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Windows 98 - Show icons without text

November 26, 2013
Updated: December 6, 2021
Quick overview:

With a funny and simple move it is possible to display a desktop icon without a name. It's that simple:

1. Right-click on the desired symbol and select "Rename".

2. Now press the "NUM" key above the numeric keypad on your keyboard so that it is activated. Now hold down the "ALT" key and enter "0160" one after the other. Now release the "ALT" key and click on the desktop. The text has now disappeared.

To make several symbols appear transparent

Icons on the desktop that are generated by the system, such as "My Computer", "Network Neighborhood", "Internet", etc.) can of course be displayed with just one character (Alt + 0160 (on the number pad)). All icons that are addressed in the system via a class ID and not via the file name can be displayed in this way.

If you want to change the name of an icon that refers to a link, it must of course be done differently. A maximum of 255 icons are possible here. For the simple reason that only 255 characters are available for a file name. In addition, two files may not have the same name!

The following therefore applies to links :
1. shortcut (Alt + 0160)
2. shortcut (Alt + 0160)(Alt + 0160)
3. shortcut (Alt + 0160)(Alt + 0160)(Alt + 0160)

NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION: This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.

Founded Windows Tweaks as a teenager in the 90s. His helpful PC tricks made it Germany's most visited Windows site (at the time Sandro looked like this). He then went on to write elsewhere, for example for PC-Praxis, Computer Bild and PCWorld in the USA. Microsoft also poached him from us. Now Sandro is back, finally sharing his tweaks here again. For a stress-free digital everyday life. You can reach Sandro via e-mail.

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