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Be a minimalist with your desktop

Just want a nice, clean, minimalist desktop.



There are tools like Microsoft's Tweak UI that allow you to control the visibility of certain desktop

icons. Tweak UI lets you hide or show Microsoft Outlook, My Network Places, and the Printers

folder. Tweak UI gives you control over lots of other options, but if you're just trying to clean up the

desktop, you don't need an add-on--you just need to set a few local or group policy settings.



To set local policies, run MMC and add the Group Policy snap-in focused on the local computer.

Then expand the User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Desktop branch. The policy Hide

All Icons On The Desktop hides all of the icons, including My Computer and the Recycle Bin;

however, it also has the side effect of hiding the wallpaper and preventing right-click access to the

display properties from the desktop.



Three other policies safely remove the icons without affecting the wallpaper. These include

Remove My Documents Icon From Desktop, Hide My Network Places Icon On Desktop, and Hide

Internet Explorer Icon On Desktop.

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