Microsoft Spotlight is a tool that changes your Windows desktop background image by downloading the images from the internet. In this tutorial you will learn how to hide (and show) the Spotlight desktop shortcut Learn about this picture but keeping Spotlight background pictures in 2 methods inside Windows Registry.

What to do if security notifications shows up when opening a file or program?

If Security warning, User Account Control or any other security window shows up when you open some file or some program left mouse button click on the Yes, Run or whatever button it is to confirm, that you allow to open it.

Security warning for file opening
User Account Control for program opening

1. METHOD (easyer): With prepared registry files

In this method you simply download correct registry file and apply it. I created the files but if you do not trust them you can use manual way in the 2. Method.

(Click on the individual step title or triangle to hide or show the details (images, info, …))

Step 1: Download the correct registry file

To hide the shortcut use spotlight-desktop-icon-hide.reg and to show hidden shortcut use spotlight-desktop-icon-show.reg.

  1. To download it with the right mouse button click on the file link and then left mouse button click Save link as....

  2. Open the desired folder where you want to save it and left mouse button click on the Save button.

  3. If web browser asks you if you want to keep the downloaded file, left mouse button on Keep or whatever button is like in your web browser. I used Brave.

Step 2: Open the folder where you downloaded the file and open the file with left mouse button click

if any security window pops up check what to do at the almost top of this web page!

Step 3: In the Registry Editor notification window left mouse button click on the Yes button to apply into a registry

Step 4: When you get notification that registry file is successfully imported left mouse button click on the Ok button to close it

Step 5: Right mouse button click on the Windows desktop and then left mouse button click on the Refresh button to see the change

2. METHOD (harder): Manually inside the Windows Registry

To do this correctly do EXACTLY as I do otherwise you can damage to your Windows and/or it’s content or in best case there will be no change to Windows or elsewhere! If you are not sure, do the easyer 1. Method instead.

(Click on the individual step title or triangle to hide or show the details (images, info, …))*

Step 1: Left mouse button click on the Start menu button

Step 2: With the keyboard start typing Registry Editor and left mouse button click on the result Registry Editor
Start - searching
Start - searching result

if any security window pops up check here almost at the top of this web page!

Step 3: Go to the NewStartPanel entry

Location:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel

You can open it it in two ways:

  1. With the left mouse button select the location path above, right mouse button click on the selected text and then left mouse button click on the button Copy.

    Now on the top of Windows Registry window in text area remove existing text, right mouse button click in it and left mouse button click Paste to paste previously copied text.

    To confirm new location press Enter key on the keyboard.

  2. With left mouse button click arrows on the left side of the keys to expand the keys until you are inside NewStartPanel.

Step 4: Create {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} value but if it alerady exists skip this step and go to the Step 5

New value title/name:

{2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}

If you want to create new Value with name that already exists, you will get an error massage. New value is still created with default name but you can delete it.

To create new value:

  1. With left mouse button select value name {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}, right mouse button click on the selected text and left mouse button click on the Copy button.

  2. Make sure you are inside NewStartPanel and on the right side of the window, right mouse button click in the empty area, go over New and left mouse button click the DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  3. Now right mouse button click on the selected default value name New Value #1, and with left mouse button click click on the Paste to paste the previously copied value name {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}.

    To confirm new name press Enter key on the keyboard.

Step 5: Right mouse button click on {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} and then left mouse button click on the Modify button

Step 6: Under the Value data in text box make sure it is 1 (1 means hidden shortcut, 0 or deleted value for shown shortcut) and left mouse button click on the Ok button to confirm the change

To change the value just left mouse button click in the text area under the Value data (you can use keyboard button Backspace or Del / Delete to delete existing content) and keyboard type in what you need for example 1 .

Step 7: Refresh Windows desktop to see the change.

Video version

(25.07.2025, 18:00 / 06:00 PM, timezone: CEST / UTC+2 / GMT+2)