If you like some Zen space on your screen or you don’t like app icons scattered all over that beautiful wallpaper on your Mac screen, you’re probably considering hiding desktop icons. In this guide, we will provide a step-by-step explanation for hiding these icons.
On the other hand, if you have hidden desktop icons by mistake and you would like to revert the settings, we will show you how to unhide these icons on your Mac. All these can be achieved by a simple command as you will learn here.
How to hide desktop files in Mac
Hide Specific Desktop Icons
There are different ways to hide and unhide app icons on your Mac. We’ve highlighted two of the best methods below:
Hide or unhide Mac desktop icons using the Terminal
To hide desktop icons on your Mac using the terminal:
- Go to utilities then launch terminal
- Enter defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop false in the terminal and press Enter
- Type killall Finder on a new line and press Enter
Aug 14, 2015 You can also put items on the desktop, such as files, folders, and shortcuts, and arrange them however you want. This tutorial will show you how to hide or show all the icons on your desktop as needed in Windows 10. When you hide desktop icons, the icons are still on your desktop.
To unhide desktop icons through the terminal:
- Type defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true and press Enter
- Then type killall Finder on the new line
How to hide or unhide desktop icons on Mac using an app
You can also use an app to hide or unhide desktop icons. Some of the apps you can use include HideenMe and Clean.
Both apps operate differently from each other. If you are using HiddenMe, follow these steps:
- Open the Mac App Store and search for HiddenMe
- Install then launch the app
- Click on its icon on your desktop
- Click Hide Desktop Icons
To unhide these icons, simply click on the app’s icon then Show Desktop Icons.
Clean, on the other hand, organizes your desktop icons in folders based on the date or your preferred settings, leaving your desktop clean. This app is also available on the Mac App Store.
Conclusion
If your screen is messy, any of the above methods could bring in some organization. Hopefully, you’ve decided on a method that suits you better and that you’ve found this guide to be helpful. If you have multiple apps or files on your desktop, make it a habit to remove those that you don’t use to avoid making your device slow.
Read:Is CleanMyMac 3 safe?
If you have a cluttered Desktop, you may want to occasionally hide the icons. You can do this with third-party apps or Terminal commands. You can also write a very simple shell script in Automator and save it as an app. Then you can toggle the Desktop on or off with a simple click in the Dock.
Check out Hide Desktop Icons With an Automator App at YouTube for closed captioning and more options.
Related Subjects: Automator (38 videos), Finder (195 videos)
Related Video Tutorials: Add Dates To File Or Photo Names With an Automator Script ― How To Create Custom Folder And Drive Icons For Your Mac ― Dismiss Notifications With a Keyboard Shortcut Using Automator ― Building an Automator Script To Snap Windows Into Position
Here is the code used in the Automator shell script: