How To Organize Your Desktop

After owning your computer for awhile most likely your desktop has become filled with files, images and programs that you once downloaded. Maybe you still need to keep some of them but your desktop is not the place where they belong. You are not alone though, it is quite common for this to happen to most computer users and even I am guilty of it.

So I decided to write up this guide to teach you how to delete stuff from your desktop, arrange files, organize files and overall just keep a nice clean desktop that allows you to easily find what you are looking for.

How to delete files on your desktop

This is quite easy and is the same process as you would normally use to delete a file. Although there are a few ways to go about it.

  • Right click the file you want to delete and select Delete from the menu
  • Select the file that you would like to delete and hit the Delete button on your keyboard
  • Click and drag the file you want to delete onto the Recycle Bin located on your desktop

Quick Tip: Instead of having the file go to your Recycle Bin you can have it deleted permanently by holding down the Shift key and the hitting the Delete button.

How to organize files on your desktop

Now that you have gotten rid of unused icons and files on your desktop it’s time to arrange the remaining files into a more organized pattern.

If you are using Windows XP right click on your desktop and mouse over Arrange Icons By to see the available options.

The above image shows you the available options that you have to arrange icons on your desktop. The word icon just represents the files, folders and images that are on your desktop. While most of the options are self explanatory I will give a quick overview of some of them.

  • Align to Grid – If you drag the icons around you may notice that they “stick” to a certain invisible line on your desktop. This is know as the grid and checking this feature will keep them lined up in a straight line
  • Lock Web Items on Desktop – Prevents you from moving the icons on your desktop
  • Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard – A Windows program that can help you remove items that you have not used in a long time

Windows Vista will give you the same options just split between 2 different menus after right clicking on your desktop.

How to add icons to your desktop

I realize this kind of goes against the whole point of this guide but it can help you in making things a bit more organized and provide access to your most used applications and programs. Instead of having to click through all the different levels of the Start Menu you can add an icon straight onto your desktop.

Manuever your way to your favorite program that you commonly access in the Start Menu as in the above image. Click on the icon or name of the program and then drag and drop it onto your desktop in order to create a shortcut to that program. Thats it! Now the next time you want to access that program just find it on your desktop and open it up.

Hate the image or color on your desktop background and want something more you? Learn how to change your desktop background.

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