The clear-up of your desktop enables you to keep your desktop well-organized. But some folders and applications get downloaded on the desktop by default. This occupies your desktop with many applications and you cannot access your files quickly. Mac creates it easy to hide or remove icons from the desktop and keep only those icons that you need on a daily basis. You can clear your Mac Desktop by hiding drive icons and all the hard disk that is visible by default on it. You can do so with a settings choice.
How to Hide or Remove icons From mac OS x desktop
If you connect a new drive to the Mac, it does not display on the desktop but it appears from a Finder window and you can it access from the Finder or any application. There is also an option to create a folder on the desktop or elsewhere on your Mac. You can manually drag and drop icons and files into that folder that hides or removes them from the desktop and thus, clear your desktop. But you cannot do this with drives and volumes. You need to go to the settings option to hide icons such as a hard disk or USB drive. Here are the ways to hide or remove icons from Mac Os X desktop:
Hide or Remove Icons from Mac Desktop
Follow the given below steps:
- You need to select the files or folders that you want to hide or remove from the desktop and drag them to the trash to hide or remove them from the desktop.
- Then remove an external hard drive from the desktop if you do not use it. You need to press and hold CTRL and tap the external hard drive icon. Then select Eject to remove it from the desktop. You can also drag the hard drive icon from the desktop to the trash bin to remove it from the desktop.
- Then drag the files you want to keep to the separate location other than the desktop. You need to double-click the Macintosh HD drive on the desktop. Then select the folder you need to transfer your saved desktop files. Then tap the desktop files you need to transfer and drag them to the folder on the Macintosh HD drive.
- And then tap Finder on your desktop if you need the files and icons that display on the desktop.
- Then tap Preferences and then tap the General. You need to select the icons that you need to display on the desktop under Show items on Desktop. Then close the window to save the changes.
- Then you need to arrange the remaining icons that you want to keep on the desktop. You need to press CTRL and tap an empty place on the desktop. Then tap View and click Arrange by. Then select the arrangement method which you need to use and the icons organize automatically on the basis of your preference.
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Use The Terminal Commands
You can use this method to hide or remove the files from the MacOS desktop instantly by using the Terminal command. Follow the given below steps to hide or remove icons from Mac Os X desktop by the Terminal app:
- You need to go to the Terminal app on your Mac. You can find it in the Spotlight and open it.
- Then you need to type the Hide command in Mac Terminal App. You can enter the following command:
defaults write com.apple.finderCreateDesktop -bool false
- Then press Enter and then enter the second command as given below:
kill all Finder:
- Then tap the enter key.
Now, you can see your desktop. You cannot view any file that appears on the screen as it just hides but you can still find them in the Finder in the Desktop section.
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Use HiddenMe to Remove or Hide the Icons
You can easily hide or remove icons from mac OS x desktop with this method. You can use the HiddenMe app to complete the task. HiddenMe app enables you to easily hide and unhide icons on the desktop on your Mac. Follow the below steps to Remove or Hide the Icons by using hiddenMe:
- You need to download and Install the HiddenMe app from the Mac App Store to your Mac.
- When you install this app, open it from the Launchpad.
- The app appears in the menu bar. Then tap on its icon in the menu bar and select Hide Desktop Icons. It instantly removes or hides all the icons that appear on your desktop.
- If you need to restore the icons on your desktop, you can tap the app icon in the menu bar and select Show Desktop Icons. Your hidden icons appear back on your desktop.
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Clear up a Desktop on Mac OS X
You can keep and save files on your Mac Desktop. But then the Desktop appears clutter and disorganized if it is used as the default place to keep all of your temporary files and folders. Follow the given below steps to quickly clean up your Desktop on Mac OS X:
- You need to tap on your Desktop Background to form the Finder the active application on your Mac.
- Then conduct a right-mouse click or you can use the combination key as Ctrl-Click to create the contextual menu.
- And then hold and drag your cursor to select the Clean Up icon in your contextual menu. Then release the mouse or trackpad button to use the command.
- Then the Desktop icons automatically clean as per your Desktop choice. Your Desktop arrangement choice can change with the Desktop contextual menu icon which is Arrange By.
Read More: mac OS partition manager
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Using Stacks
There is also a newly introduced feature in macOS Mojave which is Stacks that enable you to keep the desktop uncluttered and well-organized. This organizes all the files into file types and then sorts them on the right side of the screen. You can stack them on the basis of added date, modified date and many more. Follow the given below steps:
- You need to right-click on the View menu and choose Use Stacks.
- Then right-click on the desktop to clear up or group stacks on the basis of your choice.
- Then select Sort stacks by or Group stacks and then choose the preferred category.
There is another older way to hide or remove icons from Mac Os X desktop. You can drag the icons from the desktop to another folder to remove them from the desktop. Then you can also drag the unwanted icons to Trash to remove them. You can also right-click on the icon and select Move to Trash. And you can also hide or remove icons from Mac Os X desktop from the above-mentioned methods. You need to follow each step carefully and enter the correct command.
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