# Shortcut Icons in XP – Remove Lower Left Arrow **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306 "2005-11-22T19:43:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/1 "2005-11-22T19:43:39Z")
I know how to change the icon for a shortcut in XP –but whenever I select a new icon it still has that arrow in the lower left hand corner. Is there a way to remove that arrow or indicate to Windows not to place it over the new icon? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/2 "2005-11-22T19:47:49Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I know how to change the icon for a shortcut in XP –but whenever I select a new icon it still has that arrow in the lower left hand corner. Is there a way to remove that arrow or indicate to Windows not to place it over the new icon? Yes there is. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/3 "2005-11-22T19:48:33Z")
Just to clarify - I want to remove the arrow for ONE icon - not ALL of the icons (via the registry) Sorry - should have said so earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/4 "2005-11-22T19:48:52Z")
Yea, anyways… I know TweakUI I can do it. I’ll have to take a look around and see if I can remember how to do it without a 3rd party tweaking program. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/5 "2005-11-22T19:49:30Z")
Go [here](http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx) and get TweakUI. It has an option for removing them. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/6 "2005-11-22T19:50:33Z")
The easiest way is to download [TweakUI](http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/tweakui). It’s a Control Panel extension that gives you a great deal of flexibility with customizing the user interface. Once you’ve installed it, run it and go to the Explorer tab, and click “None” under the Shortcut Overlay options. Click the “OK” button, and you’re all set. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/7 "2005-11-22T19:56:59Z")
Ooh, just for One icon, and not all of them? That I’m not sure if TweakUI can do. I hate that fucknig arrow, so I remove all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/8 "2005-11-22T19:58:58Z")
I’m pretty sure that TweakUI will remove the arrow from all shortcuts, not just one. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/9 "2005-11-22T20:32:02Z")
So it’s all or nothing then. Oh well - thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/10 "2005-11-22T21:28:48Z")
If you just want _one_ icon not to have the arrow, you’ll have to make that one not a shortcut. To do that, delete the shortcut icon in question from the desktop. Then, navigate to the folder containing the actual program, right click it and select Copy, then Paste the copy directly to the desktop. Don’t use Paste Shortcut, since that will obviously defeat the purpose. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/11 "2005-11-22T22:20:35Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > If you just want _one_ icon not to have the arrow, you’ll have to make that one not a shortcut. To do that, delete the shortcut icon in question from the desktop. Then, navigate to the folder containing the actual program, right click it and select Copy, then Paste the copy directly to the desktop. Don’t use Paste Shortcut, since that will obviously defeat the purpose. …and test, test, test. A sizeable number of Windows programs will not function when moved in this fashion, either because they’re playing registry games with locating their own paths (I’m talking to you, Microsoft Office), or because they set the working directory to the application’s directory, and then look for things “beside themselves” which aren’t there for the copy. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/12 "2005-11-23T14:47:03Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > . . .Paste the copy directly to the desktop. This appears to assume that the OP is referring to an executable rather than a data file. If you _copy_ a data file then it will work but you could develop some version control problems if you have two copies of the file out there. _Moving_ it might be OK subject to the caveat from **TimeWinder**. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortcut-icons-in-xp-remove-lower-left-arrow/332306/13 "2005-11-23T23:06:40Z")
You could also try some combination of symlinks or hard links, which are spottily supported by Windows. I’m guessing that neither would show the Shortcut Arrow graphic. I found some info [here](http://shell-shocked.org/article.php?id=284). It looks like they can be tricky. You could also create a small script that opened up the file you want, and then change the icon on it to match the icon of the file. For example, I can make a text file called “Dostuff.cmd” that has the path of an executable (say “C:\Program Files\MyFavoriteProgram.exe”. And, yes, if there’s a space in the path, you have to put the quotes around it) in it, and double clicking on it will bring up a brief Windows cmd shell and then launch the program. This would work for a data file or a directory, too (as long as the program used has a command line syntax); you’d just have to specify the name of the program to open it and the file to open. I haven’t yet figured out how to change the icon displayed or how to make the file not have to end in “.cmd” to make the shell run it or how to make the shell not pop up briefly, but someone with more Windows-fu than I might be able to.