I have nearly 20-30 icons, folders and files on my Windows desktop which I access every now and then. However most of the time I prefer to see clean Desktop background screen.

When I have to access the files on the desktop, I enable the show desktop icons by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Arrange Icons by / View > Show desktop icons. Now it is easier to display all icons on the desktop with the help of the Auto Hide Icons Free program, and less tiresome to hide the icons again once they are not needed anymore.

Also see: 3 Simple Ways to Declutter and Organize Your Desktop

How to Auto Hide Icons On Your Windows Desktop

Auto Hide Icons is a handy program for Windows users who have icons on their desktop but do not want to view them all the time. This portable application hides the icons on the desktop after a specific time has passed, and displays them whenever a left-click on the desktop is made by the user.

The program options can also be used to change the left-click functionality to display the icons to middle-click or right-click instead. It is also possible to change the time it takes before the icons are automatically hidden on the desktop. The default timeout has been set to five seconds. This can be increased to a maximum of 100 seconds and a minimum of three seconds.

Auto Hide Ions Free lists two additional options under Preferences. It is possible to hide the taskbar as well, but that feature does not appear to be that useful. All taskbar elements are hidden with the exception of the start orb button, but the area cannot be used by program windows.

Download Auto Hide Desktop Icons (compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of all recent versions of the Windows operating system)