Workaround to Remove Shortcut Arrow (Make Transparent) in Windows 7 Yet Can Pin to Taskbar or Start Menu
In Windows 7, once user uses the IsShortcut hack to remove shortcut icon arrow overlay image, the shortcut can no longer been pinned to Windows 7 Taskbar and Start Menu. For Windows 7 user who don’t like the shortcut arrow image to appear on the icon, but yet still want to pin the shortcut to Taskbar or Start Menu, there is a workaround hack to remove and hide the shortcut arrow.
In fact, the following trick, which make the arrow shortcut overlay image transparent through registry, is the proper way to remove and hide the arrow overlay on the icon of shortcut, which is implemented in TweakUI PowerToy for Windows XP too. By using the proper registry hack below to remove the shortcut arrow, user can avoid the double items issue when right clicking on a shortcut (.lnk) file. In Windows 7, user can avoid the problem of unable or cannot pin shortcut item to Taskbar or Start Menu and other related issues.
How to Remove Shortcut Arrow in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server
Open a command prompt (with administrator rights in Windows Vista and Windows 7), and the run the following command line statement to add the necessary registry key:
REG ADD “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons” /v 29 /d %SystemRoot%\System32\shell32.dll,50 /f
Alternatively, download and apply the following registry file, which has the HEX value for Shell Icons which equals to %SystemRoot%\System32\shell32.dll,50
Download Remove_Shortcut_Arrow.reg
After applying the tweak, download and run the FlushCode.exe to refresh the icon cache.
Important: For user who has previously use the common method (deleting IsShortcut registry value) to remove the arrow on shortcut, restore the IsShortcut registry value first as per instruction used to fix issue related to right click menu items after removing shortcut arrow. Alternatively, copy and paste the following lines of code to a text editor, and then save as a file with .reg extension and run the saved registry file to merge back the value.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile]
@="Shortcut"
"IsShortcut"=""
Related Articles
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Entries (RSS)
December 18th, 2009 06:46
Nice. But since I can’t get it to work no matter what I do, how do I go back to the shortcut arrow in Win7? I’m really tired of the black box.
And what’s with the reference to “HKLM? Win7 uses HKEY
December 11th, 2009 20:43
@ Angelina
lucky you doesn’t realize that if 3 out of 40 antivirus programs say it is a virus, it is nowhere near being a real virus
the best workaround to the black square is to use the .reg file and then go to regedit HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons and modify 29 to the path of an almost completely transparent icon, for example this icon (it contains 1 almost completely transparent pixel and several other complete transparent pixel):
http://depositfiles.com/files/441atpfqy
December 7th, 2009 04:26
As you can see Steve, your registry hack doesn’t work. You have the wrong value placed in there somewhere. And many people here don’t want to download still another program like Ultimate Windows Tweaker V2 just to be able to do this.
November 29th, 2009 14:31
+ you can flush icons cache by killing explorer.exe process through taskmanager and runing it again
no reboot, no FlushCode.exe
November 29th, 2009 14:24
Dave: seems like shell32.dll,50 is a black square on my win7 too.
I made transparent icon and used it instead …\shell32.dll,50 – works fine
November 29th, 2009 07:31
Are you aware of the fact that FlushCode.exe contains virus?:
http://www.virustotal.com/sv/analisis/167cc94175502b24bcfb29500707f1b59852387333fca6fce02d6293367e9a57-1257442023
Lucky me I checked it first.
November 27th, 2009 07:38
It does not work (whether using value 50 or 52). Sometimes it works, but after reboot, all shortcut icons have a hole (empty square).
Thanks steve, Ultimate Windows Tweaker V2 is a freeware that works perfectly on this area.
November 25th, 2009 13:16
i tried the method where you download the .reg file, (by the way im on vista home premium) but now, after i turned off my laptop, then turned it on, i realised that in the area where the arrow icon should be(the invisibe arrow thing worked until now) is a big black square! how do i undo this?????? please help i dont like having a black square on my shortcuts.
November 21st, 2009 12:13
GTW: Sorry, really wasn’t trying to be rude. I just hate to see someone wait for an answer when it may have already been solved by reading down the posts.
Once again, try Ultimate Windows Tweaker V2 if you want to remove shortcut arrows or have black overlays on your icons after hacking the registry. The folks that wrote it are supposedly associated with Microsoft. All I know is it worked for me.
November 20th, 2009 23:22
No need to be rude, steve.
Chill
November 18th, 2009 13:51
For crying out loud people! Read the thread!
DOWNLOAD ULTIMATE WINDOWS TWEAKER V2.
November 18th, 2009 11:45
why there is became a black box change by the shotcut arrow.
can you help me to fix it back?
November 17th, 2009 17:48
Yeah works here too. ahh. the ui looks so much better!
November 13th, 2009 17:42
Yeah well I just installed Win7 today and those shortcut arrows look retarded and hideous. It ruins an otherwise smooth, decent looking GUI.
I’ve been using Tweak UI for years on XP and Win2000 before that and so I’d really like to get rid of then. I never used Vista so I was unpleasantly surprised that M$ stopped development of Tweak UI with XP.
/:(
November 13th, 2009 11:12
P.S. It fixed the pin problem for me. Just saying it worked for me. Hope it works for others.