There exist people who are really good at managing their desktop space and keep it in a kempt manner. And then there are some, like me, who don’t give a second thought when it comes to keeping their desktop clean and tidy. While I do love to have my Mac’s desktop the way I want, certain scenarios like sharing screenshots or giving presentations, force me to hide desktop icons on Mac.
I would love to hide Mac desktop icons to keep everything neat and clean, but normally I end up in messing up documents and folders on my Mac. So, if you also find yourself in similar situation just like me and want to remove the clutter on your desktop as quickly as possible, we will guide you how to do get rid of icon on Mac running macOS Sierra and macOS High Sierra.
How to Hide Desktop Icons on Mac Running macOS Sierra and macOS High Sierra
Here is how you can hide the unwanted desktop icons on your Mac runnning macOS Sierra and macOS high Sierra.
#1. Using Terminal
Terminal is one of the best things that we have been blessed with by Apple. There is nothing Terminal can’t do on Mac and hence it was the first thing that struck my mind when I thought of hiding my desktop icons.
For all those who don’t know where you can find it, don’t you worry! You can easily search it on Spotlight.
- Once you launch Terminal, run the below-mentioned command in it:
defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop false
- Now run the following command to refresh it:
Killall Finder
Once you run these commands, your desktop icons will be hidden automatically.
How to Unhide Desktop Icons on Mac Using Terminal
If you just want to stick to Terminal for hiding your desktop icons, then you will definitely need to know a method of unhiding them whenever you are done with hiding them from the others.
Follow-the below mentioned steps for unhiding the Mac desktop icons:
- Launch Terminal.
- Run the following command in it:
defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop true
- Run the following command to refresh the Terminal-
Killall Finder
Using Third-Party Applications
While Terminal is the best option to hide your desktop icons, if you are someone who needs to hide and unhide the icons numerous times in a day, then it’s definitely going to be a troublesome task.
This is where Third-party applications come into action. These apps enable you to hide and unhide your icons with just a single click. You can find a lot of apps that serve this purpose. Talking out of personal experience, I use HiddenMe Free app. It works without any hassles and does the work easily. What’s more, it’s Free!
Once you download and install this app, it is going to be in your Menu bar. Just a click on it and it will hide or unhide your desktop icons on macOS Sierra and macOS high Sierra as per your choice.
What’s Your Pick?
If you are incompetent at managing your icons or love to have lots of them on your desktop, like me, you should take notes for hiding them when the time comes. You can easily hide them with the help of any of the two methods that we discussed in this write-up and save yourself from being embarrassed in front of your colleagues.
Also Check: How to Hide Menu Bar Icons on Mac
Try your hands on these methods and do let us know which one you liked the best, by commenting in the comments section below. Share your feedback with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.