You do not have to be an Android specialist to use BlueStacks. First of all, to get the software working, you just have to double click on its shortcut on the desktop. As soon as it opens, you will see the following: BlueStacks main screen. Here, you will find a series of shortcuts to recommendations made by the software. Moderator of r/BlueStacks, speaking officially. 1 year ago Stickied comment. Make sure to check the option 'Add desktop icons for installed Apps' from Bluestacks settingsPreferences.
Feb 02, 2021 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
This is one of the queries that I have recently read on an online Mac community. Since I also use a Mac, it made me think of ways to change icons on Mac or hide them altogether. I realized that just like Windows, Mac users can also customize their desktop icons or completely get rid of them if they wish to.
In order to help you do the same, we have come up with this complete guide on how to remove icons from the desktop on Mac. Apart from different solutions to hide desktop icons on Mac, we will list some other techniques to manage your desktop as well.
Solution 1. Use the Finder Preferences to Hide Desktop Icons on Mac
If you are a regular Mac user, then you must be aware of the System and Finder Preferences. It involves all kinds of settings and options that can help us customize the way we use our Mac. If you wish to know how to remove icons from the desktop on Mac, then follow these simple steps:
- To start with, just go to the Finder option on your Mac, which is on the top left corner. Click on it to get its context menu and choose the 'Preferences' option.
- This will open the Finder Preferences tab on the screen. From here, you need to go to the 'General' section, if you aren't there already.
- Here, you can view an option for 'Show these items on the desktop'. Just disable (uncheck) the feature for all the options here like hard disks, external disks, etc.
In the end, just close the tab and go to the desktop to verify. You will see that all the icons on your Mac desktop would be hidden now. You can follow the same approach and enable their options to unhide them. Although the same technique will work on every leading macOS version, the interface might differ from one version to another.
Solution 2. Use Terminal to Hide the Icons on Mac Desktop
Apart from the Finder Preferences, the system also allows us to hide desktop icons on Mac via the Terminal. The Terminal app works similarly to that of Command Prompt in Windows. Users can just enter certain commands to the Terminal and run it to complete a relevant operation. If you know the right commands, you can simply type them correctly and perform almost anything on your Mac. For instance, if you wish to learn how to hide desktop icons on Mac via Terminal, then follow these steps:
- Firstly, you need to access the Terminal app on your Mac. To do this, just go to the Spotlight and look for 'Terminal'. Just make sure that you are logged in as an administrator before running any command.
- Once the Terminal app is opened, just type the following command and press enter: defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool false
- After that, simply type 'killall Finder' and press enter. This will hide all desktop icons on Mac in one go.
This simple step would work seamlessly on every major macOS version. If you wish to show the hidden icons on your desktop again, then follow the same process. Just enter the following command instead and your hidden icons will appear again on Mac's desktop: defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool true; killall Finder
By following either of these two methods, you can easily learn how to hide desktop icons on Mac like a pro. While the Terminal command will hide all icons in one go, you can customize things via Finder Preferences. That is, you can handpick and select the icons you wish to show or hide. You can follow your preferred approach to change icons on Mac and customize your desktop. Besides that, there are so many things that you can do on your desktop. Here are some of these bonus tips that will let you manage your desktop like a pro.
Bonus 1. Change the Mac App Icons on the Desktop
By default, Mac displays all the icons on the desktop in a certain way, which would vary among different macOS versions. Though, if you want, you can change any icon on Mac and customize your overall experience. While the process is a bit different than learning how to hide desktop icons on Mac, you can easily get a hold of it. When you change an icon on Mac, it will reflect it everywhere, including the desktop.
- To start with, just go to the Finder and open your Applications to view all the installed apps.
- Simply select the app that you wish to customize and right-click it. From the context menu, click on the 'Get Info' section. You can also just press the Command + I keys as well.
- Make sure that you already have the new icon image that you wish to change. For instance, you can keep it on the desktop on a temporary basis.
- Copy the new image by pressing the Command + C keys and then click on the small icon of the existing image.
- Now, just press the Command + V keys at the same time to paste the image.
- Save your changes after the image is posted and close the screen. You can go to the desktop and view the changed icon on Mac.
While the solution to change icon on Mac would work smoothly, make sure that the image format you are taking is compatible. In most of the cases, JPG or PNG formats work quite smoothly.
Bonus 2. Make the Desktop Icons Smaller on Mac
- To change the size of icons on Mac, firstly go to its desktop and press the Command + J keys at the same time.
- If you want, you can also go to the 'View' menu on the top and click on the 'Show View Options' feature.
- This will open view options for desktop on the screen. Here, you can see a slider for 'icon size'.
- You can simply move the slider towards the left to make the icons smaller (and right to make them larger).
Once you are happy with an icon size, just close the screen. You can also alter the text and grid size from here as well.
Bonus 3. Recover Missing Desktop Files on Mac
This is one of the most important things to note if you do not wish to suffer from an unforeseen loss of data on your Mac. In case if you have accidentally deleted files from Mac's desktop or the files have been corrupted, then take the assistance of Recoverit Data Recovery software. It is a complete data recovery tool for Mac that can extract all kinds of files from your system, lost under numerous conditions.
Recoverit - The Best Word File Recovery Software
- Recover Word documents from all storage devices like Mac.
- Recover 1000+ types and formats of files in different situations.
- Scan and preview the files before you recover them from MacBook hard drive.
If you have deleted a partition on Mac or have lost it due to any other reason, then you should use Recoverit Data Recovery. It can help you restore partition data on Mac by following these easy steps.
Step 1: Select a Source Drive
To start with, just Launch Recoverit Data Recovery on your Mac and select a source drive to scan. In this case, it will be the native drive of your Mac.
Step 2: Scan the Location
As the scanning for the lost and deleted content will progress, you can just wait for a while for it to be finished.
Step 3: Preview and Recover
When the recovery process is finished, you can just preview your files on the interface and select the ones you wish to get back. Click on the 'Recover' button in the end and save them to a secure location.
Conclusion
Bluestacks App Shortcut On Desktop Mac Computer
Now when you know how to hide desktop icons on Mac, you can easily customize your desktop as per your requirements. We have also provided a quick solution to change icons on Mac and even alter their size. Apart from that, you can also consider using Recoverit Data Recovery application too. As a remarkable tool, it will make sure that you never suffer from any unforeseen data loss on Mac ever again.
What's Wrong with Mac
- Recover Your Mac
- Fix Your Mac
- Delete Your Mac
- Learn Mac Hacks
Do you want to run your favorite Android apps and games on your PC or Mac? Then all you need is the BlueStacks Player.
BlueStacks is a free Android emulator that allows you to play Android games on your PC or Mac, games like PuBG and Fortnite.
Content Summary
How To Download BlueStacks:
- Click one of the above links to download BlueStacks to your computer
- Find the file on your computer and click on it
- Click Agree to the Terms and Conditions
- Click on Install
- Choose Online or Offline installation – online is a couple of minutes, offline is at least 15 minutes
- Now wait while BlueStacks is installed
How to Use the BlueStacks App:
- Click Start to open BlueStacks and allow it to load and set up – this might take a few minutes
- When it’s done, you will see the BlueStacks home screen – there are already some apps installed, including the Play Store
- Select Play Store and set your account up – use an existing Google account or set a new one up
- Follow any on-screen directions to complete the setup – if you want you can skip the setup and still install your files
- When it’s all done, the right-hand sidebar will show you lots of options, including transferring files, installing APKs, and much more
BlueStacks Features:
- Smooth, Faster gameplay – speed is a priority, and BlueStacks is an incredibly fast emulator, and one of the smoothest. All the performance settings are customizable, even down to set the number of CPUs to use and RAM. For standard gameplay, choose two CPUs and 1.5 GB RAM
- Compatibility for External Controllers – most people find controllers much easier to use for games, and BlueStacks offers full compatibility for all external controllers, something most Android devices don’t offer.
- Device Emulation – BlueStacks emulates your Android device, including phone number, model, IMEI number, and more, as well as loads of device-specific features.
- Root Access – with SuperUser, BlueStacks is rooted right from the start, allowing you easy access to your PC or Mac files
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is Bluestacks?
BlueStacks is a computer program that lets you run Android apps on your computer. It emulates the Android Mobile OS on your computer to run Android apps and games.
- How Safe is Bluestacks?
BlueStacks is safe to download and use. It is a reliable Android emulator app.
- How to Uninstall Bluestacks?
BlueStack app can be uninstalled from your Mac and Windows PC, just like any other computer program. You can get the details to Uninstall a program on the PC on the linked page and on a Mac OSX computer here.
- What are the disadvantages of Bluestacks?
BlueStacks is comparatively slower than other Android emulator apps like Nox Player.
- How do I Fix Bluestacks stuck on loading?
- Restart your computer.
- Check if the virtualization is enabled on your system and your computer fulfills the minimum system requirements. See this video.
- Free up your computer’s RAM and increase allocated RAM to BlueStacks.
- Check and upgrade your computer graphics drivers to the latest version.
- Configure your antivirus correctly.
Bluestacks App Shortcut On Desktop Mac Free
- How do I install Bluestacks on my Mac?
You can install BlueStacks on your Mac computer by downloading the app from the link above and install it following the given steps.
- My PC is 32-Bit. Which BlueStacks Version Do I Need to Run 32-Bit Android Apps?
You must download the 32-bit BlueStacks version
- My PC is 64-Bit. Which BlueStacks Version Do I Need to Run 64-Bit Android Apps?
You must download the 64-bit BlueStacks version, and you must enable VT on your computer
- How Do I Copy my PC Files to BlueStacks 4?
- Launch BlueStacks and click the Library option
- Launch System Apps
- Click Media Manager
- On the popup for Import Windows File to Android, click on Open once you have found the file you want to import
- You should find your file is now in BlueStacks
- What is BlueStacks Game Settings for PuBG Mobile?
- If you want to play PuBG Mobile on your PC, you need to do a little setting up first:
- Open BlueStacks and go to the right side of the screen; click on the Bulb icon
- The game guidance window opens; click on Settings, and you will see several options to tweak
- Click on In-Game Resolution to change the resolution in the game. The higher you set the resolution, the more system resources are used but, the better the graphics
- Click on Graphics Quality to define the in-game environment elements. HD graphics give you a much sharper texture, but it will take more out of your graphics card
- Clicking on Learn More will give you information about all the game settings
- Click on Save Changes when you are done tweaking and then restart your game so it can all take effect.
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