What is a Desktop.ini File?

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated November 10, 2014)

When you turn on the display of hidden files on your system, one of the files you may see over and over again is called Desktop.ini. This file is used to hold customization information for the folder in which it is stored. The customization information controls how that particular folder is displayed by Windows.

You may also see one (or more) Desktop.ini files on your actual desktop. These are no different than ones you may see in other folders as your browse around. The reason they are visible on your desktop (besides the fact that you've turned on the display of hidden files) is that the desktop, to Windows, is nothing more than another folder.

You can, if you desire, delete any Desktop.ini files you see. Doing so won't "break" Windows in any way. The only thing it will do is return the display of that particular folder to its default. If you are unsure of how that will change the appearance of the folder, just rename the Desktop.ini file to something else (just change the file extension, if you want) and restart Windows. If you are fine with how the folder looks when you view it, then delete the file.

 This tip (13305) applies to Windows 7 and 8.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He  is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Maximum Length Limit for a Macro

Make your macros too long, and Excel may just refuse to run them at all. This tip explains what the limit is for macros, and ...

Discover More

Copying a Hyperlink to Lots of Worksheets

Copying information from one place to another in a worksheet is easy. Copying hyperlinks may not seem that easy, but you can ...

Discover More

Printing a List of Building Blocks

Building Blocks are a great way to semi-automate the creation of common documents. At some point you may want to get a ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Swapping Mouse Buttons for Left-Handed Users

By default, the mouse is configured such that the primary mouse button is the left one, and the secondary mouse button is the ...

Discover More

Modifying the General Startup Process

Having problems getting Windows to start properly? You can try to track down what is causing the problem by using the ...

Discover More

Restoring Send To Desktop (Create Shortcut)

Sometimes the 'Send to | Desktop (create shortcut)' option disappears, or perhaps it was never there in the first place. This ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WindowsTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three minus 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WindowsTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.