All recent versions of the Windows operating system, including the latest Windows 11, support creating shortcuts to files, folders, and apps on the desktop for quick and easy access. For instance, you can create a Microsoft Outlook app shortcut on your Windows 11 desktop so that you can double-click on it to launch it instead of using search or other methods to run it.
Why do arrows appear on shortcuts on Windows 11 desktops?
When you create an app, file or folder shortcut on the desktop, the app/file/folder shortcut icon on the desktop shows an arrow icon on the app/file/folder shortcut to indicate that it’s a shortcut to a file/folder/app.
Although the arrow icon is helpful, many users want to remove it from desktop shortcuts to achieve a clean look, especially when they have multiple shortcuts on the desktop.
Unfortunately, Windows 11 does not offer an option in the Settings app to turn off or remove arrows from desktop shortcuts. That said, like most things, the Windows Registry can be tweaked to remove arrows from desktop icons.
Complete the directions given below to remove arrows from Windows 11 desktop icons.
Remove arrows from shortcuts on Windows 11 desktop via Windows Registry
Important: Although editing the Windows Registry is generally safe, we recommend creating a system restore point so that you can restore Windows 11 to a previous date, in case something goes wrong (which is very unlikely).
Step 1: Open the Registry Editor by typing ‘Registry Editor’ in the Start menu or taskbar search and then pressing the Enter key.
Click the ‘Yes’ button when you get the User Account Control prompt.
Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Step 3: Now, on the left pane, right-click the ‘Explorer’ key, click ‘New’, and then click ‘Key’. Name it ‘Shell icons’. If it already, exists, you may skip this step.
Step 4: On the left pane, select the newly created ‘Shell icons’ key. On the right side, right-click on an empty spot, click ‘New’, and then click ‘String Value’. Name it as ‘29’.
Step 5: Finally, double-click the ‘29’ string value and then copy and paste the following path in the ‘Value data’ field before clicking the ‘OK’ button.
%windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50
Step 4: Restart the Windows File Explorer via the Task Manager or reboot your PC once to apply the change. Once restarted, the Windows 11 desktop shortcuts will not have the arrow icons.
Use WinAero Tweaker (free) to remove arrows from desktop shortcuts in Windows 11
In addition to this method, you can also use third-party tools, such as WinAero Tweaker, to remove arrows from desktop shortcuts.
Step 1: Download and then run WinAero Tweaker software.
Step 2: On the left pane, navigate to Shortcuts > Shortcut arrow.
Step 3: Select ‘No arrow’ radio button and then click the ‘Restart Explorer’ button.
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