If you are one of those people who call themselves perfectionists, or you are just annoyed by the shortcut icons on the application icon, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we’ll talk about how to remove the Windows 10 shortcut arrows.
What Windows Developers Say
Let's start from afar. If you install Windows 10, then by default on your desktop all the elements are displayed with an arrow in the lower left corner. These arrows mean that the element is not a separate file, but just a shortcut. That is, a file that carries in itself only the path to its original source. But the question is, why should it be displayed with an arrow in the corner, if everyone understands that there are shortcuts on the desktop.
As for the developers themselves, they were asked this question in official forums. However, the answer was not the one that many wanted to hear. They say that these labeling measures are standard, and that changes to standard elements are unacceptable.
But despite this, there are programs on the Internet long ago that can remove arrows from Windows 10 shortcuts. By the way, not only programs can be done manually, the main thing is to know how. And how to do this, you will learn by reading the article to the end. Three ways will be considered.
| Important: Before you make any manipulations with the registry in Windows, it is advisable to create a recovery point. This will protect you from death. |
Method number 1. Using the program
So, let’s look at the first way to remove the shortcut arrows in Windows 10. Aero Tweak will help us with this. This program is distributed throughout the Internet and is there in the public domain, so you can safely download. Another plus of this utility is that it does not need to be installed, it is, so to speak, autonomous - run and use it. That is what we will do.
Opening the program, you will see its interface. It consists of two areas, the tab bar on the left, the workspace on the right. At the moment, pay attention to the panel on the left, there you need to select Windows Explorer. On the right, configuration items have now appeared, pay attention to "Do not show arrows on labels." Check the box, apply the changes and close the program. Apparently, it was not at all difficult. Now you just have to restart your computer for the settings to take effect.
So you learned how to remove arrows from the shortcuts of Windows 10, but I would like to say something else. As you saw, we used only one option in the program, and there are a lot of them. So if you have curiosity, then look through all the settings, maybe you will find something useful. But please note that this program was intended for the seventh version of Windows, in the tenth there may be crashes.
By the way, in addition to this program, you can try to remove the arrows from the shortcuts of the Windows 10 Manager-program, more precisely, the Vista Shortcut Manager program.
Method number 2. Modify the registry using REG files
Now we’ll talk about the second way, how to remove arrows from the Windows 10 shortcuts. Many might think that we will do this manually, but this is not entirely true. Of course, we will interact directly with the Windows registry, but the changes will only consist in the fact that we will make ready-made files, and not write them ourselves. So for inexperienced programmers, this method is better.
On the Internet, look for an archive with files, it is called remove_arrow.zip. It is with him that we will interact. Unzip the file to a place convenient for you. As you can see, 4 files were uploaded. We are only interested in one. Here, start from what kind of operating system you have: 32-bit or 64-bit. If 64-bit, then open the file with the same name.
You will see a window, click "Yes." After that, they will tell you that all the changes made to the registry have been implemented. In turn, this means that everything went well. Like last time, you just have to restart your computer.
Method number 3. We do everything manually
Well, now it's time for experienced users, partly even programmers, to get down to business. Now we will understand how to remove arrows from Windows 10 shortcuts without resorting to any programs and files.
So, we need to get into the registry, for this, click Win + R and in the input field register regedit. Before you open the registry. Find the HIKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder and open it. Now you need to find the Lnkfile folder. Have you found? Click on it. You should now see the file "IsShortcut" on the right side. It is he who displays the arrows on the labels.
Right click on this file and select "Rename". You need to change its name to IsNotShortcut. Now save the changes. That's all, now the shortcuts will disappear, you just need to restart the computer.