Least cluttered Windows Desktop:
Man, zooming in and looking at these icons was like a blast from the (not too far) past.
There is a folder in my (Linux) desktop called "Old Desktop"
There's a folder inside "Old Desktop" called... "Old Desktop".
Are you me? Haha recently I went looking through them and was appalled. Not enough to actually do anything about it though.
I have the same but with the whole home directory.
/home/user/old_home/old_home/old_home
Where's Bonzi Buddy?
Oh, that's easy to clean up. Just open explorer, go to desktop, Ctrl+A, Ctrl+X, make a new folder called 2025-Jan, and then inside of that folder, Ctrl+V. Problem solved, forever.
Where was that file? Oh, My Documents/Old Desktops/2023 November/2023 April/2022 December. Of course.
pokemon blue, nice
I absolutely do it the other way. Nothing is on my desktop except for the trash bin. There is a shortcut to the file explorer and browser pinned to the task bar. And that's it.
There is nothing at all on my desktop except for a text document created by my girlfriend saying that she loves me that she snuck on there when I wasn’t looking.
Bro you didn’t have to come here just to brag…
Mine used the sticky note app makes me smile every time I open my laptop.
Windows + E for file explorer as well, when you can't be bothered with the mouse. I wish you were able to pin specific folders to the taskbar, as opposed to just general explorer. I want to save one click.
I use my keyboard as little as possible, so shortcut keys aren't for me. I use a laptop, and am usually lying on the couch, too far to reach the keyboard. I have a few shortcuts mapped to my mouse. You'd be surprised how much I can surf the web with just the mouse. And sometimes even with my left hand.
Microsoft: put it in OneDrive. We will use your content to train our AI models. No really this is fine.
Also Microsoft: If you ever try to leave us we will delete all of your data on all of your devices. We might even do it at random just for fun…No, we won't warn you.
I love the random deletetion. They deleted a whole year of my university notes just because.
Me: "I've got an elaborate folder structure for all my documents."
Windows: "You want to put this in the root directory of OneDrive."
Me: "No, I want to put it in \SpecialFiles\ProjectName\IterationNo\DetailedSchematic"
Windows: "Root directory of OneDrive it is."
I fucking hate onedrive sooo much for this, it kills me a little everytime and it happens all the time. Im just a husk at this point. God damn fuck you onedrive.
Exactly.
Because My Documents is where Windows keeps all your save games from the last decade and beyond, because why would I use it to store MY DOCUMENTS?
That's why I debloat windows anytime I do a new install. Drop that box 🥊
It's a work computer, so my options are limited
Good god. Putting stuff in the desktop is a big yuck. Your desktop probably looks like your room.
The desktop is like the inbox of files, inbox-zero it and it's a tidy place to keep things in focus until they're sorted and filed away or deleted.
If a cluttered desktop is a sign of a cluttered mind, what does an empty one signify?
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The visitor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself, "it is overfull, no more will go in!".
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "your desktop is full of documents and shortcuts. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
Can confirm.
take it back
No
I'd be happy if those apps were asking to save to Documents like in the screenshot. But alas, reality is much more cruel. They always want to save to some vague OneDrive location, and won't even show you the local file browser without extra steps.
If yOU dOn'T uSe oNEdrIvE iT is IMpOssiBle to AuTO sAve! The technology just doesn't exist to save on a timer without involving the cloud!
F12
Documents, Desktop and Picture folders are just moved from the user folder into the user folder\OneDrive folder.
Other than that it work exactly the same.
OneDrive also always has a local folder. Usually in your user folder.
You can blame a lot on OneDrive, but this isn't one of them.
You see, I have OneDrive disabled and set to not sync.
It still wants me to save to a OneDrive directory, simply because I'm signed into my Microsoft account.
Microsoft and application developers treat the Documents folder like a total dumping ground for whatever random nonsense they can dream up. No wonder people look elsewhere. Need to store user files? Documents. A database? Documents. Giant cache files? Documents. Config? Documents. Executables? Fuck it put those in Documents too.
Why would I ever store my real documents in a folder so littered with shit that I can never find anything? It's not like the search actually works.
Also as a Linux user myself and to head off any smugness, developers do the same thing with the home directory so users end up inventing weird ways to stay organized.
I don't ever search for files/folders in explorer's browser anymore. I just use Everything and TreeSize at this point. Windows' search function is pointless.
I have my files meticulously organized in hierarchical folders that sync across all my devices through One Drive and to my NAS through One Drive.
I hate that Microsoft wants to dump everything in Documents.
Also, for SOME FUCKING REASON, my work system, wants to put everything into the root of One Drive. Like fuck please put it in Documents at least. I don't want ANYTHING in the root folder if I can avoid it, aside from maybe the occasional super special thing.
Today I used Alt+Space to open krunner, typed the name of a C script I'm working on, and it pulled up search results for the file, as well as relevant websites I visited related to that title, and in that moment I realized how much I missed out growing up with Explorer.
Saving to desktop is insane behaviour and the OP just told on herself.
Rebuttal, with a physical desk you put things you need right now on top in the open. You wouldn't grab something off the printer and put it into a drawer first, then reopen the drawer to get it out of your need it now.
The desktop is "right now" workspace. Why bother to put it into a folder whose only purpose is not to take things out of to put elsewhere? I could at least understand people who download direct to documents... but that still leaves a mess to clean up with installers and such.
Downloading to the desktop is not only sane, but more efficient.
Leaving everything on your desktop is a different conversation though.
Desktop is for empty space so when you close everything it's clean
You reminded me of this funny tweet
I just do everything out of my file manager. I use Krusader, which has twin panes and tabs.
I agree, but I think the tone of the joke suggests that OP is at least somewhat self-aware
I am the opposite and I absolutely hate it when I have to work on someone's laptop with cluttered desktop and folders. Mine only has a taskbar at bottom and clock widget at bottom right corner. All temporary files goes to downloads or to organised directories. What's the point of having a nice wallpaper if you can't enjoy it.
I'm the same way. I will tolerate no icons on my desktop. It's widgets or nothin'.
Now, my physical desktop, on the other hand...
You do at least have some shortcuts on your desktop, right?
Otherwise, why have a desktop?
You can open a picture if you want to look at it
You do at least have some shortcuts on your desktop, right?
Not OC, but no, that's what the taskbar is for, I use my iconless desktop as a space to drag windows around and multitask
Everything from start menu shortcuts. Much cleaner and nicer that way.
Edit: I am using KDE plasma so not the full screen start menu like in windows but the small box on bottom left with about 15 icons that I regularly use.
What’s the point of having a nice wallpaper if you can’t enjoy it.
That's what the aecond monitor is for
Everything downloads to the desktop, that way it's in my face so I have to deal with it.
The clutter on the desktop annoys me into cleaning it up, but I'll ignore a downloads folder once I've grabbed whatever I just downloaded.
you are the first person i’ve know to also do this! it really does help
I do this too. I do not like anything on my Desktop, but I download files to there, which forces me to deal with them. Interestingly enough, my Downloads directory is a barren wasteland.
But... You can just download things to their deserved spot in the first place?? Why the extra step
Desktop is my temp space. There are files with a very limited shelf live (logs I downloaded to search something, screenshots, ...) so I have to clean them up on a regular base before my desktop becomes too crowded and I get annoyed.
A lot of stuff don't have a spot. And no, I'm not putting that meme template I will need for 5 minutes into the tmp folder, I'm not insane.
That requires effort up-front every time I click download.
I'd rather just click 'download' and let it go to an easy to find default location. The desktop means I won't just forget about it for months. It may sit there for a day or two, but it definitely won't get ignored the way a folder I rarely look at does; because the clutter right in my face annoys me into cleaning it up.
Working around/against my own procrastination.
I use downloads instead, it mainly functions as a temporary folder where anything unimportant can live and once it gets a scroll bar it all gets deleted. For the very rare things that are important I could then move them after.
How do you move a file after deletion? I need to know this black magic.
Well first off, through
GodLinux, all things are possible. You can have multiple hard links to a file, where a given hard link is deleted, but you can still manipulate the file through any other other links. Alternately, you can open a file, and while you have a valid open file descriptor, delete the file. The file descriptor is still valid until you close the file though, so you can still save (thus move) it to a new location.Windows locks files when you open them, preventing these kinds of shenanigans.
I would expect nothing less from a filthy outlook user
The cursed Linux alternative of this is usually putting things directly in the home folder – I used to do this until I got better. Desktop is simple to keep clean when you don't have one in your "desktop environment" by default.
Some people who've used MacOs before OSX dump everything to the root filesystem out of habit. It works just as poorly as a file management strategy as one might expect, albeit better than putting everything on the desktop. Not sure how often that happens but I've known multiple people to do that.
For some reason I hate the idea of just dropping everything in the Home folder, yet Downloads just ends up becoming exactly that anyway lol
This is a word document. Where should you save a word document?
In the documents folder. The documents folder.
That's right! You save it to the desktop!
no... No please...
What about this picture file? Where would you save a picture file?
In the pictures folder. Cmon...
That's right! You save it to the desktop!
oh god why....
I just downloaded this file... Where should I save it?
The... The downloads folder?
That's right! You save it to the desktop!
: '-(
For those that don't know... This is a reference to this video. https://youtu.be/cUbIkNUFs-4?si=4kxIC8qsvdW0FVAZ
People who save files on the desktop deserve to use Windows.
I love GNOME for this. No desktop icons. Windows/super key, type the first letter or two, boom. It's so pretty.
My phone on the other hand? The first screen is nicely arranged. The second screen is just a chronological list of the apps I've downloaded, because they automatically go to desktop, and they'll clutter up my home screen if I don't have a separate sacrificial screen for them
Same. I hate desktop clutter. The horrors I've seen when I've been on someone else's PC. Random desktop documents that haven't been touched in 5 years. Why?!
Even aside from looking ugly, it's not even a good place for apps/files! If you have a window or two open, everything is obscured and you have to move windows out of the way to access your stuff.
They get a lot of shit for it, but IMO Gnome was 100% right to say "No. The desktop inevitably becomes a dumping ground and we don't want that. Your app menu is for apps and your Home folder is for files. We have very good search functionality to find what you want. No desktop icons. If you want that, install an extension."
This is actually the one thing I hate about GNOME. I keep a nearly fully empty desktop but I like having one as sort of a staging ground for temp files. I like just being able to chuck a file there and then drag it into another program, all without having nautilus open
Yeah, desktop as the temp location is great for a few reasons.
I can easily see what is in the queue.
It reminds me to do something about it.
I can rearrange the dozen or so icons for fun when I am having trouble picking what to do. Kind of like inventory management in an rpg.
When I hit about 15 it prompts me to clear the list by either finishing them or putting them all away so I can start again with a clear screen.
Why not disable apps going to your homescreen instead?
This is exactly how I use KDE, but without the GNOME look, which I am not a fan of. You don't even need to hit meta first in KDE, you can just start typing if you have krunner on.
Windows works the same way, you just hit the windows key and start typing and you hit enter, made switching to popos much easier because I use it exactly the same way I do with my windows work laptop
Also You should check out kiss launcher for phone, just start typing and whatever app you want shows up, also has a history list that tries to have apps you use frequently at specific times. Although after using kiss for a few years now whenever I have to use someone's phone it makes it really hard, seeing all those screens with icons like how can you find anything
People who use desktop as your unsorted downloads folder, who hurt you?
I use the desktop as a very temporary folder. Because I'll be annoyed by having stuff on there and will delete them as soon as I don't need them any more.
My downloads folder has random installers from 2021.
As god intended (sorted by downloaded date)
Why would I hide downloads in the downloads folder?
Kidding. I use downloads for downloads.
Desktop is for WIP project files.
These days, replace "Documents" and "Downloads" with "the root folder of OneDrive".
Yeah, that is so fucking annoying. I never save anything there, yet it absolutely always suggests that. Fucking microsoft.
This drives me mad. I work on multiple projects, how the fuck can I organise things of its all in one folder! The interface to select a different folder is like 3 clicks away too.
I think she means OneDrive.
Its a black hole. You just drop files in there and never open them again.
Soooo true! I can’t believe how much they’ve made the damn computer fight you on this!
This is some Window level joke. BTW, I put my configs in home directory.
I find it hard to believe that Lauren, who saves everything to the Desktop, is dabbling with Office config files.
You probably keep the files she's referring to in your Documents, Downloads, etc. folder within your home directory too.
Holy Shit.
You monster! They belong in ~/.config
On Android it's similar... On some apps(all?) you can't save to the downloads folder. Like WTF? Downloads is where temp stuff goes you damn green buffoon!
Id just like to add that whoever started sending game files to the hidden part of documents should be shot. How hard is it to just make a Games folder and a Games Save folder?
Steam games need to store save files in the same library location as the game, using a sub folder that maps to the steam account name. Stop filling up the app data folder for the operating system account that is running steam. My C drive is full, go away.
Also, Windows doesn't allow writing to files to in Program folders... So let's put everything that needs RAM into that directory! But not the save files, those are hidden 7 layes deep in MyAss/hidden/hidden/almost there/hidden/docs/maybe save files.
My steam games are all installed on an external SSD so I can put those distractions out of reach. I can't imagine ever going back.
You mean /Users/username/AppData? The folder where all applications store their user-specific data?
I don't mind the location; but it's annoying being hidden by default. Trying to direct people to it can be a pain sometimes.
(though 'run' > '%appdata%' usually works)
Hurrdurr aCHully
Story time.
I was helping someone at work the other day....
As part of my usual process, I minimized most of what the person was using, because I dgaf what users are actually doing on their computers. I'm only interested in getting the "problem" that they're complaining about, solved, so I can go home.
When I finished minimizing everything, I shit you not, this person had two full screens of icons on their desktop. I couldn't help but blurt out "that's a lot of icons" they went on to describe how they use their desktop as a dumping ground and they clear the whole thing every few months.
Since I couldn't give a single shit about what they do with their computer, I said something to the effect of "alright", fixed the unrelated "problem" they had and moved on.
I do this. It's the "heap system". After a couple of months it gets full and I create a folder called "crap" and move everything inside it. After this, the process repeats itself and often leads to folder trees like C:\Users\dh\Desktop\crap\crap2\more crap\crap\important crap\crap.
This usually continues for the life of my computer and then, one day, it just gets wiped because buggered if I know what's in the crap folder..
I do the same thing, but mostly because I develop Doom mods for fun and it's just an easy place to dump sprites and audio files. I can drag a file directly from my desktop to the modding program I use, and then just clean up once I'm finished working on what I'm working on. Otherwise my desktop just has a few shortcuts.
I don't get how this is easier than just having an explorer window open to a folder with the files where the exposed desktop would be.
But hey, you do you. I'm not about to say that you can't use your PC like this. I'm not your manager, and you can do what you want.
Whether I "get" it or not is irrelevant.
I used the desktop all the time when I was on Windows. When I moved to Linux fulltime, KDE wouldn't let you save to desktop. Eventually I figured out how to fix that, but by that time I had the habit broken. Thankfully i never reverted and my shit is generally organized because of it.
This one guy at work has 3 layers of desktop icons. LAYERS. I don't know how he manages.
"Sir, please. I'm begging you. Use a folder. Just one single folder."
"THOG NO LIKE COMPUTER! THOG SAVE TO DESKTOP!!!"
This is why you people aren't allowed access to printers anymore.
It's not because people kept printing their emails 40" wide on the plotter? TIL.
The top of your desk is exactly where you want the document that you will need in a minute to go. Its what bosses demanded since before modern computing
If that is not the intended usecase, then what is?
In linux i am saving stuff in a related project folder which may aswell be that projects own desktop.
Isn't the desktop just a place for displaying a picture? People have icons there?
Idgaf as long as it isn't onedrive.
OneDrive can be configured to automatically back up your desktop. So the desktop might be OneDrive
True and that's one of the reasons I quit Windows altogether. Linux doesn't have this kind of bs.
All IT support immediately revoked.
Save to documents surely? It's a document
I didn't think that any Windows related software was actually aware that the 'Documents' folder is supposed to be for documents. Because my 'Documents' folder gets used as a dumping ground for any old program to drop their shit in. Even though there's literally dedicated folders for app data and saved games.
Personally I make my own 'Home' folder with my own pictures, movies, documents etc. folders because whether it's Windows, Linux or Android, the concept of having your own user folder for your own things is a joke because developers don't respect that and just dump their files anywhere.
I don't use the Documents folder because of that reason, but it's still weird to me that that doesn't happen on Linux, so my Documents folder is mostly empty there
Yeah, documents itself isn't bad but you still end up with a bunch of stuff just being chucked into the root of your user folder, despite the fact that folders like '.config' exist. Personally, I like my 'home' space to be just my files, things that I've put there myself, without random programs making new folders and leaving dotfiles lying around. I'm a bit of a neat freak on my pc, way more than in real life. Personally, /home is just another /etc for me. My shit goes elsewhere.
Yeah Documents is basically default for .local config save data trash for any and all programs and games, which is a bummer. I'd like to use it for documents lol.
If the "shopping trolley test" determines good versus evil, then where you save your files determines lawful vs chaotic.
Lawful: specific files in specific places
Neutral: everything goes in downloads
Chaotic: everything goes on desktop
Lawful Good - Saved in specific places
Lawful Evil - Saved in recycle bin
Neutral Good - Saved in downloads
Neutral Evil - Saved in downloads or documents but you're not sure which one
Chaotic Good - Everything goes on desktop
Chaotic Evil - Everything goes into a random location
New alignment: Chaotic Lawful: I deleted my desktop folder to prevent me from cluttering the desktop
Lawful Neutral: Saved in specific places, one of which is the desktop.
🤮
Right click>view>uncheck show desktop icons
Don't forget to put a screenshot of the old desktop as a wallpaper for an epic prank!
Back when I still used Windows, this was step #1 for every desktop environment.
OneDrive documents --> PC documents --> desktop
why must I press so many buttons to get it where I want :/Windows 95 was easier to use simply because of saving everything to the desktop. When Windows 98 tried to introduce "My Documents" i was like nope and still saved everything to the desktop.
I found this a few months ago and after adapting it to my needs I now have my files heavily organized (makes backups much easier).
What exactly is the app? The GitHub page isn't the most descriptive. How does it help you with backups?
It's not an app, it's actually a very simple repo containing folders and readmes.
It's just a folder structure, which you can use on your system. Unzip the file and slowly fill the folders with your files. I had to create(or maybe even rename/delete) some folders to adapt it to my needs. It took me around 20days during summer to organize around 2-3tb of my laptop and my external disk.
It was a kinda painful manual process, but I think it was really worth it, now things are well organized, I detected and removed hunderds of GB of unecessary/duplicate/unwanted files, it's easier to navigate now, the structure is cleaner and syncing a big part of my drive is relatively easy now. There some files, like installed programs and their data which are in predefined paths and I didnt move those, so these were left out. Also some games save their data in Documents, so I symlinked their data in documents. And there's the defauly downloads folder which is now more of a temporary folder for stuff I download before I move them or delete them.
There is not exactly a standard for how to orginize your files, but this repo is a very good start:)
Edit: I think organizing my files was my first step on the list in order to transition to linux, it would otherwise make it harder to properly backup and sync a mess of files gathering up for years. To sync my files to my external drive I just had to backup only ~10folders and one of which was the "root" (the one in the repo as you can see) which contained about 90% of my files. Much easier, much faster.
Tf...no...
Everything is saved to the Syncthing folder. I make sure there is a shortcut to it in the sidebar. From there, it gets placed in the proper folder inside of that.
Drag has one thing on the desktop.
Space Cadet Pinball.
The only thing one really needs.
My documents folder had 0 weeks until a few weeks ago. Everything in custom subfolders of home
Kde gives me the option to keep my desktop folder, or any other folder, or files linked to that specific activity as my Desktop.
