• Removing a shortcut from the desktop on Android. How to remove shortcuts from the desktop? Important commands

  • Icons, files and folders are indeed deleted ( by accident or due to a virus)
  • The virus has replaced Explorer: there is no desktop, Start button and taskbar, and Ctr + Alt + Del can be blocked
  • Recovering hidden shortcuts, files and folders on the desktop

    The simplest reason why you can see an empty desktop is no check mark opposite the item " " in the submenu " Arrange icons » context menu called up when you right-click on an empty area of ​​the desktop. It won’t be difficult to find empty space on your desktop now, call this menu, go to the submenu “ Arrange icons " and check if the bird is standing near " Show desktop icons ».

    If after this the shortcuts do not appear on the desktop, then perhaps someone made a bad joke and set the attribute “ hidden » to all folders and files on the desktop. To check whether this is true or not, go to " Start -> Control Panel -> Folder Options" , open the tab " View ", go to the end of the list of parameters and select the radio button " Hidden files and folders " to position " Show hidden files and folders ».

    If after this the contents of the desktop begin to be displayed, then to restore the display of your shortcuts, files and folders you need to remove the “” attribute from them hidden " This can be done as follows:

    • Let's go to " Start -> Run ", write there " cmd " and click " Ok " - the command line should start.
    • Remove the attribute " hidden » from all files and folders on common for all users desktop with this command (you may need administrator rights for this): attrib /D /S -h "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%/Desktop/*"
    • Now make all files and folders on yours desktop with the following command: attrib /D /S -h "%USERPROFILE%/Desktop/*"

    Just in case, click on empty space desktop and click F5, in order to update the desktop.

    If previously missing icons, files and folders from the desktop are no longer pale in color, then they are no longer hidden and can be seen in the “ Folder properties » exhibit « Don't show hidden files and folders ».

    Returning desktop items from the Recycle Bin or Unused Shortcuts folder

    This may be obvious, but nevertheless, missing shortcuts are often located in the “ Unused shortcuts ", and files and folders from the desktop may accidentally end up in cart .

    Folder " Unused shortcuts "may be on your desktop if there is a mechanism to remove unused Windows shortcuts was used at least once and they found shortcuts that had not been accessed for 60 days or more. It can also work automatically if the “ Display Properties -> Desktop -> Desktop Customization -> Clean desktop every 60 days ».

    To get files back from this folder, simply go into it and drag the files back to your desktop.

    The same thing with the recycle bin - go into it and check if your files are there and if they are there, then restore your shortcuts, files and folders that have disappeared from the desktop.

    The advice about the trash can may seem trivial, but I once received a laptop whose owner assured me that all the shortcuts and files from the desktop had disappeared and she looked for them everywhere and could not find them. She wanted me, if possible, to restore the files, give her an answer to where they were and how it happened that they themselves disappeared somewhere from the desktop.

    I didn’t look in the trash right away, because I was sure that the owner of the laptop was looking there first, but when I looked, all the missing files were there. From event log It became clear that before the files were deleted, the last time the laptop was used was at lunchtime the day before the loss was discovered. Explorer logged that the user decided to turn off the computer at 13:35:58. Deleted files from the desktop were found in the Recycle Bin, which got there between 13:35:40 and 13:35:47.

    The version about viruses was not confirmed because AVG antivirus with fresh databases launched with boot disk I didn't find anything.

    This means that the user, in a hurry, wanting to quickly turn off the computer, somehow selected all the shortcuts and dragged them to the icon baskets and hit the key out of habit Enter to another operating system question ( often user-oriented operating systems ask stupid questions in large quantities, so the habit of constantly reaping Enter easily acquired in any situation). Ten seconds later, when half a gigabyte of files from the desktop was transferred to cart , she finally got to " Start -> Turn off computer ».

    Actually, the above incident prompted me to write this article.

    Recovering deleted files

    If all of the above did not help restore icons, files and folders from your desktop, then there is a high probability that the files were actually deleted - directly from the desktop with a key pressed Shift, from command line, with the help of your file manager configured to delete files by baskets (for example, FAR) or as a result of a virus attack.

    In any case, now it’s better to turn off the computer and look for operating system which you could download and then work with the disk in it. It is very important not to start Windows from the drive from which you need to recover your files. This is necessary so that the areas of the disk that still store information from your recently deleted files are not overwritten by other, new data. As a last resort, if you have several logical drives, For example C And D , then do not work at least with the drive on which your user folder is located, but work with another drive. You can find out the path to your user profile using the command line by running this:

    Echo %USERPROFILE%

    But, since most often the profile, and therefore the desktop, is located on system disk, then the system itself will write data to this disk (for example, temporary files, paging file, Windows registry) and the data of your missing files may disappear. Therefore, it is better not to work on this system now.

    I think at this stage, if you are a completely respected specialist in a field far from IT, you can contact an equally respected IT specialist. But if you have the desire and inspiration, then you can try to move on.

    So, we need access to a hard drive with missing files from another operating system. If possible, you can remove the hard drive from your computer and connect it to another computer, or you can use a boot disk or flash drive (for example, Hiren's BootCD: http://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/).

    If the hard drive is not visible when booting the system from a CD or flash drive, then try specifying the mode in the BIOS Compatibility instead of AHCI for your SATA controller (mode names may vary depending on motherboard). Just don't forget to return it later BIOS settings back.

    Having gained access to the hard drive in another, clean operating system, make sure that there really are no files on the desktop: look in the folder “ <ВАШ ДИСК>:/Documents and settings/<ИМЯ ПОЛЬЗОВАТЕЛЯ>/Desktop» if you have Windows XP or in " <ВАШ ДИСК>:/Users/<ИМЯ ПОЛЬЗОВАТЕЛЯ>/Desktop» if you have installed Windows 7. If there are files there and you have read the previous parts of this article, then the virus is probably preventing the contents of the desktop from being displayed. In this case, proceed immediately to treating viruses.

    If there are still no files, then we proceed directly to recovery. There are many programs for this, and if you decide to restore on another computer, you need to find and install them. If the boot disk you choose already has utilities for this, then just use them (in Hiren's BootCD about six programs are included to recover deleted files).

    • Get Data Back For NTFS with default settings restored 53 deleted file(of which 22 files were “broken”) and one folder with files measuring 393 megabytes
    • Recuva recovered 19 files (of which 9 files were “broken”), and one file successfully recovered by this program was not recovered Get Data Back For NTFS
    • Restoration recovered only one file (a very recently deleted temporary Word file)

    After the file recovery procedure, we move on to virus treatment.

    A few words about the treatment of viruses

    To avoid being affected by the virus antivirus program it is better to treat viruses on a “clean” system (use a boot disk or connect an infected one hard drive to another computer).

    I can recommend it as an anti-virus boot disk AVG Rescue CD (http://www.avg.com/ww-en/avg-rescue-cd-download). On the website of the developer of this antivirus there is a video on using this tool: http://www.avg.com/ww-en/avg-rescue-cd

    Delete from the antivirus all files that cannot be cured, and after treatment, if the virus has replaced the conductor Windows, the registry changes contained in this file will put Explorer as a conductor Windows. Download and extract it. To run this file, call Task Manager by using hot combination keys Ctrl + Shift + Esc go to " File -> New task ", find the unpacked reg file (most likely now you will have it on a flash drive), click Ok and answer affirmatively about your desire to make changes to the registry. Then restart your computer: "" V Task Manager.After this it should appear Explorer with the taskbar, desktop and shortcuts on it.


    The Android operating system in some respects resembles the familiar Windows. Smartphones and tablets also have a desktop that contains shortcuts specific programs. If you do not use any programs, it is logical to remove the desktop shortcut. You can remove an unwanted icon using standard smartphone functions or by installing third-party programs.

    Standard uninstall functions

    Every phone and tablet running the Android operating system can third party software remove desktop shortcut. This action in most cases it is performed in the same sequence, namely:

    Each phone manufacturer creates its own unique interface, so you can drag the program icon to different places on the screen, although usually this procedure carried out according to the instructions described above.

    To avoid deleting shortcuts, you can immediately cancel their creation. In settings Google account Play has a special option responsible for this action. You can disable it using the following sequence of actions:

    Now, every time you download a new application, the desktop will not become cluttered, and you will not have to delete shortcuts.

    Using Third Party Applications

    In almost 100% of cases, you can remove a desktop shortcut using standard Android functions. However, sometimes there are software glitches and errors due to which the program icon is not removed from the screen. The way out of this situation is to install special application. In the official store Play Market There is a wide selection of such programs. We will tell you about Apex Launcher. More than 10 million people have installed it on their Android devices.

    Launcher is user interface, design theme. The program allows you to change appearance design themes. Icons, animations and many other elements change. Due to the fact that it is a full-fledged user interface, the application allows you to remove the desktop shortcut. To do this you need to do the following:


    Now there will be no unwanted icon on your desktop. If necessary, you can return to standard launcher from the phone manufacturer.

    There are dozens of launchers on the network, each of which offers wide functionality. Before downloading anything, be sure to read the reviews in the store Google Play and the Internet. This will prevent malicious software from getting onto your phone. software, which can masquerade as completely safe, yet useful software.

    To ensure comfortable work on a PC, users create shortcuts to frequently used programs. By the way, even the operating system itself during installation also creates several shortcuts, including the “Trash”, where we dump everything unnecessary files, as well as the same unnecessary shortcuts from the desktop.

    By removing unnecessary elements, you can clear the table.

    At some point, you may become dissatisfied with your cluttered desktop. Of course, it’s not at all impressive when all the icons overlap background picture desktop. In addition, such an abundance of shortcuts is unlikely to facilitate fast and comfortable work. Among these icons, it will not be easy to find the one that is directly needed at a particular moment.

    For this reason, we recommend that you clean your workspace and remove all unnecessary icons. If you don't yet have information on how to remove unused shortcuts, we can help you. It is a little more difficult to remove icons that do not have the treasured word “Delete” when calling the context menu. However, this situation can also be resolved; just read the information on how to remove an undeletable shortcut from your desktop.

    Removal process

    So, files, documents, and software icons can be deleted from the computer. However, the process for removing unnecessary material may vary slightly, so it is absolutely useful for every user to know how to remove unnecessary content.

    Algorithm of actions

    The shortcut is link between you and the program itself. If at some point you deleted a program because you no longer needed it, the icon on your desktop will simply take up space, but it will definitely no longer work. You can say goodbye to such a useless icon quite quickly. Click once on it with the right mouse button, in the opened context menu Find the “Delete” option and click on it.

    Of course, the system will ask you to confirm your actions in order to eliminate unwanted accidents and not provoke the loss of important sources. Also, using another hint, you can easily figure out how to remove unnecessary icon from the desktop. We suggest you click on the icon, hold down the left mouse button and simply drag it to the trash. In this case, the system will again ask you to confirm the correctness of the actions. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to deal with situations where such simple actions it’s impossible to get by.

    Whatever methods you prefer, you still make sure that the shortcut is not removed from the desktop. In this case, the algorithm of actions will be slightly different. The registry, which should initially be opened, will help in solving the problem. To open it, in the Start menu, in the bottom empty line, write “regedit”. After the registry opens, you will need to carefully review all the branches and find one similar to this one:

    HKEY_ LOCAL_ MACHINE → SOFTWARE → Microsoft → Windows → CurrentVersion → Explorer → Desktop → NameSpace.

    All that remains is to right-click and select the “Delete” option.

    Alternative removal option

    If you are terribly afraid to go into the registry and edit there, then first try another way to remove a non-deletable shortcut.

    Restart your computer, and when the operating system starts, select the boot option in safe mode. In most cases, this option works and you manage to solve the problem when the shortcut is not removed by any other means.

    If you want to remove something that is automatically installed by the operating system itself, for example, “Trash,” then we offer you a different option.

    Go to the Start menu, select the Run command, and enter “gpedit.msc” in the line that appears.

    After these actions, the user editor will open on the left side open window you will easily find the User Configuration option. Click on it and follow further, going first to “Administrative Templates” and then to the “Desktop” option.

    Now turn your gaze to right side window, there you will find a proposal to delete the icon, in particular the trash can. All you have to do is double-click on it, and then check the checkbox next to the “Enable” option. Now you can easily remove this shortcut.

    So, if you cannot remove shortcuts from your desktop, check out the recommendations experienced users, following the algorithm, implement practical actions, and you will understand that in fact everything is so simple.

    If you have lost shortcuts from your desktop, then the cause of this failure is the built-in Windows tool, which does not work correctly. To fix the error, you must manually change the system configuration, disabling automatic cleaning of the workspace.

    Here we will not consider the question of how to restore the desktop - a separate article is devoted to this, which describes in detail why the Start menu and taskbar disappear and how to return them to their place. We will look at a slightly different problem, in which only shortcuts disappear from the desktop. But first:

    If there is no mark, put it - the missing icons should return to their usual place. If this method does not help, try the methods described below.

    Service Tool

    Windows developers have introduced a number of tools into the operating system that deal with the care of objects. These include built-in disk cleanup and other similar utilities that help maintain order in the system.

    The so-called “Maintenance Tool” is responsible for working with shortcuts and timely removal of faulty or unused icons. On a weekly basis, this tool scans your desktop and automatically removes shortcuts that it finds corrupted or unused.

    Typically, the maintenance tool successfully copes with the task, clearing the workspace of unnecessary icons. However, sometimes failures occur in which all shortcuts are deleted. To avoid such an unpleasant situation, you can use one simple trick to move shortcuts or disable the desktop care tool.

    Transfer shortcuts

    The desktop is an ordinary system folder, which can be found in the user directory in the “Users” directory. The service tool can only work with this specific folder, without paying attention to other directories. This can be used to save icons - you just need to create a separate folder and move all the shortcuts into it to hide them from the care tool.


    When transferring icons, at the same time figure out which of them you do not use - it is better to delete them. Leave only the necessary shortcuts that you need every day. Creating a separate folder brings another positive effect - the desktop will finally be in order.

    Disable service

    If you don’t like the option of creating a separate folder, and you don’t want to remove unused or damaged shortcuts yourself, then you can simply disable the maintenance tool.


    At the top you will see the heading “Computer Maintenance”. Below there are two switches - “Enable” and “Disable”.
    To stop the maintenance tool from automatically searching for and deleting unused shortcuts, check the “Disable” option.

    Setting up group policies

    If the maintenance tool status switches are grayed out in Control Panel, you will have to use the Group Policy Editor to disable the tool:


    To configure a parameter, double-click on it with the left mouse button. The state setting window will open, where there can be three options for the tool mode:

    • Not specified.
    • Turn on.

    If you set the value to “Not configured”, then the service tool will be controlled through the “Control Panel”, that is, the switches will become active.

    If “Enable” or “Disable” is selected, then manipulations in the “Control Panel” will be prohibited, and the switch will be set to the same position as in the Group Policy Editor.

    If you are already confused about how it works, then simply select the “Disable” option and close the System Maintenance Tool setup window. After carrying out the described manipulations, shortcuts from the desktop will not disappear. If the taskbar and the Start menu have disappeared along with the shortcuts, then you should refer to the article explaining how to restore the working Windows table, since this is a more complex problem.

    Desktop Cleanup Wizard will help clean up your desktop by removing rarely used shortcuts in special folder. It will be called Unused Shortcuts and will also be located on the desktop. Folder Unused shortcuts- This is a place to temporarily store shortcuts that you don't use. You can extract shortcuts from this folder, or you can delete the entire folder at once.

    In this exercise, you will clean up your desktop using the Desktop Cleanup Wizard. If you did not complete the previous activity, the tutorial files for this activity are located in the folder SBS\Windows\XP\Working\Cleaning. (More about installation training files(See "Using the CD") If you created shortcuts in the previous exercise, you can use them for this task.

    Follow these steps:

    1. If you haven't signed in to Windows yet, do so.

    2. If any windows are open, minimize them manually or from the toolbar quick start, on the right edge of the taskbar, click Show desktop.

    3. If you did not create shortcuts in the previous task, copy two shortcuts from the folder SBS\WindowsXP\Working\Arranging to your desktop. (See "Using the CD" for installation instructions.)

    4. Right-click on free space on the desktop, stop the cursor on the item Arrange Icons By, and then select Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard. The first page of the Wizard will appear.

    Enlarge image

    6. Make sure that the site opposite the shortcuts MSN And My shortcut are ticked. Uncheck the boxes next to the remaining labels. Then click Next. The selected shortcuts will appear on the page Completing the Desktop Cleanup Wizard.

    7. Click Finish. Windows XP will create new folder on the desktop, name it Unused Shortcuts and will move the shortcuts you selected to that folder. Note that the folder icon on your desktop will not have the curved arrow in the lower right corner. This indicates that the icon represents the folder itself and not a link to it.

    8. On your desktop, double-click the folder Unused Desktop Shortcut to open it.

    Enlarge image

    9. Select a shortcut MSN website.

    10. From the menu, select Move this file.

    A dialog box will appear Move Items.

    11. Use the scroll bar to move to the top of the list if necessary.

    12. Select Desk and then click the button move.

    Label MSN website has now been moved from the folder Unused shortcuts to the desktop.

    13. Click on My shortcut.

    14. On the menu File and Folder Tasks select Delete this file.

    15. In the window, click Yes (Yes) to remove the shortcut.

    16.Press the button Close to close the folder Unused shortcuts and return to the desktop.

    Label MSN website returned to your desktop again.

    17. On the desktop, right-click on the shortcut MSN website, and then in quick menu select Delete to remove this shortcut.

    18. In the window Confirm File Delete click Yes (Yes) to confirm deleting the shortcut.

    19. Right click on the folder Unused shortcuts, and then select from the quick menu Delete.

    A window will appear Confirm Folder Delete.

    20. Click Yes (Yes) to delete the folder.