For example, you might store spreadsheets you’re working on, documents you’ve scanned, photos you’ve just taken, or things you’ve just downloaded on your desktop. The desktop works well as a workspace, giving you a convenient place to store files with which you’re working currently. Use the Desktop as a Temporary Working Area

You can then move items back onto your desktop as you need them. If you’d like to clean up your desktop quickly, you can select everything on your desktop and then drag and drop them into a folder. And yes, you can drag and drop program shortcuts into folders, too. You can double-click a folder on your desktop to open it, so it takes a few more clicks to open your files-but they’re still easy to find.įor example, you could have separate folders for your photos and documents, or keep files related to a single project in their own folder. Drag and drop items from your desktop into the folder. To create a folder, right-click the desktop, select New > Folder, and give the folder a name. Organize Your Files and Shortcuts Into FoldersĬonsider using folders to keep your desktop organized. These options can be helpful, but they’re no substitute for truly taming the clutter. If this option is enabled, icons will always be grouped, one after the other. If you uncheck “Auto Arrange Icons,” you can drag and drop icons anywhere you want. You can also use the options under the “View” menu to choose the size of your desktop icons and decide whether they’re aligned to a grid. This makes it easier to find what you’re looking for if your desktop is very messy. For example, select “Name” to sort files alphabetically or “Date Modified” to sort them chronologically.

If you like storing files and program shortcuts on your desktop, you won’t want to hide them all.įor a quick organization, you can right-click your desktop and select an option in the “Sort By” menu. Or, you can open a File Explorer or Windows Explorer window and click the “Desktop” folder to view the contents of your desktop in a standard file browser window. To see your desktop icons again, click the “Show Desktop Icons” option again. To toggle desktop icons on or off, right-click your desktop and select View > Show Desktop Icons. If you don’t use your desktop much, but programs keep dropping shortcuts on it, here’s a quick solution: Hide everything to get a perfectly clean desktop.

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