# Can I put some Windows XP desktop icons elsewhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132 "2005-12-11T13:43:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/1 "2005-12-11T13:43:20Z")
Using a capture program, I snagged a moment of triumph in an online poker tournament\*\*\*\*\* and put the picture as background on my desktop. The problem is, the many icons there tend to overwhelm the picture. I know that I could simply delete them without ill effect, but am reluctant to do that. Is there a place I can put many of these icons — other than the desktop — where I can readily use them? \*\*\*\*\*Play Money, so Gus Hansen isn’t looking over his shoulder. Yet. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/2 "2005-12-11T13:50:57Z")
Put them in the [Quick Launch Toolbar.](http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/win_tray_taskbar_showql_howto.mspx) > [@](#): > > Right-click the taskbar, and then click Properties. On the Taskbar tab, select the Show Quick Launch check box, and then click Apply. Then you can just drag the desktop icons to the Quick Launch Toolbar, and delete them from the desktop. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/3 "2005-12-11T14:08:28Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Put them in the [Quick Launch Toolbar.](http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/win_tray_taskbar_showql_howto.mspx) Then you can just drag the desktop icons to the Quick Launch Toolbar, and delete them from the desktop. Thanks very much, **Fear Itself**. Please pardon the dumb follow-up questions: Can I put, say 40 icons in the Quick Launch Toolbar? And later, should I change my mind, can I put them back on the desktop? ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/4 "2005-12-11T14:38:36Z")
Couldn’t you just make a new folder on your desktop that’s titled, “Icons” and drag them into there? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/5 "2005-12-11T14:48:40Z")
> [@BarnOwl](#): > > Thanks very much, **Fear Itself**. > > Please pardon the dumb follow-up questions: > > Can I put, say 40 icons in the Quick Launch Toolbar? > > And later, should I change my mind, can I put them back on the desktop? No, you should not put 40 icons in the Quick Lauch Toolbar. Depending on the resources and configuration of your computer, overloading the Quick Launch Toolbar can cause performance problems. For most computers, I would recommend no more than 8-10 icons. Yes, you can move icons from the Quick Launch toolbar back to the desktop. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/6 "2005-12-11T15:23:14Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Couldn’t you just make a new folder on your desktop that’s titled, “Icons” and drag them into there? I did this, and recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/7 "2005-12-11T16:02:20Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I did this, and recommend it. Thirded. I have a bad habit of saving everything to my desktop (a left over habit from when the Desktop was the quickest place to save things) so I’ll periodically go through, dump all the non-shortcut files in one folder and all the shortcuts in another. Two folders on the desktop, and everything is nice and neat. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/8 "2005-12-11T16:24:41Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Couldn’t you just make a new folder on your desktop that’s titled, “Icons” and drag them into there? Windows XP has a wizard to do this even. It’ll run on its own at the most inconvenient times somehow 😉 Or you can trigger it yourself: 1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 2. In Control Panel, click Display. The Display Properties dialog box is displayed. 3. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop tab, and then click Customize Desktop. The Desktop Items dialog box is displayed. 4. Under Desktop cleanup, clickClean Desktop Now. The Desktop Cleanup Wizard starts. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/9 "2005-12-11T18:25:07Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Thirded. I have a bad habit of saving everything to my desktop (a left over habit from when the Desktop was the quickest place to save things) so I’ll periodically go through, dump all the non-shortcut files in one folder and all the shortcuts in another. Two folders on the desktop, and everything is nice and neat. Fourth-ted I did this - made New Folders by type of program - and it’s great! My thanks to **Uncommon Sense** and all others, who took the trouble to post. Mods feel free to close at will. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/10 "2005-12-12T02:25:48Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > The Desktop Cleanup Wizard starts. … Does XP allow users to designate where it sends these files? ---
**Author:** ![simian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@simian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simian)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/11 "2005-12-12T07:02:55Z")
What I’d recommend is (this is assuming you’ve got XP or 2000, I’m not sure about 98, but give it ago) 1. create a new folder on the desktop called icons 2. move all your icons to this folder 3. right-click on any blank portion of the taskbar (thats the blue one along the bottom) 4. select toolbars, then “new toolbar…” 5. now select the folder (from the desktop) that you’ve just created and moved your icons to HEY PRESTO! you’ve got yourself something simlar to the quicklaunch bar, but not taking up anywhere near as much space. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/12 "2005-12-12T13:48:28Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > … Does XP allow users to designate where it sends these files? I don’t think so. It sets up a folder on the desktop called ‘unused desktop shortcuts’ or something like that. Of course, if you really want that control, you can move them manually, as other people have mentioned ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-put-some-windows-xp-desktop-icons-elsewhere/335132/13 "2005-12-12T14:10:42Z")
> [@simian](#): > > What I’d recommend is > > (this is assuming you’ve got XP or 2000, I’m not sure about 98, but give it ago) > > 1. create a new folder on the desktop called icons > 2. move all your icons to this folder > 3. right-click on any blank portion of the taskbar (thats the blue one along the bottom) > 4. select toolbars, then “new toolbar…” > 5. now select the folder (from the desktop) that you’ve just created and moved your icons to > > HEY PRESTO! you’ve got yourself something simlar to the quicklaunch bar, but not taking up anywhere near as much space. Such a hell of an idea, I snagged it for the near future. Thanks **simian**!