Skip to main content

How to disable the Desktop Cleanup Wizard

Posted August 2002 by Steve Sinchak

By default Windows will run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days to remove unused desktop items and shortcuts. This setting will disable it from running automatically.

Open your registry (Regedit.exe) and find the key below. You may need to create the key if it does not already exist.

Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called 'NoRun' and edit the value according to the settings below.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Settings:

Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\Desktop\CleanupWiz]
Value Name: NoRun
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = enabled, 1= disable wizard)

Related Posts


If you own a Google Chromecast streaming device, you can easily share a browser tab in Chrome browser or even your entire desktop.  This can be very useful when presenting from your laptop or if you just want to watch something on a big screen that is only on your PC.  The only requirement is you must be on the same network as your Chromecast...

Read More

If you are a fan of minimalist desktop experiences, hiding the desktop icons are an easy way to clean up the Windows interface.  Instead of saving everything to your desktop, use the default profile folders such as downloads and documents.  Actually hiding all the icons on your desktop is a very simple customization hidden in the right-click context menu.  Just right-click on the desktop, select View...

Read More

Google security researchers have published details about a major security flaw found in the SSL protocol that is used to encrypt data transferred between your browser and a web server. SSL is typically used in situations where logon credentials are validated...

Read More

Enabling two-factor authentication is a great way to add an additional level of protection to your Microsoft account.  Even if your password is stolen, your account is still protected because two-factor authetication requires an additional level of verification to log in. Microsoft calls their version of two-factor authentication "two-step verification" and it works by providing you with a random code...

Read More