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The Learn about this picture icon is a Windows Spotlight desktop item, not a normal shortcut or an installed Bing application. To remove it, either switch to a different desktop background or hide it with a per-user registry value while keeping Spotlight wallpapers.
The registry method works for Windows 10 and Windows 11 and does not require administrator rights. After applying it, refresh the desktop with F5.
Method 1: Remove the icon by changing the desktop background
This is the simplest method, but it disables Windows Spotlight desktop backgrounds.
Windows 11
- Open Settings.
- Select Personalization.
- Select Background.
- Open the Personalize your background menu.
- Select Picture, Solid color, or Slideshow.
The icon should disappear because it appears when Windows Spotlight is selected as the desktop background.
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Windows 10
- Open Settings.
- Go to Personalization > Background.
- Change Windows spotlight to Picture, Solid color, or Slideshow.
This removes the icon, but it also stops Windows from displaying rotating Spotlight wallpapers.
Method 2: Hide the icon and keep Windows Spotlight
Use this per-user registry command to hide the icon without disabling Spotlight. Administrator mode is not required because the command changes the current user’s registry.
- Open Command Prompt.
- Paste this exact command and press Enter:
Command: reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel /v {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
- Right-click an empty area of the desktop and select Refresh, or press F5.
The icon should now be hidden while Windows Spotlight continues changing your wallpaper. A restart is not normally required.
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| Registry item | Value |
|---|---|
| Key | HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel |
| Value name | {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} |
| Type | REG_DWORD |
| Data | 1 |
The identifier is the CLSID associated with the Spotlight desktop item. Because the command writes to HKCU (HKEY_CURRENT_USER), it changes the setting only for the currently signed-in account.
Method 3: Hide it using Registry Editor
If you prefer not to use a command, create the same registry value manually.
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- Press Win+R, type regedit.exe, and press Enter.
- If Windows asks for permission, select Yes.
- Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel.
- If HideDesktopIcons or NewStartPanel does not exist, create the missing key by right-clicking the preceding key and selecting New > Key.
- Right-click the right-hand pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name the value {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}.
- Double-click the new value, set Value data to 1, and select OK.
- Refresh the desktop by pressing F5.
Registry editing can affect Windows if the wrong key or value is changed. Before making manual changes, you can select the relevant key in Registry Editor, choose File > Export, and save a backup.
Alternative: Delete the Spotlight namespace entry
The icon is also registered as a per-user desktop namespace item. This alternative deletes that registration rather than merely hiding the item:
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Command: reg delete “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}” /f
Refresh the desktop with F5 afterward. The HideDesktopIcons method is less destructive and is the preferred registry fix.
Restore the deleted namespace entry
If you used the alternative command and want to restore the registration, run:
Command: reg add “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}” /ve /d “Windows Spotlight” /f
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Refresh the desktop afterward. The hiding value must also be absent or set to 0 for the icon to display.
Restore the icon after hiding it
To remove the hide setting completely, open Command Prompt and run:
Command: reg delete HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel /v {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} /f
Alternatively, set its data to 0:
Command: reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel /v {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRefresh the desktop. The icon appears only when Windows Spotlight is active.
Optional: Create a registry file
You can save the following contents as remove-spotlight-icon.reg and double-click the file to apply both the namespace deletion and the hide setting:
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Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
“{2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}”=dword:00000001
When Windows displays the prompts, select Run, confirm the registry merge, and select OK. Smart App Control can block downloaded registry files; unblock the file first if Windows requires it.
Fixes when the icon does not disappear
- Refresh the desktop: Press F5 after running a registry command. A reboot is generally unnecessary.
- Check the account: Commands using HKCU affect only the current Windows user. Run the command separately for other accounts.
- Check Spotlight status: If you changed to Picture, Solid color, or Slideshow, the icon disappearing is expected because Spotlight was disabled.
- Refresh Spotlight: If the icon does not return after switching back to Spotlight, select another background type, apply it, and then select Windows Spotlight again. This can refresh the shell item, but is not guaranteed to fix every affected profile.
- Do not look for a Bing shortcut: This is a Windows Spotlight shell item, not a normal Bing application shortcut.
Why the icon may appear in a different place
The icon’s location and appearance vary between Windows builds. Older implementations commonly placed it near the upper-left of the desktop, while newer Windows 11 Spotlight changes can place it near the lower-right. Its location does not change the CLSID or the removal commands.
Microsoft has tested revised Spotlight interactions in Windows 11 Insider builds, including context-menu entries such as Learn more about this background and Next desktop background. These are build- and channel-specific features, not options guaranteed on every stable Windows 10 or Windows 11 installation.
FAQ
What is the Learn about this picture icon?
It is a Windows Spotlight desktop shell item. It appears when Windows Spotlight is selected as the desktop background and is associated with CLSID {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}.
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Can I remove the icon without disabling Spotlight wallpapers?
Yes. Run the reg add command under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel to set the CLSID value to 1.
Do I need administrator rights to hide the icon?
No. The recommended command modifies HKEY_CURRENT_USER, so administrator elevation is not required.
Will uninstalling Bing remove the icon?
No. The icon belongs to Windows Spotlight, not a normal Bing application shortcut. Change the background or use the per-user registry setting instead.
Why is the icon still visible after I run the command?
Refresh the desktop with F5. If the icon remains, verify that you ran the command under the affected Windows account and entered the CLSID and registry path exactly, including the backslashes.
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How do I show the icon again?
Delete the CLSID value from the HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel key, or set its data to 0. Then refresh the desktop. It appears only while Windows Spotlight is active.
The Bottom Line
If you do not use Spotlight, go to Settings > Personalization > Background and choose Picture, Solid color, or Slideshow. To keep Spotlight wallpapers, run the corrected reg add command and refresh the desktop with F5. The hide method is less destructive than deleting the Spotlight namespace entry and applies only to the current Windows user.
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