How to remove Control Panel from Desktop Toolbar

Hi, draagynslayer  (cute change of spelling, really cute).  You wrote:

"I use the Desktop toolbar to keep my desktop clear of icons, but on Windows 7, it has a Control Panel shortcut that I cannot get rid of.  It does not show up on my actual desktop, so I do not know why it is showing up in the toolbar.  How do I get rid of this shortcut?"

ANSWER: I had the same problem as you in the four Windows 7 machines I just purchased for myself.  There is no direct solution. After four years of complaints like yours all over the internet -- MS still won't fix the GAFFE of having not only one but TWO Control panel objects on any 'desktop toolbar' that's created. Really daft, since CP creates dangerous access.  Registry editing only gets rid of the duplicate, never the original, and then only for a few minutes.  Even if you invoke God Mode or use the Local Group Policy Editor (Start, Run, gpedit.msc), you can't override that.  You can but disable Control Panel entirely; that's a bad idea, for then you can't do ANYTHING.  There are similar options in the LGPE, all useless.  No option to just hide CP, and no option to prevent it from attaching itself to the 'desktop toolbar'.  How daft.

But there is a workaround, and it's dumb but effective. (see post #33 by 'boohbah', here: http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/188145-duplicate-icons-4.html#post1590514 )  To wit:

1. Right click on your desktop, and display all your shortcuts. 

2. Then create a new folder, say 'Desk' (anything except 'desktop', that's a reserved name and the reason for the problem).

3. Then manually move your icons into that folder.  (Or, just cut and paste them into that folder via Windows Explorer in one fell swoop.)

4. Next, right click on the task bar, hover to 'Toolbars' and then click on 'New Toolbar'.  You're presented with a dialogue box and a request for a folder name. 

5. Pick the folder you just named in #2 (i.e., 'Desk').

6. Now the folder with your icons IS the new toolbar, and it shows up first (rightmost, usually), OBSCURING the 'desktop toolbar' with the excess 'Control Panel' and other entries in it.

7. Now, you can leave it OBSCURED (but really there), or you can again right click on the taskbar, hover up to 'Toolbars' and then UNCHECK 'desktop' so it really is hidden.  The icons are still there, but not seen.

8. If you want access, just reverse #7 (CHECK 'desktop'). 

Upside is that your new folder is there also, requiring you to do nothing more.  Downside is that when you add programs which create desktop icons, you'll afterwards have to drag them to that new folder.

One more tip: Unlock the toolbars and move them around until you get them in the order you want them, but NEXT you want to SQUISH (shorten) the line for the icons until you see the >> sign.  Click next on that >>, and you get the popup listing.  Hover over to some blank area of that popup listing, right click, then hover to 'Sort by name'.  That will sort all your icons alphabetically.  So repeat that whenever you add icons or change their names.  Folders will always sort in the middle, irrespective of name.  (Same trick works in XP.)  After that, you can lengthen your toolbar again, if you want.

One more tip: the time delay for displaying the tooltip is VERY long in the taskbar, but instantaneous in any other toolbar; so you don't want many icons in the taskbar, as even registry editing doesn't reduce the delay.  There's a way to create a Quick Launch toolbar and get rid of the taskbar entirely, too (see http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/188145-duplicate-icons-4.html#post1590514

for the steps to do that.  You don't have to use all of them, just pick the ones you like.

I just learned this Control Panel glitch 'solution' after HOURS of trying to figure out the same thing you were trying to learn.  You didn't get any help.  I hope this does help.

It's Christmas Eve, and again my life is eaten by arcane Windows glitches.  I hope yours, was not!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

For Apple IPad, this works to remove that obnoxious floating black control box shortcut from the desktop.  Go to Settings, General, Accessibility, Assistive Touch.  Turn it off.

I had this problem too. I found a solution that worked.

I went directly into the "Control Panel" program- went to "View" then "Toolbars" un-ticked the "Lock the Toolbars" and the Control panel icon on my desktop was gone - Hope this helps.

Hi draagynslayer,

Did you try the right click trick? Right-clicking should give you the option to Unpin this program from taskbar.

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Best,

Sharon

Sharon Roffey

Queensland, Australia