One-click toggle
Left-click the tray icon to instantly show or hide all desktop icons.
Windows tray app · No admin required · Windows 10 & 11
A cleaner desktop, one click away.
Hide Icons is a lightweight Windows tray app that quickly shows or hides your desktop icons. Set a global hotkey, control auto-start, and use a custom tray icon, all running as a standard user, no administrator privileges needed.
One-click toggle
Left-click the tray icon to show or hide icons
No admin
Runs as a standard user on Windows 10 & 11
No hacks
Uses the desktop's own command, not SysListView32
Features
Small footprint, exactly the controls you need.
Everything lives in the tray. Left-click to toggle, right-click for the menu, and your choices survive restarts.
Hotkey support
Assign your own keyboard shortcut for instant toggling from anywhere.
Custom tray icon
Load any .ico; the default icon auto-adapts to dark and light themes.
Run at startup
Enable or disable auto-start with a single click from the tray menu.
Persistent & auto-update
Your settings survive restarts, and the app checks for updates on launch.
No hacks
Uses the desktop's own show/hide command (no poking SysListView32) on Win10/11.
Usage
Live in the tray, out of your way.
Launch HideIcons.exe and the tray icon appears in the notification area.
Everything is a click away from there.
Toggle icons
Left-click the tray icon to show or hide your desktop icons.
Set a hotkey
Right-click → Set Hotkey to choose a shortcut, or Remove Hotkey to clear it.
Personalize
Right-click → Run at Startup, or Change Icon / Reset Icon for a custom tray look.
Requirements
Light on the system, easy to remove.
Hide Icons runs on modern Windows with no administrator privileges and leaves nothing behind.
Windows 10 & 11
Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 23H2/24H2 (and newer).
No admin
Runs as a standard user, no elevation or installer required.
Install & run
Download from Releases, launch HideIcons.exe, and the tray icon appears in the notification area.
Uninstall
Exit the app and delete the files. If you enabled Run at Startup, turn it off from the tray first.