Why Do My Icons Have a Background Color in Windows XP?
If you've been wondering why your XP desktop icons have a background color, you'll be glad to know you can flip a checkbox and have them go back to a normal transparent background.
Here's the two versions side by side.
To set the transparent background on the icons, we'll need to open System Properties in Control Panel (or right-click on My Computer and select Properties).
In this dialog, click the Advanced tab, and then the Settings button under the Performance section.
Now scroll down to the button where you'll find a checkbox for "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop". Make sure you check this box if you want transparent backgrounds on the icons.
Why this option isn't just labeled "Enable Transparent Icons On the Desktop", I just can't say.
Update
If the above does not work, you might want to also check these additional settings suggested by readers in the comments.
- You can't be displaying a web page as your background. To check this, right-click on the desktop and choose Properties. Select Customize desktop on the Desktop tab, then select the Web tab on the desktop items window and deselect any web pages that are shown.
- You need to make sure that High Contrast is not selected under Accessibility \ Display Options in your Control Panel.
This has been driving me nuts on several (but not all) otherwise identical systems in our company. Thanks for the tip!
I agree, nice tip - but it doesn't (always) work.
In other words, the box is checked, but my desktop still has the background. I think it may have something to do with another function (which, I can't say).
I'm running Windows XP SP2, and I've got no love for drop shadows here. Thanks though!
Chad that could be because you may have set to display a web page in the background, To disable the webpage
Right Click on your desktop–> Properties Select Customize desktop under Desktop tab.
Now select Web tab in the Desktop Items window, and deselect if any web pages are shown.
And you will have the transparant background
Thanks AV… My readers are great!
hey thanks for the TIP , the second one worked.
none of the suggestions worked, what next
Thanks alol sir,
It is very useful to getrid some problems
Thanking you sir,
yours sincerely,
siva rama krishna
When both of these do not work, there is a third way (or an addition to the second step). Under web (Customize desktop -> Web), de-select 'Lock desktop icons' which then enables users to modify icon properties. I had the same problem and solved it this way.
Hey, the second one worked its great to see the desktop. I need your help in an anoher problem, i have windows XP Media Center. I dont have sort by name option in Start -> Program Files.
Can you help me in This??
Thanks for the help, worked like a charm.
I've followed all of the above instructions, but still can't get this to work! Any other suggestions?
Cheers
HOW-TO GEEK,
YOU ARE AWSOME. THANK YOU GREATLY FOR THE 2nd SUGGESTION. MY DESKTOP ICON LABELS' BACKGROUNDS ARE NOW TRANSPARENT. I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH.
I had this same problem and the only thing that worked for me was this: In Display Properties, click the Desktop tab and then Customize Desktop. Under the Web tab, make sure that none of the web page checkboxes are selected to display on your desktop. I tried many other suggestions, and this was my winner
If you still can't get it to work, like myself, check the file type of your background image. I was always using PNGs because 'why have any-loss when I can have lossless?'. Answer: it gives you that color behind the text and icons you hate…
Convert your background image to jpg and you will probably be fine.
I've been having this problem for a while! The tip from Raj Nootie:
'Under web (Customize desktop -> Web), de-select 'Lock desktop icons' which then enables users to modify icon properties'
worked perfectly!
thanks for the help…..
Wow thanks a lot
.
I'm really getting frustrated, none of the above suggestions have worked for me, de-seclting web pages, lock desktop icons, checking the drop down menu box, none of them, but a few of you said that when you unlock the desktop icons it allows you to modify icon properties, how do i get to icon properties? If anyone has any other suggestions for me i would love it. I do have a brico pack installed on my system to make XP look like vista, would that have anything to do with it?
Hi all,
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help guys.
Thanks a million! I have been looking everywhere for that!
i spent WAY too much time trying to find a solution to remove this seemingly benign (but oddly irritating !!)artifact. your directions took me all of 15 seconds to finally rid my icons of its' shadow. Thank you for the simple and useful info..
.
I did what you stated in the web site.
My icons have a background color in window and I was trying to make it transparent,
and I did what you did in the web site.
But it didn't work.
What else can I do to make it transparent?
I tried over 5 different things to try to fix this but nothing helped. I noticed that my Windows Picture and Fax Viewer was not working also. So I tried an old trick to fix that, and it fixed the icon issue also. I went to the command prompt (start, run) and typed in "regsvr32 shimgvw.dll" without the quotes, and then changed my resolution to a smaller one and back again, and both issues were fixed.
Thank you for your help but ooops! it didn't work again!
Is there any other solution for my problem?
Thank you for your help but that didn't work well.
Is there any other solution I can solve my problem?
Thats great!!.Thanks for such a wonderful tip.
This was a lifesaver. Thanks. I can get back to work now.
Thanks AV! You saved me from having to go to an asylum for the rest of my life!
A big …Thank You!… You guys professionally answered an annoying XP question about how to make the desktop icon captions transparent. I agree.. the phrasing: "..use drop shadows.." must be Bill G's practical joke! Thanks again.
My desktop icons still have the color behind them,
i have tried and did not work for me, any other option??? please help.
i have tried all three options but still not got the solution , by unchecking the web i got the caption color with little colored
background
Hey AV, awesome dude
after trying for sooo long it worked… thanks for ur suggession.. u r genius
hey kishore.. delete that web page fror the list, it wud work.
nice tip! really helped me… thanx!!!
If anyone is still having this problem, also check the Accessibility–>Display options under the Control Panel. Make sure High Contrast is unchecked.
Thanks AV.. You are the man! It worked for me.. may god bless you..
Thanks AV…saved my life!
thankz dude!!! when i follow ur first instruction its working!!!
I just went through this guide, and the tips in the comments but i still could not get the icons to be transparent. If anybody still have this problem, my solution is based on the tip from "Taboo Tongue", but instead of using JPG (which in some sneaky way enables web content for the desktop without showing it anywhere) I converted the image to BMP to get it to work.
To "The Geek",
Man I've been through so many forums looking for a solution…
This one actually worked….. I was suprised myself. I guess been thru a lot forums that really don't give you any soution does that to you. LOL
Thank You
There is also another way that would cause such a thing. Make sure that your icons are not "locked."
Right click on the desktop and make sure they are not locked
so the 3 didn't work for me, but going into the properties of the display settings / desktop / customize desktop / web tab / I clicked properties on 'my current home page' (it was the only web page in the selection) and then I deselected 'make this page available offline'.
that made the text background go away.
I don't know why I had to do this extra step since deselecting desktop web pages should have done it, but it worked for me. try it if the other three options didn't work.
good luck.
Thanks it worked for me
good blog
I tried evry solutions and none did work =(
Thanks to AV. It worked for me!
Its wonderfull for my its works
I was whacking my brains over this for a month.. I had a silly web page set under desktop –> customize –> Advanced… Thanks.. It works now..
Enabling drop shadows is fine and dandy unless you have a light colored background then it becomes difficult to read the captions.
Microsoft provides no way to change the font color so you have to turn to a third party tool.
I was fretting over this all day. This helped tremondously.
I have tried each and evrything what u ppl have said but none worked for me ….plz help !!!
Even if you don't have a web page selected as your background, you still need to uncheck the "Lock Desktop Objects" box in order to get transparent background for your icons.
Raj Nooti is the best the third option was the one that worked for me !!!! Now my desktop looks normal again; I don't know how it got whacked out in the first place; but Thank God for the Smart dudes like you Raj Nooti !!!!!
Thanx a lot…..The third comment was wonderful and I cud change the background of icons.
Okay, I have tried every single suggestion posted here and NONE of them have worked. I didn't have this issue until this morning when one of our IT people logged into my PC remotely, after that was when the background color appeared and not being able to get it back to transparent is driving me CRAZY.
Thanks to Raj Nooti. Nothing worked until I read your comment!
I'm still stuck with background color. Any other suggestions?
Thank you Paul! I tried 10 different things to fix this before I read your suggestion. I was getting ridiculously frustrated about this. Thank you.
Raj Nooti's tip worked!!! thanks so much!!
Hey AV
Great man,,,,i was dieing to solve this problem from last so many months,
I did it today,,,,you really deserve a big THANKS man