Green Check Marks on Desktop Icons: How to Remove Them

Get rid of the green check marks on your Desktop folders

4 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Disappointed by seeing green check marks on desktop icons? Why do you see these check marks on your desktop icons? Well, there’s no need for an alarm as they are not harmful.

Nevertheless, some users find it helpful, and others do not. This article is for you if you fall in the category of users who don’t like the check marks. We will explore why they appear and how to get rid of them successfully.

Why do my desktop icons have green check marks?

You may have noticed that some of your desktop icons have a green checkmark, and some do not. The reason for the green check mark is:

Backing up your files is extremely important because of the following reasons:

How can I get rid of the little green check marks on my desktop icons?

First off, try the following before proceeding to the multiple-step solutions:

1. Don’t backup the Desktop folder

Stopping backup means all files on the Desktop will no longer be backed up on OneDrive.

2. Pause sync

3. Disable OneDrive

4. Remove OneDrive from Startup

You can also delete the folder from your desktop as it has already been backed up in OneDrive. It’s always a good idea to free up disk space as it canmake your PC run faster and improve performance.

Alternatively, you can stop using OneDrive as your backup solution and switch to otherlocal backup softwarethat won’t leave any green check marks on your folders.

In another similar occurrence, for users who like the check mark, sometimes you’ll find that thegreen check mark is missing in OneDrive. If so, we have the perfect article to help you resolve this issue.

We also have a detailed article on how toget rid of the red x mark on folders on OneDrive, so be sure to check out our guide.

In the comment section below, let us know which method worked best for you.

Green Check Marks on Desktop Icons: How to Remove Them#

Why do my desktop icons have green check marks?#

How can I get rid of the little green check marks on my desktop icons?#

1. Don’t backup the Desktop folder#

2. Pause sync#

3. Disable OneDrive#

4. Remove OneDrive from Startup#