How to remove the Macintosh HD icon from your desktop

I like to keep my computer super clean and organized. My files are all arranged into well named folders and part of this is keeping my desktop clean. The one icon that doesn’t seem to want to be removed from the desktop however is the Macintosh HD icon… instead of being able to drag it into the trash it just shows the eject option and that doesn’t do anything. So here’s how you can remove that icon and keep it from cluttering up your space.

  1. Open a new Finder window (or double click the Macintosh HD icon)
  2. Go to the Finder > Preferences… menu
  3. Uncheck “Hard disks” under the “Show these items on the desktop:” list

As you can see it’s a pretty simple fix. Not only will you remove the Macintosh HD icon but you’ll also remove any secondary partitions you may have created such as Boot Camp. And remember, this doesn’t delete the drives or any files, it just removes their shortcuts from the desktop. So back to the Finder > Preferences… menu, you can also uncheck “External disks” and “CDs, DVDs, and iPods” if you don’t want those to pop up anymore. This will keep your desktop completely empty, always, unless you specifically drag something there or save to the desktop.

On a semi-related note, instead of leaving folders and icons on my desktop I like to put them down on my dock. In order to do this you simply drag any applications or folders down into the Dock until you see it spread and make room. Applications can be added to the left and folders to the right of the little separator near the trash.

One comment

  1. I like it, thanks! Check out my tutorial site at http://allmytutorials.blogspot.com/