Tip of the Week: How to Remove or Hide Desktop Icons

For many people, the desktops of computers or laptops often get extremely cluttered with various icons and files. Fortunately, there is a way to delete and/or hide those icons from your screen view which will allow for increased productivity and improved organization. Continue reading to learn how this can be done using a Windows PC. 

An important thing to remember, which is also a common misconception that many people are unaware of, is that when you delete an icon from your desktop, it does not remove the program from your computer. Deleting the icon from your desktop will simply remove the shortcut to the application. If you want to delete the entire application from your computer, you should follow a completely different protocol. 

How to Delete Icons from Your Desktop

There are a couple different options you can use to delete icons from your Windows desktop, making it very convenient and easy to accomplish. To begin with, you must identify which icon or icons you want to delete. If you want to choose several icons, you can hold down the Ctrl key and then click on the icons you want to delete. Once all icons have been selected, you will then right-click on any of the icons and choose the option Delete from the drop down menu. 

Another option you can do to delete icons from your desktop is simply click and drag the icon or icons to your Recycle Bin to delete them.

By doing so, this will send the selected icon or icons to the Recycle Bin where the icon or icons can later be found in the future, if you ever need them. 

How to Hide Icons

Instead of deleting icons from your desktop, you also have the option to hide them on your desktop. This alternative is also easy and straightforward to do. The first step you have to do is right-click on your desktop. You will then hover over the View option in the drop down menu. Then, you must uncheck the option for Show Desktop Icons. This will hide them all from view. In order to see your icons again, you will just have to re-check the option. It is important to remember that this is an all or nothing option. You will be unable to select which icons you want to hide. This option will hide all icons on your desktop.

For additional questions regarding hiding or removing desktop icons or for any questions related to your IT needs, we at WheelHouse IT are here to help. Contact us today at 954.474.2204.

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15 Amazing Keyboard Shortcuts for Chrome That Will Save You Lots of Time

15 amazing keyboard shortcuts for chrome that will save you lots of time

Are you aware of how much time you can save when using Google Chrome? There are many keyboard shortcuts that will enable you to navigate Chrome quickly without having to move your mouse.

Here are some cool and relatively unknown keyboard shortcuts you should know about.

  1. Open a new tab: Ctrl + T
  2. Open a new window: Ctrl + N
  3. Open incognito mode: Ctrl + Shift + N
  4. Reopen the last closed tab (you can do this up to 10 times for the last 10 tabs): Ctrl + Shift + T
  5. Close the current tab: Ctrl + W
  6. Close the current window: Ctrl + Shift + W
  7. Reload the page: Ctrl + R
  8. Switch to the next tab: Ctrl + tab
  9. Switch to a specific tab: Ctrl + 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8
  10. Put the cursor in browser search bar so you can start typing without touching your mouse: Ctrl + L
  11. Open a link in a new tab: Click on the link while pressing the Ctrl button
  12. Open a link in a new window: Click on the link while pressing the Shift button
  13. Open Chrome’s task manager (very useful if Chrome freezes): Shift (or search button in certain computers) + the esc button
  14. To drag multiple tabs to a new window: Click and drag the first of the tabs  you want to move while pressing the Ctrl button
  15. To highlight a large block of text: Click on the starting point of the text you want to highlight, then click on the ending point while pressing the Shift button

Need tech support for your home or work computer? Contact us today for help.

3 Keyboarding Shortcuts You Need to Increase Your Productivity

3 keyboarding shortcuts you need to increase your productivity

You may have seen our previous blog post on keyboarding shortcuts and thought, “This is for rookies!” But remember you were once a rookie too! Sure, you might have mastered Microsoft Word by the third grade, but not everyone is in the same boat as you. But for those who have the basic keyboarding shortcuts down, here are 3 lesser-known keyboarding shortcuts to increase your productivity for our computer tip of the day.

keyboarding shortcuts

3 lesser-known keyboarding shortcuts

  1. Ctrl + Home and Ctrl + End: These shortcuts will save you a ton of time scrolling up and down through a long document. The first shortcut will take you to the top of a document and the latter will take you to the end. For Mac users, do Command + Up Arrow and Command + Down Arrow. Mind blown.
  2. Ctrl + Backspace and more: The Ctrl + Backspace shortcut will greatly increase your productivity because it deletes one word at a time instead of one character at a time. Similarly, Ctrl + Right Arrow or Left Arrow moves the cursor one word at a time instead of one character at a time. Fly through editing your documents with these tricks. Note: These shortcuts do not work on Apple computers.
  3. Alt + Tab: When you are working on a big project, you probably have a number of applications open like your web browser, Microsoft Office, and other applications applicable to your work. To switch between applications without having to switch over to your mouse, simply use the Alt + Tab shortcut to flip through open applications. For Mac users, try Command + Tab.

We hope you enjoy these keyboarding shortcuts and that you can work them into your daily life to save yourself some time. For more information on computer help, contact us at AE Technology Group.

 

Keyboard Shortcuts: Cut, Copy, and Paste

keyboard shortcuts cut copy and paste

Whether you’re pumping out a 10,000 word report or just a computer beginner, keyboard shortcuts can make all the difference when you are trying to do something quickly. Here’s a quick guide to keyboard shortcuts for cut, copy, and paste functions on Windows and Mac:

Windows

Cut – Control (Ctrl) + X

The cut command can be used to remove text, images, or files from the screen or folder you are looking at. You cannot cut text from webpages or other screens that you are not able to edit. Insead, try copying text or images from the web to obtain a duplicate.

Copy – Control (Ctrl) + C

The copy command can be used to duplicate text, images, or files from the screen or file you are looking at. You can copy text from just about anywhere including documents and webpages. This is because you are not altering the file, document, or webpage you are looking at.

Paste – Control (Ctrl) + V

The paste command is used for placing the information you either cut or copied to your clipboard. An example of this would be pasting a text selection you copied from the web, or pasting a file you duplicated into a folder.

Mac

The Mac equivalents to the Windows keyboard shortcuts perform the same function, they just require a different combination of key presses.

Cut – Command + X

The cut command can be used to remove text, images, or files from the screen or folder you are looking at. You cannot cut text from webpages or other screens that you are not able to edit. Insead, try copying text or images from the web to obtain a duplicate.

Copy – Command + C

The copy command can be used to duplicate text, images, or files from the screen or file you are looking at. You can copy text from just about anywhere including documents and webpages. This is because you are not altering the file, document, or webpage you are looking at.

Paste – Command + V

The paste command is used for placing the information you either cut or copied to your clipboard. An example of this would be pasting a text selection you copied from the web, or pasting a file you duplicated into a folder.

For more help and information about your computer, contact us today. Check out our blog for more tips and tricks.