How-To Geek
Add Internet Explorer Icon to Windows XP / Vista Desktop
I know what you are thinking. Can’t I just make a shortcut? Of course you can. But using this tweak you can recreate the native Internet Explorer icon the way it used to be in prior versions of Windows.
The native icon gives you two benefits: First, you can right-click and get directly to the Internet Options panel, and secondly it doesn’t have the shortcut icon arrow.
Update: This doesn’t work in Windows 7. See this Microsoft KB article for answers, but the short version is that you’ll need to just create a regular shortcut instead.
Manual Registry Tweak
Open up regedit.exe through the start menu search or run box, and then browse down to the following key:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
Find the key named “{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}” on the right-hand side, and then set the value to 0. If the key does not exist, then create a new 32-bit DWORD value with the same name. To remove the icon, you could set the value to 1 instead.
Note that if you are using the classic start menu, you should create this value under the ClassicStartMenu key instead of the NewStartPanel key.
Download Registry Hack
Even easier, you can just use one of the registry files I’ve prepared. Just unzip and double-click to enter into the registry.
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Comments (62)
Programmer by day, geek by night, The Geek, also known as Lowell Heddings, spends all his free time bringing you fresh geekery on a daily basis. You can follow him on Google+ if you'd like.
- Published 03/7/07
The reg entry doesn’t remove the icon (at least for me) in vista. Not sure if there’s something missing or not… even when I go to the spot in the registry, there’s nothing there with the 871… key. Here’s what’s in the zip I downloaded.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
"{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}"=-
Thanks :)
ah, i figured it out… I had my settings set to ClassicStartMenu
therefore, i just changed that part of the reg entry.
thank you!
It worked with very well using the registry file.
thank you.
Your tip worked from the easy link above. The old icon went in the recycle bin. Thanks.
gr8888888888 it worked! thanks man gr8 job!
Thank you so much for posting this.
So the native Internet Explorer icon got hidden in the market release of Vista? Because I remember that the icon used to be shown in the desktop by default when I tried Vista RC1.
I cannot get the custom icons for site shortcuts on my desktop with Vista as I did with XP. Each shortcut is now just the generic explorer icon. Is there a way to get the distinctive icons for each site I want to put on my desktop?
Holy Smoke!!! IT WORKED!!! I searched and searched Micro$oft tech support/knowledge bases for hours to no avail and this was so easy using the zip file. THANK YOU MR. GEEK! I am a happy guy now!
Thnx man…… The registry file just worked fine.
Hey,
Do you know how to ‘create’ these? i.e. if I wanted to create one for say Firefox, where in the registry can I add the appropriate values so this can be done? Thanks for this regedit by the way!
WOW. You are too cool. I usually have to enter the Reg hack everytime I do a clean install of vista. Your file saved me some time and I am saving it…. and I have emailed it to a few of my buds.
Thanks.
Cheers mate, worked a treat
Is there anyway to change the Documents icon to a “real icon” no shortcut on the desktop
Dont forget u will need to right click on the desktop and click refresh after editing registry. Thanks MR Geek!!!
Man was that easy. Your the best. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks Man
Hi guys,
Mine don’t work. I tried everything..
I will try reinstalling IE
Sys. (Windows XP Pro, SP2)
Cheers
Thanks worked perfect here (Vista x86)
You are the best
if i have an icon pack how do change all the folders at once instead of one by one
If that does not work look into HKLM………..
hey, this was awesome, but how would a remove this icon via batch file?
This was a terrible post! Now I have one less reason to upgrade to Windows XP :)
J/K thanks for the post. Oh and if you are impatient and it doesn’t appear, kill the process “explorer.exe” from the task manager and restart it.
It should use instead for XP HKEY Local Machine and follow the steps just like before
Awesome! Works for Windows XP Pro SP2. (manual fix)
thanks for the helpful tip. I have another question now. I’ve added the icons to my desktop, but now I want like 3 IE icons on my desktop and each one of them opens up with a different homepage, example, first icon opens up my yahoo homepage, the next icon opens up my google search, and the third opens my business hompage. I got the three icons on the desktop, so now can anyone tell me how to get each one to open a different page as default? if you or anyone can help email me at tman425@hotmail.com
I cannot get the custom icons for site shortcuts on my desktop with Vista as I did with XP. Each shortcut is now just the generic explorer icon. Is there a way to get the distinctive icons for each site I want to put on my desktop?
@Betty: Usually the Favorite Icons can be restored by switching to Classic Icons on the desktop. Just right click on the desktop, move over View and click Classic Icons.
Many thanks for this site and especially to “BLAH” to point out the difference for xp. I had screwed around with this for an hour or so yesterday and this site was my first today and when I went out of regedit there it was. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for this info! Worked like a charm on WinXPSP3, and on Vista X86 & x64. You just made my life a lot easier!!
I have clients that have multiple users on one PC, and having things uniform makes life a lot easier for me.
For anyone interested in setting the IE7 icon on the Public (that is the same as All Users in WinXP) desktop, follow the same instructions The Geek gave above with these slight changes:
1. Open regedt32.exe using the Start menu search or run box, and then navigate down to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel
2. Change the Value of Reg Key {871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D} to 0
You could just use Frameworkx Deskie 1.2
http://www.frameworkx.com/download.aspx?a=83&m=84
It didn’t work for me as instructed on the vista start menu but when i switched to classic it was there then switched back to vista startmenu it was gone. I played with it a second and tried MC’s key and added it to the exact same location and it worked. I am running IE 8 beta 2 on a vista home basic machine.
sorry forgot to click notify me :(
It worked great. Spent hours trying to do it,your download made it so easy.Thanks again!
Microsoft has released a “Fix it” to do this for you automatically:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945402/
Hi man ive got a question
how can i have google chrome without (snelkoppeling) quiklink without an arrow ??
Amazin, thanks very much
didnt work on vista, keep coming up saying its done but there no difference
Good post, admin.
It worked well!
Thanks so much!
I don’t get it…I created the file, then what?
I tried the link above, then I get this error message: The file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel.
I’m totally confused…what am I doing wrong?
Thank so much :D You saved my butt from getting chewed by my parents for the IE icon just, poofing in mid-air :D
have windows vista maybe ie willl be better than firefox
I can not get this to work in 64-Bit Win7-Pro
I also tried the link/wizard that “ie8user” posted and got message something like “not applicable for your OS”
I have the same problem. Doesn’t seem to work on Windows 7 + IE8. :( I have tried putting more or less all the keys from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel into the current user part, but no luck getting the IE icon to show.
I normally use this to script changes to default user profile when deploying through MDT, so would like to know if some one finds a solution.
uhmmm… in my registry, i do not have that.. i am running vista SP2… all my IE icons, are indeed shortcuts.. but in my registry, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer… after explorer.. there is no HideDesktopIcons option…
it doesn’t work!!
well how to place internet explorer icon in windows 7 (Million dollar Question)
you dont have to go to all that to do it just go to this website and fix it properly http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945402
you are the best
man this failed :( tried downloading it and eveything i have windows XP (sp3) i have the icon but its a shortcut -.-
nvm ^^ forgot to refresh TY!!!!
Maybe this is the simplest way:
Right click ‘My Computer’ > Explore > On the left pane select ‘Desktop’ > On the right pane drag IE icon to your Desktop …. that’s it!
didn’t work.
The reg hack only works for the current user. In my case, changing the key to local_machine does not fix the problem and yet all references I have seen only point to HKEY_Current_User. How do I set the icon for all users rather than just the current user?
For JD:
from a DOS box
reg load HKLM\DefUser “C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\ntuser.dat”
go into registry to HKLM, into DefUser, change
SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel
Back to DOS box, IMPORTANT! DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
reg unload HKLM\DefUser
Delete old profiles.
Next time users log in they get a new profile created from Default user with the change.
Wounderfull. It worked. Thank you for posting add
Wounderfull. It worked.
For those that didn’t work here is some help
1. Open Explorer
2. Goto Desktop
3. You will find the icon here, press ALT and drag it to your actual desktop, it will show an
arrow, but when you hold it but the real icon will result by releasing the icon.
4. Done, enjoy Microsoft Internet Explorer
In [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel] and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel it does have the key, but regedit don’t let me to edit them from 0 to 1. but other key no problem.
Thank you. you are fantastic
you can use one powe toy called Tweak UI
in the desktop option uncheck the IE icon