Select an arrow to download from there, and click the ICO button. This works! Completely Uninstall Riot Games (Vanguard and the Riot Games Client), How to Change the Screen Brightness in Windows 10: A Quick Guide, Turn Off Microsoft Defender in Windows 10: Temporarily or Permanently, How to Use Function Keys Without Pressing Fn on Windows 10, How to Delete Temporary Files in Windows 10: A Quick Guide, How to Eject the CD/DVD Tray on a Windows 10 PC, 2 Quick Ways to Log In as Administrator in Windows 10, https://windowsloop.com/remove-shortcut-arrow-on-shortcuts/, Remover as Flechinhas de Atalhos da rea de Trabalho. Paste "%windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50" in the Value Data field and click OK. Removing those little arrows requires a tweak to the Windows Registry, but there are a few different ways of going about it. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published References That's what I do too, but this is a nice tutorial. Click the small right-pointing arrow icon next to "CurrentVersion." After a short adjustment period you'll be happy you did. When you select that option, the Icons folder shown directly below will open from which you can select different arrows for the icon. Here is how. Command Prompt looks more impressive without the stupid arrow haha. Thanks a million Daniel. 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 get a white rectangle over some of my icons with this "fix". #JustSaying, I got a big ugly black square now too. 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 ! Yeah I can agree. and that's not always a good thing, it's very dangerous to mess with the registry, I only do it for important things, and this arrows thing is not one of them, if there isn't an option in the settings, then I consider it's not meant to be. He's also written hundreds of white papers, articles, user manuals, and courseware over the years. One of the best is Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4 for Windows 10. Click regedit and click Yes. WTF?? 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. After some time you might loose your icons or get black boxes. I run some apps that do not install and just run from a .exe. Needed something a while back while I was still on Windows 7. But hey that's why options are a good thing right. I had to undo everything and cope with the tiny "arrows" for now. 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. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. And uncheck "Keep Skype on the taskbar While i'm connected".. Right-click the Shell Icons folder icon and choose New > String Value. 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. Lol at chacka chacka. 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. Step 5: Click again on the "Edit" menu, on "New", then on "String Value". The arrows are the for unwashed masses. If you want to undo your edits, delete the file in your Registry called "29". Extract the four files including Shortcut Arrow Icon - Remove.reg, Shortcut Arrow Icon - Restore.reg, and blank.ico. Major Geeks for more than your General Needs. Type the regedit Run command in the Open box. Click once and press restart or reboot the computer or log off and on to complete the task. Double click/tap on the 29 String Value to modify it. Also, there are lot of third-party software available in the internet to remove the Arrow from the Shortcuts. It's like spilling wine on a very nice collared shirt. You can also do it manually through the Task Manager. Press and hold the Windows key + R, and it will open the Run dialog box for you. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. As I mentioned, there are plenty of apps that do this. Tried this - on my machines the shortcuts disappeared - but were replaced by a square black box ! Seems silly to me to install an app for something that takes < 5 minutes and for which you will likely never use again. Visual C++ Runtime Installer (All-In-One), View Essential System Details with myResources, Control When Windows 10 Updates with Kill-Update, How to Fix There Was a Problem Resetting Your PC Error on Windows 10, How to Turn on or off Recommended Troubleshooting in Windows 10, How to Remove the Shortcut Arrow Icon in Windows 10 & 11, Remove the Shortcut Arrow Icon in Windows 10 & 11, How to Split Your Screen in Windows 10 & 11, How to Create a Show Desktop Shortcut in Windows 10 & 11, How to Turn the Windows 10 Desktop Background Image On or Off, How to Show Your Windows 10 & 11 Version and Build Number on the Desktop, How to Create Safe Mode Desktop Shortcuts. You can also check the box at the bottom, which will remove the word " shortcut " when you create new shortcuts on the desktop. Better to leave it or delete the key and wait for something that works. 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). Anyway to eacht their own. Customize your desktop screen easy. 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. I hide all my icons I like a clean desktop This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. It's just one more option/place for people to put "stuff". Before editing the registry, make a registry backup. I also thought that.. And this will please Windows 7 gadgets lovers a bit. Hey Rubi Rubino. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. He clearly says "make sure you have backed up your PC". Jack has been a freelance tech journalist for more than a decade. The location / process for changing this in the registry has not changed since XP either. How do I fix this? However, I think it behooves people to learn what they can do on their own. what this article teaches is a shameless hack. 20 years as a technical writer and editor. In the "Value Data" box, enter the following text: %windir%System32shell32.dll,-50 Click OK to save the change and close the "Edit String" window. By default, the Start Menu and apps pinned to the taskbar are centered. Research says that the "fix" may not work in newer versions of Win10. Didn't read the article properly! A crack is meant to bypass security. Youll be prompted to Restart the Explorer. 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. Although I like to keep docs/images or things I'm working on on the desktop, so even I'm guilty of it too. Neither have arrows! No matter what method you use, you should be able to get exactly the icons you want with minimal fuss. [don't have W10 yet]. Its the easiest way to get rid of the arrow overlay. Nope, can't find anywhere. Lets see how to do it. I don't like the arrows either. Then you can select to add your downloaded arrow to shortcut icons with ShortcutArrow Changer. 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. Step 1: Press Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialog box. Entering the wrong text here can result in a broken icon system, which means that clicking on your shortcut won't do anything, or the shortcut icon won't appear at all. hmmno one made any arrow to the knee joke.. lol, that's too oldalthough, in hindsight, it would have worked well here. The easiest way to remove shortcut arrows, if youre willing to download extra software, is to use a third party tweaking utility. 9. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). Is there a way to just link the iTunes icon rather than the folder? please send us a fix, Skip step 7. Click the Key option on the submenu. Donot define the string value. :), Took two minutes, tops. Choose Yes, Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer. Use Winaero Tweaker instead if thats the case. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. You can show/hide the assorted system icons on the desktop from the Control Panel. ShortcutArrow Changer is a freeware customization app that enables users to remove the shortcut icon arrows in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. And definitely back up the Registry(and your computer!) It's mostly just a legacy from the days when Windows had a useful desktop metaphor, where real-world objects represented computer functions. Cool trick. Click to reveal I always knew you could edit things in the registry and have done so many times before. Daniel, It got rid of the arrows, but now I've got little square "holes" in all my shortcuts where the arrows used to beOnly on anything bigger than a "medium icon". and is everything ok on your side? Right click on \Explorer and using the dialog menu choose New > Key and name it Shell Icons. I did everything detailed in this post. It worked, but after the first day completed, I now have big black boxes where the arrows usually would reside. A lot of effort for somehing I see only 3-4 times a month for a minute or two, I can't even remember the last time I actually clicked a desktop icon. (1) Type in regedit into the Cortana/search box and (2) select regedit at the top, When prompted Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your PC? I have this problem too. Here's how to get rid of them. 7. Don't worry - just open up regedit again. So untidy :(. So, here were was how to remove the arrow shortcut overlay on Windows. I always do that. Click Continue when prompted. I am not sure where this registry trick falls into, but shortcut arrows on the desktop drive me crazy. Go back to the shell icons 29 that you just made. You will receive a verification email shortly. I absolutely hate those pesky little arrows. I had the same issue, I'm going to attempt to change the black squares to transparent ones. We select and review products independently. In fact, rows of icons just reminds me of iPhones and iPads now. 209.236.71.63 Or how do i go back to just having the arrow. Thanks. Very strange, especially because both systems have near identical settings. It is that simple to remove shortcut arrow overlay from shortcut icons. no black square after rebooting? I've just simply after a system reboot, I met no arrows, BUT all desktop icons turned into black squares! You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. I want a clean desktop so i can see the background photo clear and clean. You can also type it in the search bar at the top. those are the icons am talking about that l want to remove. Haha. This restores the arrow icon. Both systems have windows 10 and are fully up to date. To do that double click on 29. Please refresh the page and try again. The concept and implementation works for me. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. If youve never worked with it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. 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. Windows desktop shortcuts have little arrows on their icons. This did absolutely nothingto get rid ofmy shortcut arrows. Also read How to Fix Boot Manager Is Missing in Windows 10. I found a way to do it without black box or anything crappy shell32.dll crap that doesn't work after a restart or two. Now, if they could just fix that annoying "Unspecified Error" in Explorer.exe - I'd be extremely happy! A hack implies that you broke some defence/barrier that was preventing you from doing something. i'm sure he must have received complaints thats why this time it is there now. It's a small detail, but a very thoughtful one. It was ok after the first or second restart, but then i just got black squares on all shortcuts in the desktop. Choose an alternative icon there, click Open, and press the Apply button. In the right pane of the Shell Icons key, right-click on any empty area, and select New > String Value. This registry change caused a problem in that it turned all my desktop shortcut icons into little black squares. Same thing happened to me. Select the Shell Icons folder, right-click on the right panel and choose the New -> String Value option. This string effectively removes the Windows. So I leave em. There are some apps likes AVG PC TuneUp 2015 (opens in new tab), which I really like, that can do this and other things, in case you are interested. In Two methods we can remove the Shortcut Arrow in Windows 10. Clearly it was perceived as mean, even though it was more a jab at humor. All rights reserved. Click the small right-pointing arrow icon next to "Windows." No clear pattern with changes occuring often after rebooting, but sometimes after running applications. So the true String Value according (the since pre-AVG's ownership of. Since you are wanting to restore the default shortcut arrows, see if this below may be able to. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Seeing program shortcuts with or without the error is "YUCK". Finally, confirm with "OK" and . Name the new file "29" then double-click it. East or West Daniel is the best. Please signup for the WindowsLoop newsletter by clicking the following link: WindowsLoop Newsletter Signup. Your IP: What now? Do not do this if you have updated to Windows 10 20H2 which was released in Oct 2020. After that, double-click on the extracted file. I always here that it's dangerous I believe it but I also think you should learn how to use it. 5. 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? Way 2: Open Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R, type regedit, and click OK. I just never knew you could change something so miniscule as the arrow on an icon. Is this a problem with resources? Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Are they the black squares I'm also experiencing right now? 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. All three are included in the following ZIP file. the registry is like a huge list where the OS stores all it's constants' values, so if you change anything the system will assume that new value as true and trust it, even if it ends up being rubbish, so you can do a good mess if you want. After the restart, youll notice the shortcut icons on your desktop dont have arrows on them. One of the biggest changes in Windows 11 is the placement of the Start Menu on the taskbar. I have tried what you advise, however it just makes the wwhole icon disapear. Double-click "[bti soft] shortcutarrow changer setup" to open the installers window. How to Remove Shortcut Arrow Icon in Windows 10 & 11, Download registry file to remove arrow icon. 4. Actually this didn't work CTRL+mouse wheel worked at first but after reboot the black squares returned and after doing the same, it just changed the size of the black squares. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Your icons should update immediately. % of people told us that this article helped them. >>>>\System32\shell32.dll,-50 If you want a dumb-system all locked down, go to OSX. Yet for me, it's my biggest nuisance. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Didn't you read the article? I followed steps. That's what my library folders are for documents, music, pictures, etc. Some users might prefer to remove those arrows from desktop shortcut icons. The taskbar is always visible, the desktop isn't. For more resources, don't forget to check our Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks page. 2) Download and merge the .reg file for the lnk item in the table in option 2 of the tutorial below. Step 2: Navigate to the following key in Windows Registry Editor. Honestly, it's not any work either, I just put a lot of detail so no one makes a mistake ;). Double click to bring up value data. Youll need to restart your computer (or log off and back on) to see the changes. You can restore the shortcut arrows at any time. It's several revisions old, but still fun. Hover your mouse over New and click Key and name it "Shell Icons." ;). So, to go back, I just need to delete that reg key? All MS needs to do is allow pinning small livetiles (at the minimum) to the desktop and we can get rid off all of these hotchpotch, ancient app icons and shortcuts altogether. Not even my recycle bin I have on my desktop. Anyway, OCD person's nightmare. If you are someone who does not even want to see the shortcut icon with the shortcut files, folders, and programs, then you can remove it too. Step 6: Name the new value as "29". I have no problem with the arrow, but I dont like too many icons on my desktop. Cheers anyway (-: Lenovo's Surface-like IdeaPad Duet 3i packs the Intel N-series CPU but you won't find it in the US, Lenovo's new ThinkPad Z13 features a woven Flax cover made from plant fibers, Lenovo ditches old haptic touchpad tech for Sensels FusionUX stack heres why its a big deal. Nice article but step 8 is incorrect. Depends. Navigate to and open the folder that includes the ShortcutArrow Changer setup file. As most of the icons on your desktop will likely be shortcuts, however, those arrows are hardly essential. No harm done though everything is perfect now. The button will now be named Restore Shortcut Arrows To Shortcut Icons.. Way 1: Type r egedit in the Cortana's search bar and then click the result. Tap on New and select String Value and name this 29. I just did this on Windows server 2008 R2. well, it didn't work for me. 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. There are a few easy ways to tackle this problem. Time to use this technique to remedy that! It has consistently beenone of the first things I would change on an XP (or newer) installation. This is a simple hack that anyone can do, as long as you stick to the instructions. I want to be able to tell if they are shortcuts or files on my desktop by glancing through them. I appreciate you sharing. No boxes, no arrows. This is very helpful to restore the registry to the original state. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/02\/Remove-Shortcut-Arrows-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Shortcut-Arrows-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/02\/Remove-Shortcut-Arrows-Step-1.jpg\/aid11836538-v4-728px-Remove-Shortcut-Arrows-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":545,"licensing":"