If you\u2019re like me, your desktop can quickly become cluttered with icons, and sometimes it\u2019s nice to have a clean, distraction-free workspace. Whether you\u2019re giving a presentation or just want a minimalist look, hiding your icons makes everything feel neat and tidy.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re wondering, \u201cHow can I easily hide my Mac\u2019s desktop icons?\u201d<\/em> or \u201cHow do I toggle them on and off at will?\u201d<\/em> \u2014 it\u2019s surprisingly easy!<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

In this guide, I\u2019ll show you a few simple ways to hide those icons on your Mac, whether you prefer using system settings, the Terminal, or even creating a custom Mac keyboard shortcut<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Method 1. Hide Desktop Icons via Mac Settings<\/h4>\n

You can quickly hide your desktop icons through your Mac\u2019s System Settings. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

\n
1. Launch System Settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
2. On the sidebar, select Desktop & Docks<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
3. Scroll down to Desktop & Stage Manager<\/strong> and under Show Items<\/strong>, simply uncheck the option for On Desktop<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

   <\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n

   And just like that, your desktop icons disappear!<\/p>\n

   <\/div>\n

   Method 2. Hide Desktop Icons via Terminal<\/h4>\n

   If you love using Terminal, you can also hide your desktop icons with a quick command. Here\u2019s what you need to do.<\/p>\n

   First, launch Terminal<\/strong> (Applications > Utilities). To hide your desktop icons, type the following command and hit enter:<\/p>\n

   defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop false && killall Finder<\/pre>\n
   <\/figure>\n
   Want to bring them back? Use this command:<\/p>\n
   defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true && killall Finder<\/pre>\n
   Here\u2019s a quick explanation of these commands:<\/p>\n
   \n
   defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop false<\/em>\/true<\/em>:<\/code> This tells Finder to hide (false<\/code>) or show (true<\/code>) your desktop icons.<\/li>\n
   killall Finder:<\/code> This restarts Finder to apply the change immediately.<\/li>\n
   By connecting them with &&<\/code>, Finder will restart automatically right after changing the setting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
   <\/div>\n
   Method 3. Hide Desktop Icons with a Keyboard Shortcut<\/h4>\n
   If you\u2019re someone who loves shortcuts (like me!), why not create a custom keyboard shortcut to toggle your desktop icons on and off?<\/p>\n
   Here\u2019s how to set it up:<\/p>\n
   Step 1: Create a Quick Action with Automator<\/h5>\n
   \n
   Open Automator<\/strong> (Applications > Utilities).<\/li>\n
   Choose New Document<\/strong>, then select Quick Action<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
   <\/figure>\n
   In the right panel, set: Workflow receives: no input<\/strong>, and In: Finder<\/strong>. <\/li>\n
   <\/figure>\n
   Search for Run Shell Script<\/strong> on the left, and drag it into your workflow.<\/li>\n
   <\/figure>\n
   Replace the default text with this script:<\/li>\n
   current=$(defaults read com.apple.finder CreateDesktop)\r\nif [ \"$current\" = \"true\" ]; then\r\n  defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop false && killall Finder\r\nelse\r\n  defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true && killall Finder\r\nfi<\/pre>\n
   <\/figure>\n
   Save the Quick Action with a name like Toggle Desktop Icons<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
   <\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n
   Step 2: Assign a Keyboard Shortcut<\/h5>\n
   \n
   Go to System Settings<\/strong> > Keyboard<\/strong> > Keyboard Shortcuts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
   <\/figure>\n
   Select App Shortcuts<\/strong> from the left panel, then click the +<\/strong> button to add a new shortcut.<\/li>\n
   <\/figure>\n
   In the Application<\/strong> dropdown, choose Finder<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
   <\/figure>\n
   In the Menu Title<\/strong> field, type the exact name of your Automator Quick Action (e.g., Toggle Desktop Icons<\/strong>), then assign your desired keyboard shortcut (e.g., Command<\/span> + Shift<\/span> + D<\/span>).<\/li>\n
   <\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n
   Now, with just a press of your custom shortcut, you can hide or show your desktop icons anytime!<\/p>\n
   <\/div>\n
   Final Thoughts<\/h4>\n
   Hiding your Mac\u2019s desktop icons is a simple way to keep your workspace tidy, whether for focus or presentations. You can easily toggle them on or off using System Settings, Terminal, or a custom shortcut.<\/p>\n
   Remember, even when hidden, your icons are still accessible through Finder > Desktop<\/strong>, so nothing is lost, just out of sight.<\/p>\n
   The post How to Hide All Desktop Icons on Your Mac<\/a> appeared first on Hongkiat<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
   If you\u2019re like me, your desktop can quickly become cluttered with icons, and sometimes it\u2019s nice to have a clean, distraction-free workspace. Whether you\u2019re giving a presentation or just want a minimalist look, hiding your icons makes everything feel neat and tidy. And if you\u2019re wondering, \u201cHow can I easily hide my Mac\u2019s desktop icons?\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":880,"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850\/revisions\/880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}