How To Create And Use Invisible Desktop Folders

An invisible folder on your desktop would be quite cool, but Windows does not allow you to set such a property for folders. However, a small trick can let you have invisible folders. Go to 'Start | All programs | Accessories | System tools | Character map’. In the list of displayed characters, search for an empty box and select it. You can ‘Select’ it and ‘Copy’ it to the clipboard and then close the Character Map. Now right-click on the desktop with your mouse and create a new folder with the option ‘New | Folder’. Paste over the name proposed by Windows with the character copied from the Character Map using the [Ctrl]+[V] key combination. This was the first trick: now you have what looks like a nameless folder on your desktop.

To make the icon of the folder disappear, right-click on the now-nameless folder and select the context command ‘Properties’. In the following dialogue, click on ‘Other icon’ in the ‘Customize’ tab. As before in the Character Map, search and mark a space without content under ‘Choose an icon from the following list’. Then confirm your choice with ‘OK’ and close the ‘Properties’ dialogue with ‘OK’ as well. Your folder will have disappeared. To open it, you have to know its position and must double-click on the correct spot on your desktop. Note that the invisible folder will reveal itself when you drag with the mouse to select and cover a large area of the desktop, or when you use the arrow keys to move between icons.