{"id":850,"date":"2024-10-17T13:00:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T13:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/?p=850"},"modified":"2024-11-06T19:17:33","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T19:17:33","slug":"how-to-hide-all-desktop-icons-on-your-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/index.php\/2024\/10\/17\/how-to-hide-all-desktop-icons-on-your-mac\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Hide All Desktop Icons on Your Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>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<p>And if you\u2019re wondering, <em>\u201cHow can I easily hide my Mac\u2019s desktop icons?\u201d<\/em> or <em>\u201cHow do I toggle them on and off at will?\u201d<\/em> \u2014 it\u2019s surprisingly easy!<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/hero-4.jpg\" alt=\"Hide all Mac desktop icons\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/mac-keyboard-shortcuts\/\">Mac keyboard shortcut<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-divider su-divider-style-list\" style=\"margin:15px 0;border-width:3px;border-color:#999999\"><\/div>\n<h4>Method 1. Hide Desktop Icons via Mac Settings<\/h4>\n<p>You can quickly hide your desktop icons through your Mac\u2019s System Settings. <\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"steps\">\n<li>Launch <strong>System Settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>On the sidebar, select <strong>Desktop &amp; Docks<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Scroll down to <strong>Desktop &amp; Stage Manager<\/strong> and under <strong>Show Items<\/strong>, simply uncheck the option for <strong>On Desktop<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/hide-via-system-settings.jpg\" alt=\"Hide desktop icons via System Settings on macOS\" width=\"1425\" height=\"1277\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n<p>And just like that, your desktop icons disappear!<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-divider su-divider-style-list\" style=\"margin:15px 0;border-width:3px;border-color:#999999\"><\/div>\n<h4>Method 2. Hide Desktop Icons via Terminal<\/h4>\n<p>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<p>First, launch <strong>Terminal<\/strong> (Applications &gt; Utilities). To hide your desktop icons, type the following command and hit enter:<\/p>\n<pre class=\"terminal\">defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop false &amp;&amp; killall Finder<\/pre>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/hide-via-terminal.jpg\" alt=\"Hide desktop icons via Terminal command on macOS\" width=\"1342\" height=\"366\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Want to bring them back? Use this command:<\/p>\n<pre class=\"terminal\">defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true &amp;&amp; killall Finder<\/pre>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick explanation of these commands:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><code>defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop <em>false<\/em>\/<em>true<\/em>:<\/code> This tells Finder to hide (<code>false<\/code>) or show (<code>true<\/code>) your desktop icons.<\/li>\n<li><code>killall Finder:<\/code> This restarts Finder to apply the change immediately.<\/li>\n<li>By connecting them with <code>&amp;&amp;<\/code>, Finder will restart automatically right after changing the setting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"su-divider su-divider-style-list\" style=\"margin:15px 0;border-width:3px;border-color:#999999\"><\/div>\n<h4>Method 3. Hide Desktop Icons with a Keyboard Shortcut<\/h4>\n<p>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<p>Here\u2019s how to set it up:<\/p>\n<h5>Step 1: Create a Quick Action with Automator<\/h5>\n<ol class=\"steps\">\n<li>Open <strong>Automator<\/strong> (Applications &gt; Utilities).<\/li>\n<li>Choose <strong>New Document<\/strong>, then select <strong>Quick Action<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/automator-quick-action.jpg\" alt=\"Creating a Quick Action in Automator on macOS\" width=\"2509\" height=\"1684\" \/><\/figure>\n<li>In the right panel, set: Workflow receives: <strong>no input<\/strong>, and In: <strong>Finder<\/strong>. <\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/no-input-finder.jpg\" alt=\"Setting no input and Finder options in Automator\" width=\"1376\" height=\"334\" \/><\/figure>\n<li>Search for <strong>Run Shell Script<\/strong> on the left, and drag it into your workflow.<\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/run-shell-script.jpg\" alt=\"Adding Run Shell Script action in Automator\" width=\"1901\" height=\"1152\" \/><\/figure>\n<li>Replace the default text with this script:<\/li>\n<pre class=\"terminal\">current=$(defaults read com.apple.finder CreateDesktop)\r\nif [ \"$current\" = \"true\" ]; then\r\n  defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop false &amp;&amp; killall Finder\r\nelse\r\n  defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true &amp;&amp; killall Finder\r\nfi<\/pre>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/replace-script.jpg\" alt=\"Replacing default script in Automator with custom script\" width=\"1389\" height=\"751\" \/><\/figure>\n<li>Save the Quick Action with a name like <strong>Toggle Desktop Icons<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/save-quick-action.jpg\" alt=\"Saving Quick Action as Toggle Desktop Icons in Automator\" width=\"1371\" height=\"645\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n<h5>Step 2: Assign a Keyboard Shortcut<\/h5>\n<ol class=\"steps\">\n<li>Go to <strong>System Settings<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Keyboard<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Keyboard Shortcuts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/system-settings-keyboard-shortcuts.jpg\" alt=\"Navigating to keyboard shortcuts in System Settings on macOS\" width=\"1392\" height=\"1282\" \/><\/figure>\n<li>Select <strong>App Shortcuts<\/strong> from the left panel, then click the <strong>+<\/strong> button to add a new shortcut.<\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/app-shortcuts.jpg\" alt=\"Adding a new App Shortcut in macOS System Settings\" width=\"1411\" height=\"1319\" \/><\/figure>\n<li>In the <strong>Application<\/strong> dropdown, choose <strong>Finder<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/choose-finder.jpg\" alt=\"Choosing Finder in the Application dropdown for keyboard shortcuts\" width=\"1322\" height=\"853\" \/><\/figure>\n<li>In the <strong>Menu Title<\/strong> field, type the exact name of your Automator Quick Action (e.g., <strong>Toggle Desktop Icons<\/strong>), then assign your desired keyboard shortcut (e.g., <span class=\"key\">Command<\/span> + <span class=\"key\">Shift<\/span> + <span class=\"key\">D<\/span>).<\/li>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/upprofits.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/toogle-desktop-icon.jpg\" alt=\"Assigning a keyboard shortcut to Toggle Desktop Icons in macOS\" width=\"1351\" height=\"877\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Now, with just a press of your custom shortcut, you can hide or show your desktop icons anytime!<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-divider su-divider-style-list\" style=\"margin:15px 0;border-width:3px;border-color:#999999\"><\/div>\n<h4>Final Thoughts<\/h4>\n<p>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<p>Remember, even when hidden, your icons are still accessible through <strong>Finder &gt; Desktop<\/strong>, so nothing is lost, just out of sight.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/hide-mac-desktop-icons\/\">How to Hide All Desktop Icons on Your Mac<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\">Hongkiat<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/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}]}}