Hide Desktop Items Fast for Classes and Meetings on Mac and Windows

The article explains built-in ways to quickly hide or tidy desktop items on macOS (Sequoia or newer) and Windows 11 for meetings or screen shares, including hiding all icons, removing system icons, grouping files, moving items into a folder, and on Windows, using the Hidden attribute for individual files or folders. These changes are visual only, do not delete or alter your files, and do not require administrator rights.

Questions

• How can I quickly hide everything on my desktop for a meeting or screen share?
• How do I hide system icons like hard disks (macOS) or This PC/Recycle Bin (Windows)?
• Is there a way to tidy up files on the desktop without deleting them?
• Can I hide individual files or folders on Windows?
• Will hiding desktop items change or delete my files?

Environment

This article applies to macOS (Sequoia, and newer) and Windows 11 on college-owned or personal computers. All steps use built-in settings and do not require administrator rights. These options change only what you see on the desktop; they do not delete your files.

Resolution

macOS options

Option 1: Hide all desktop items using Stage Manager (macOS Sequioa or newer)

1. Open System Settings.
2. Select Desktop & Dock.
3. Under Desktop & Stage Manager, uncheck the box On Desktop next to "Show items"
4. When you’re done presenting, you can turn check the box to show items again.

Learn more: Use Stage Manager on Mac (Apple)

Option 2: Move items into a folder on your desktop

1. On the desktop, choose File > New Folder (or Control-click and choose New Folder) and name it, for example, “Desktop Items.”
2. Select the files and folders you want to hide from view and drag them into the new folder.
3. Open the folder anytime to access your items; move them back out if you want them visible again.

Option 3: Tidy up files with Stacks (groups files by type, date, or tags)

1. Right-click (or Control-click) the desktop and select Use Stacks. (You can also choose View > Use Stacks from the Finder menu.)
2. To adjust grouping, right-click the desktop, point to Group Stacks By, and choose your preference (for example, Kind or Date Last Opened).
3. Click a stack to expand it when you need a file; click again to collapse.

Learn more: Organize files in Stacks (Apple)

Option 4: Hide device icons (drives, servers) from the desktop

1. Click the Finder menu in the top-left corner and choose Settings (Preferences on older macOS).
2. On the General tab, uncheck the items you do not want on the desktop (for example, Hard disks, External disks, Connected servers).
3. Close the window; changes take effect immediately.

Learn more: Change General settings in Finder (Apple)

Windows options

Option 1: Hide all desktop icons quickly

1. Right-click an empty area of the desktop.
2. Select View.
3. Click Show desktop icons to remove the checkmark. Icons are hidden immediately.
4. Repeat and re-check Show desktop icons to make them visible again.

Option 2: Move items into a folder on your desktop

1. Right-click the desktop, choose New > Folder, and name it, for example, “Desktop Items.”
2. Drag files and shortcuts you want hidden from view into this folder.
3. Open the folder anytime to access your items; move them back out if you want them visible again.

Option 3: Hide system icons (This PC, Recycle Bin, Network, etc.)

1. Open Settings > Personalization > Themes.
2. Select Desktop icon settings.
3. Uncheck the system icons you do not want on the desktop, then select OK.

Learn more: Change desktop icons in Windows (Microsoft)

Option 4: Hide individual files or folders using the Hidden attribute

1. Right-click the file or folder and select Properties.
2. On the General tab, check Hidden, then select OK (and Apply to all contents if prompted for a folder).
3. Make sure hidden items are not shown:
   • Windows 11: Open File Explorer, select View > Show, and ensure Hidden items is not checked.

Learn more: View or hide hidden files in Windows (Microsoft)

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you can chat with Bowdoin Bot of contact the Bowdoin College Service Desk by phone at (207) 725-3030 or in person at the Tech Hub in Smith Union.