Removing icons from the desktop on a Mac is a simple process that won’t delete any files or applications associated with the icon. Here’s how to do it:
1. Click on the icon you want to remove to select it.
2. Press the “Command” and “Delete” keys together or drag the icon to the trash can in the dock.
3. If the icon is a shortcut to an application, the application won’t be deleted when you remove the icon from the desktop.
4. To remove multiple icons at once, simply select all the icons you want to remove and repeat the above steps.
Alternatively, you can hide desktop icons on a Mac by going to the “Finder” menu and selecting “Preferences.” Then, choose the “General” tab and uncheck the option for “Show these items on the desktop” for any icons you want to hide. This will remove them from the desktop, but they will still be accessible from the Finder.
How do I remove something from my desktop without deleting it Mac 2021?
How do I remove items from my desktop without deleting Mac?
To remove items from your desktop on a Mac without deleting them, you can follow these steps:
1. Click on the item you want to remove. If you want to select multiple items, hold down the Command key while clicking on each item.
2. Once you have selected the item(s), press the Command and Delete keys on your keyboard. This will move the item(s) to your Trash folder.
3. Alternatively, you can drag the item(s) to the Trash folder icon in your Dock. You can also right-click on the item(s) and select “Move to Trash” from the drop-down menu.
4. Once the item(s) are in the Trash folder, you can always restore them by opening the Trash folder and dragging them back to your desktop or to another location on your Mac.
It’s important to note that removing items from your desktop does not delete them from your Mac. They are simply moved to the Trash folder, where they can be restored if needed. However, it’s always a good idea to regularly empty your Trash folder to free up space on your Mac. To do this, right-click on the Trash folder icon in your Dock and select “Empty Trash.”
How do I remove desktop icons from my Mac desktop?
To remove desktop icons from your Mac desktop, you can follow these steps:
1. Click and hold the icon you want to remove until it starts shaking.
2. Press the “Delete” key on your keyboard, or drag the icon to the trash can in the dock.
3. If you want to remove multiple icons at once, click and drag a selection box around them to highlight them all, then follow the same steps as above.
4. Once you have deleted the icons, empty the trash can by clicking and holding on the trash can icon in the dock and selecting “Empty Trash.”
Alternatively, you can also go to “Finder” and select “Preferences” from the “Finder” menu at the top of the screen. Under the “General” tab, uncheck the box next to “Show these items on the desktop” for any items you want to remove from the desktop.
It is a good idea to periodically remove unused icons from your desktop to keep it organized and make it easier to find the files you need.
How do I remove icons from my desktop without deleting them?
If you want to remove icons from your desktop without deleting them, you have a few options:
1. Hide Desktop Icons: In Windows, you can hide all the icons on your desktop by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting “View” > “Show desktop icons” to uncheck it. This will hide all the icons, but they will still be on your computer.
2. Move the Icons to Another Folder: You can move the icons to another folder on your computer. To do this, select the icon and drag it to the folder where you want to store it.
3. Create a Folder on Your Desktop: You can create a folder on your desktop and move the icons into it. This will keep your desktop organized and clutter-free. To create a folder, right-click on your desktop and select “New” > “Folder.” You can then drag the icons into the folder.
4. Use a Third-Party App: There are various third-party apps available that can help you manage your desktop icons. These apps can help you organize your icons and remove them without deleting them permanently. Some popular apps are Fences and DesktopOK.
Overall, removing icons from your desktop without deleting them is easy and can be done in a number of ways. You can hide them, move them to another folder, create a folder on your desktop, or use a third-party app.
How do I hide icons on my desktop?
To hide icons on your desktop, you have a few options depending on the operating system you are using:
For Windows:
1. Right-click on your desktop and select “View”
2. Uncheck the “Show desktop icons” option
3. This will hide all icons on your desktop
Alternatively, you can hide specific icons by:
1. Right-click on the icon you want to hide
2. Click “Properties”
3. In “Attributes” or “General” tab, check “Hidden” option
4. Click “Apply” and “OK”
For Mac:
1. Click on your desktop to make sure you are in Finder
2. From the menu bar at the top of your screen, select “Finder” -> “Preferences”
3. In “General” tab, uncheck the “Show these items on the desktop” option
4. This will hide all icons on your desktop
Alternatively, you can hide specific icons by:
1. Click on the icon you want to hide
2. Press “Command + i” or right-click and select “Get Info”
3. In the “General” section, check the “Hide” option
4. Close the window
Note: You can still access your hidden icons and files by using search or the respective program that created them.
How do you remove the files on recent without deleting them on Mac?
On a Mac, the “Recent” folder is a collection of shortcuts to files and folders that you have recently opened or worked on. These shortcuts are stored in the “RecentItems” folder, which is located within your user folder. If you want to remove the files from your “Recent” folder without actually deleting them, there are a few steps you can follow:
1. Open a new Finder window.
2. Click on “Go” in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
3. Hold down the “Option” key on your keyboard, and you should see a new option appear that says “Library”. Click on it.
4. Navigate to the “RecentItems” folder. This should be located at: ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.sharedfilelist/
5. Once you’re in the “RecentItems” folder, you should see a list of shortcuts to your recent files and folders. Select the items that you want to remove.
6. Drag those items to the Trash.
7. Finally, empty the Trash to completely remove the items from your Mac.
These steps will remove the shortcuts for the selected files and folders from your “Recent” folder, without actually deleting the files themselves. This means that you can still access the original files and folders through their normal locations on your Mac.
How do I remove something from my desktop only?
To remove something from your desktop only, you can follow the below steps:
1. Click on the item you want to remove from the desktop to select it.
2. Press the “Delete” key on your keyboard to send the item to the Recycle Bin.
3. Right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select “Empty Recycle Bin” to remove the item permanently from your desktop.
Alternatively, you can also drag and drop the item into the Recycle Bin icon to delete it. This will remove the item from your desktop only and will not delete it from your computer entirely. If you want to remove the item completely from your computer, you will need to go to the Recycle Bin and empty it.
Can you remove files from your desktop without deleting them?
Yes, you can remove files from your desktop without deleting them. There are a few methods to do this:
1. Move the files to a different folder: You can create a new folder and move the files you want to remove from your desktop to that folder. This will keep the files stored safely in a new location without cluttering up your desktop.
2. Create desktop shortcuts: If you still need quick access to the files, you can create a shortcut icon on your desktop. This will create a link to the original file without taking up as much space.
3. Use a cloud storage service: You can store your files in a cloud storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive. This way, you can access your files from anywhere, and they won’t take up any space on your desktop.
It’s important to note that removing files from your desktop doesn’t free up space on your computer’s hard drive. To do that, you’ll need to permanently delete the files or move them to an external storage device.