How to hide desktop icons on Mac

The simplest way: one click in SeventyDesk

Open SeventyDesk and click Hide desktop: every icon disappears at once, nothing is moved or deleted. Click Show desktop to bring it all back exactly as it was. Handy right before a screen share, a video call or a projector.

Download the free SeventyDesk trial (7 days, macOS 13+).

The native Finder way

macOS has a hidden setting: Finder's View menu (or right-click the desktop), uncheck "Show Desktop Items". It works, but you have to open Finder and uncheck it every time: no shortcut, no button, and the setting sometimes resets itself after a macOS update.

For terminal users

The command defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool false && killall Finder does exactly the same thing in one line. SeventyDesk sets that same preference, with a button instead of a terminal.

The multiple-screens case

The Finder setting applies to every screen at once. The sandboxed App Store version cannot relaunch Finder, so it covers each screen with its own wallpaper instead, updated automatically if you plug in or unplug a monitor.

Mistakes to avoid

• Moving desktop files into a folder to hide them: they become hard to find back in the right place next time.
• Forgetting to show the desktop again after a presentation: one click is all it takes, no manual cleanup needed.
• Using a heavy utility that runs constantly: hiding icons needs no active process between clicks.

Get SeventyDesk: one click to hide, for life.