Deleting a file from the desktop, but not the computer.

First, note that in most cases what is on the desktop is not the file or folder itself, it is a shortcut to the file or folder. A shortcut is just a pointer to where the file or folder is located. If you delete the shortcut, the pointer is gone, but the the file or folder is *not*.

Do the icons you are concerned about on the desktop contain a curved arrow? If so they are shortcuts. If they don't have the arrow, they are presumably *not* shortcuts, but are the files themselves.

So if you delete a file or folder that is not a shortcut (one without an arrow) you are actually deleting the file or folder itself. The way to remove the file or folder from the desktop without removing it  itself is *not* to delete it. Instead, move it elsewhere on the hard  drive.

By the way, in my view, you should never put a file or folder itself on the desktop. You should put nothing there but shortcuts. If you have a mixture there of shortcuts and actual files and folders, you have created an invitation to accidentally delete something you need, thinking you are only deleting a shortcut.

You can't "delete" a file from the Desktop without deleting it from the computer.

If the item on your Desktop is a shortcut (the icon has a curved blue arrow at the lower left corner), you can delete the shortcut and that will not delete the actual file -- wherever it may be on your computer.  Right-click the shortcut icon first and select "Properties."  The presence of a "Shortcut" tab will confirm that the icon is a shortcut and the information in the "Target" line will show you where the actual file is stored.

If the item on your Desktop is not a shortcut, you can move it to another location on your computer, e.g., to your "My Documents" folder, but if you press "Delete," the item will be sent to the Recycle Bin.