Discover how to eliminate the “Learn more about this picture”icon that appears on your desktop when you enable Windows 11’s Spotlight wallpapers. To permanently get rid of this icon while still enjoying breathtaking wallpapers, you can either disable the Spotlight feature entirely or tweak the HideDesktopIcons setting in the Registry. Here’s a quick guide on accomplishing this.
Windows Spotlight enhances your desktop experience with stunning wallpapers, eliminating the need for daily background changes. It’s such a hit that even our team at Windows Latest enjoys using it to avoid the monotonous default Windows 11 backgrounds.
That said, activating the Windows Spotlight option in your personalization settings results in the appearance of the “Learn more about this picture”icon on your desktop. Like many users, we find that most of us don’t require this icon and utilize Spotlight solely for its wallpapers.
Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn’t provide a way to remove this icon via the Personalization settings. You cannot hide just this icon without affecting all desktop icons, nor can you move it to the recycle bin.
Quick Solution: Disable Spotlight
The simplest approach is to bypass Windows Spotlight altogether and opt for your own collection of images, reminiscent of the Windows 7 era. This method is particularly effective if you’ve inadvertently activated the Spotlight feature and wish to switch back to personal usage.
Removing the “Learn more about this picture” Icon via Registry Editor
Before proceeding, ensure you back up your registry. Then, follow these steps to eliminate the Spotlight watermark in Windows 11:
- Open the Registry Editor and navigate to this path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel key - Right-click in the empty space, then select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Label the new key as {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} and double-click it.
- Maintain the Hexadecimal base and modify the Value Data to 1.
- Click OK, then exit the Registry Editor.
- Restart your computer and log back in to find the icon has disappeared.
If you ever wish to restore the icon, simply return to the same DWORD value and set its Value Data back to 0.
Using a Third-Party Application to Remove the Icon
If you’re uncomfortable with the Registry Editor method or prefer a more user-friendly approach, several third-party applications can do the job. One such option is the open-source Explorer Patcher.
To remove the icon using Explorer Patcher, follow these steps:
- Download the latest version of Explorer Patcher from GitHub or other trusted platforms.
- Run the file, and the application will start after it downloads additional icons.
- Navigate to the Spotlight tab in the left menu.
- Select the Hide the “Learn more about this picture” icon option.
As illustrated in the screenshot below, the icon will instantly disappear from your desktop. You can also use the app to restore the icon if you decide to change your wallpaper again.
Now you know how to effectively remove the annoying Spotlight icon from your Windows 11 desktop.