my living room, where I keep my self entertained. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. It should be in the setting like toggle button. Read: How to Center Taskbar Icons in Windows 10. His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). Thanks. Paste "%windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50" in the Value Data field and click OK. I'd love to be able to put the Recycle Bin on the Task Bar instead, but I haven't figured out a way to do that. Using the Registry It's the easiest way to get rid of the arrow overlay. this reg edit does not work in win 10, well it does until you reboot, then you have big black spaces that hide half your icon, looks worse than the shortcut arrows ! Please help and I will be waiting for your kind reply. And definitely back up the Registry(and your computer!) Now, if they could just fix that annoying "Unspecified Error" in Explorer.exe - I'd be extremely happy! Also, there are lot of third-party software available in the internet to remove the Arrow from the Shortcuts. All you have to do is download and install an application named Winaero Tweaker. 1) Delete the 29 string value in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons key. Right-click Explorer on the left of the Registry Editor to select New . Here is the tutorial on how to remove shortcut arrow Windows 10. 8. Peace :). Please can anybody advice on how to fix this. If you dont feel like diving into the Registry yourself, weve created some downloadable registry hacks you can use. Some users might prefer to remove those arrows from desktop shortcut icons. Not even my recycle bin I have on my desktop. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. I want a clean desktop so i can see the background photo clear and clean. those are the icons am talking about that l want to remove. In the Value data box enter (or copy and paste): %windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50 and hit OK when done. While it isnt the easiest way, you can edit the registry yourself without downloading or running any extra software. Just Task manager and restart exploler.exe. I had that initally and then it turned transparent, incuding part of the icon. Step 2: Navigate to the following key in Windows Registry Editor. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. 1. Select the Shell Icons folder, right-click on the right panel and choose the New -> String Value option. To do the same in older versions of Windows, load up Task Manager, find "explorer.exe," select "End Process," and then restart it manually by choosing Create New Task, typing "explorer" and striking return. That being, the arrow icon over the shortcut can look ugly at times. A crack is meant to bypass security. press "Windows Logo + I" shortcut keys to open Settings app. You will receive a verification email shortly. I hide all my icons I like a clean desktop I leave them the way they are. Windows desktop shortcuts have little arrows on their icons. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. It worked for me. Life is good again, Hi Emi, I hate how when I plug in a Bitlocker-protected external drive, the W10 notification category says "Calculator". Now I have a black box in place of arrows. You can also get more arrow overlays for shortcut icons from the IconArchive website. If you want to undo your edits, delete the file in your Registry called "29". Too bad MS dosen't have a current version of the MS Powertoy Tweak UI for W10 to expidite this process. How to Remove Shortcut Arrow Overlay on Windows 10, How to Center Taskbar Icons in Windows 10, How to Fix Boot Manager Is Missing in Windows 10, How to See Saved Items on Facebook Marketplace, How to Get Microsoft Teams Status Change Notifications. That is it. Mine said something about 'Access violation reading memory address 0xF433D785. Manage Settings One thing you have to know is that the names of options may differ, I'm using Skype in Spanish so I translated them to english.. They'd see that Google Chrome shortcut on your desktop and think they've uninstalled it by dragging it in the Recycle Bin (which is what everyone should do with their Chrome shortcuts). Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Step 5: Click again on the "Edit" menu, on "New", then on "String Value". I just did this on Windows server 2008 R2. Now go ahead and log off your computer and log . I mean after editing the registry setting will it create a problem such as i need to restore my pc,,Cuzz i installed windows 10 on my pc. I appreciate you sharing. Next, select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer within the Registry Editor's left navigation pane. You don't need an extra app and it doesn't take a lot of time. Okay. Sometimes a black box, sometimes ticks are placed over the icons. Thanks for the tip, Daniel. You can leave the Shell Icons key in place. 3. I hope its not like death pixels ones you notice them its Impossible not to see them ;-) and they bug you to death! Open Start Menu and search for Registry Editor Tap Yes, when prompted " Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your PC? The desktop has to be free of icons or it will bug the crap out of me. :-). Using the browser bar on the left, browser to the following path. Ultimate Windows Tweaker automatically creates a system restore point for you when it starts, but if youre concerned about a tweak go ahead and back up your computer first. I am so glad we have a start menu so i can pin my apps, they are so much better to look at. Visual C++ Redistributable Runtimes AIO Repack, 9. Thank you. You are the man. It also happens to be free and its a portable tool, so theres nothing to install. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Hover your mouse over New and click Key and name it "Shell Icons." Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. What other visual cue does it have to tell you it's a shortcut? Your license key has been corrupted'. Go back to the shell icons 29 that you just made. I mean, the whole reason for the start menu to return is habit. I removed all the icons on my desktop and put some of my favorite apps on the taskbar. 5. I want to be able to tell if they are shortcuts or files on my desktop by glancing through them. (Don't really need it on the desktop.) The easiest way to remove shortcut arrows, if youre willing to download extra software, is to use a third party tweaking utility. If you've not done any registry edits since, it should open immediately to the Shell Icons file. I absolutely hate those pesky little arrows. But was one of the best ways to force my dad to let me clean install 7(his previous install was full of registry problems he created trying to move software to other drives , not uninstalling properly) for the w10 upgrade, Don't need to log out. NY 10036. To do that, Tap on File and select Export. omg thank you , really needed this . In the right pane of the Shell Icons key, right-click on any empty area, and select New > String Value. Thank you for signing up to Windows Central. Select the Shortcut arrow and choose No Arrow. well, it didn't work for me. Here, we need to create a new folder. I was perfectly fine with those shortcut arrows until I read this article. I can't post a picture here Any solution to that? Now they're an eyesore thanks to you Daniel hahaha. You can restore the shortcut arrows at any time. Look Lenovo's way to find out. I clean it off once a week or so but I work on so many projects that I just start slapping files on the desktop left and right. ya those little arrows are my main reason why i don't put any app on desktop i don't like them i keep everything in startscreen. That's why Windows actually warns you that simply deleting a shortcut won't delete the program. 5. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press Win.2-Type reged. I had the same issue, I'm going to attempt to change the black squares to transparent ones. Windows 11/10 doesnt include any built-in option with which you can disable shortcut icon arrows. 4. Copy & paste the below path in the Value Data field and click on the Ok button. We had no complaints, actually. Finally, confirm with "OK" and . Click the small right-pointing arrow icon next to "SOFTWARE." Since were about to make changes to the Registry, well toss out the obligatory warning: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and you can certainly change things that would render your system unstable or even inoperable. Did it work? This action does not necessarily involve security. Aside from removing the arrow overlays, you can also change them to more appealing ones by selecting ShortcutArrow Changers Custom shortcut icon option. Is there a way to just link the iTunes icon rather than the folder? Before editing the registry, make a registry backup. He's also written hundreds of white papers, articles, user manuals, and courseware over the years. Readers like you help support MUO. I hate desktop icons so much that I just remove them completely. We all have pet peeves. So?? To remove BlackBox squares from icons. After the restart, youll notice the shortcut icons on your desktop dont have arrows on them. The good news is you can move the Start Menu back to its traditional place on the left side of the screen. I hate those arrows. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android. >>>>\System32\shell32.dll,-50 As most of the icons on your desktop will likely be shortcuts, however, those arrows are hardly essential. 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. OP should revise his post so that people stop running into this problem. please send us a fix, Skip step 7. after I've done this process the shortcut arrows became a black block after restarting the second time. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). No boxes, no arrows. How to Remove Shortcut Arrow Icon in Windows 10 & 11, Download registry file to remove arrow icon. It seems like your suggestion doesn't works on Windows 10 (no mutter 32 or 64 bit). Enjoy! Use Winaero Tweaker instead if thats the case. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. If you attempt this method and get either transparent, black, or white boxes, you'll want to restore a backup of the Registry that you made. Performance & security by Cloudflare. So untidy :(. All three are included in the following ZIP file. Just to update, the solution with the folder AVG only works if you have AVG on your computer. Navigate to and open the folder that includes the ShortcutArrow Changer setup file. To get this to work on my machine, I had to undo step 7. Clear instructions are presented in this article so I don't think the danger is that great, as long as you are able to follow instructions. To do this, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors.". Have to admitlost a bit of respect for DRubino seeing him use desktop shortcuts for launching apps. You can replace the regular arrows with the super large, Vista-style arrows. I want to make my icons bigger but not sure if I should do this thing.. thanks, I had the stupid black box after little bit and using your advice its gone! Click OK to bring up the Registry Editor. Certainly one of my annoyances as well. In Two methods we can remove the Shortcut Arrow in Windows 10. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. You can do this. I still don't get why people put crap on the desktop. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. As I mentioned, there are plenty of apps that do this. Click on Yes. it displays an icon with a arrow which l don't like and want to remove those arrows so that l can have only that icon on desktop without the arrow. 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. This doesn't break anything. Windows 10 is no different. I've just simply after a system reboot, I met no arrows, BUT all desktop icons turned into black squares! To do so right-click the Explorer key in the left pane, then select New > Key and name it Shell Icons. The program was called Easy Content Menu (v1.6 from 2015) I ran the program to adjust some of my Content Menu settings, then discovered that in the menu under Extras I could select Remove Shortcut Arrows. Control Panel (or Settings) -> type "icons desktop" in the search box -> click/tap Show or hide command icons on the desktop. 209.236.71.63 This method is here for people who have not updated yet. 11. Didn't you read the article? Somehow no one seems to know this, but any time a change requires you to "log out and in again," you can actually just restart exploer.exe to achieve the same result. and is everything ok on your side? Last time when i changed the registry for dark theme, Apps were not accepting data from hard drives*.so i wont change it this time again and there is no defaults for registry as well. Saves the convienence of logging in and out or restarting your computer. First I'm hearing of that issue. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. These hacks are really just the Shell Icon key we described above, exported to a .REG file. He writes about things he believes are actually helpful in some way to the user. Just clean icons! When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. No arrows that way :D, You can get rid of the Recycle Bin as well. Tried this - on my machines the shortcuts disappeared - but were replaced by a square black box ! Although I like to keep docs/images or things I'm working on on the desktop, so even I'm guilty of it too. Open the start menu, search for Registry Editor, and click the result to open the Registry Editor. What the heck is a Tiny-in-One? Same thing happened to me. So, lets see how to remove the shortcut arrow overlay on Windows. Save it to the C:\Program Files (x86)\BTI Software House\ShortcutArrow Changer folder. This is a simple hack that anyone can do, as long as you stick to the instructions. Well yes, but in *my* case it is a lot of effort compared to what i'd gain from it (being, 1-2 minutes of uncluttered desktop 3-4 times a month), that's all. Give it a name that suits you or add the current date and save. Solution????? Windows Central is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. But it sure didn't sound like a joke no hard feelings, I know I can be harsh sometimes, I was just emphasising (maybe too much) how I think this kind of cosmetic changes, like the settings' dark theme, shouldn't need an registry editing. Lol at chacka chacka. CCleaner seems to be having troubles with Edge. yeah, I agree, although that just means that Microsoft should re-think about how they represent apps and deletion. I think doing a system backup is more effort. It's like the registry has no limit to it's reach throughout the OS. Click to reveal Reboot the system, and the shortcut arrow icon is removed from the shortcut icons. Use the method Daniel describes, not an old classic. Techwiser (2012-2023). Download 'Remove Shortcut Arrow in Windows 10 & 11.' Extract the four files including Shortcut Arrow Icon - Remove.reg, Shortcut Arrow Icon - Restore.reg [.i], and blank.ico. Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. no black square after rebooting? I had to undo everything and cope with the tiny "arrows" for now. Needed something a while back while I was still on Windows 7. ok, I agree it's nice to have the freedom to tweak the system as you desire, and I did a lot of it back in the 98/XP, but since the smartphone boom most new users are too "user" to do this safely. All the fear of the registry seems kind of funny. I've just used this method yesterday and it worked out fine. Editorial Director for How-To Geek and its sister sites. After installing ShorcutArrow Changer, double-click the desktop shortcut for that software. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Your icons should update immediately. Truth be told, it is super simple and should take no more than 5 minutes. Click the Key option on the submenu. Back to arrows though, i'm gonna try a third party program like they mention at the beginning that way it's just an uninstall, i hope, job if theres a problem rather than wondering how to go back and fix what I didn't undersand in the first place as i just followed instructions lol. Don't worry - just open up regedit again. How to remove shortcut arrows in Windows 10 1. Even though the arrows are smaller than in some previous versions of Windows, they arent terribly attractive. Did anyone experience this? A hack is way around the intended process of the program. This is the Icon we will use to remove the shortcut arrow icon in Windows 10 and 11. 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