Some people love to keep their Mac desktop clutter free, while some don’t mind having all their files on the desktop. If you belong to the former group of people, then you will find this article useful. Having files on the desktop will make it easy for you to find them super fast, but they can pile up and clutter the space. One way to deal with the clutter is to simply hide the files on the desktop. Doing this means that the display will look clean, but the files are always there, just not visible to you.
Here are some tips and tricks on how you can hide desktop icons on your Mac. We will be using a third-party app that can perform this action in a single click, similar to the Hide desktop feature found on Windows computers.
Also see: How to hide device icons on your Mac
Hide desktop icons on Mac with HiddenMe app
The HiddenMe app is the best and easiest way to hide the desktop icons on your Mac in a single click. The app is available as a free download from the Mac App Store, and includes in-app purchases. Here’s how to use HiddenMe to hide the icons on your desktop and make it clutter free. The icons will still be accessible through Finder.
1) Install HiddenMe app on your Mac.
2) After installation, launch the app. It will automatically appear in the Menu Bar on the top right corner.
3) Click on the HiddenMe shortcut and select Hide Desktop Icons. All the icons and folders on the desktop will be immediately hidden.
4) To view the icons, click on the shortcut again and select Show Desktop Icons.
There you have it. The easiest one-click method to hide desktop icons on your Mac. The app also offers several options that allow it to be launched at Startup and hide the icons immediately. You can also choose to add a single click option where you don’t have to select the Hide Desktop Icons option. This is even faster, as you only have to click the HiddenMe icon on the Status Bar to hide or reveal the icons.
Other ways to hide icons on Mac desktop
Now, there are other ways to hide icons on a Mac desktop, which don’t require you to install a third-party app.
Using Terminal
You can hide the icons on your desktop by using a simple Terminal command. Here’s what you need to do.
1) Launch Terminal on your Mac and enter the following command:
defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool false
2) Now type in:
killall Finder
3) After hitting enter, the desktop icons should be hidden. This method does take longer, but it still works well, and doesn’t require any apps to work. After hiding the icons, you can view them from the Finder.
4) To reveal the icons, you’ll need to launch Terminal again and use this command:
defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool true; killall Finder
Drag and drop to Trash
Finally, there’s the old school method of simply using the Drag and Drop to Trash technique. You can simply move the files to the Trash, if they’re not important, and have a clutter-free desktop.
Wrapping up
The HiddenMe app is your best bet if you want a one-click method to hide desktop icons on your Mac. It works great, and is very easy to use. We hope this tutorial helped you keep your desktop clean and clutter free.