How to Remove the “Learn About This Picture” Icon on Windows 11 Desktop

If you use Windows Spotlight as your desktop background in Windows 11, you might notice a small “Learn about this picture” icon appearing on your desktop. It links to Bing for information about the wallpaper image. If you want a clean desktop, here are multiple methods to remove it step by step.

Method 1: Disable Windows Spotlight Background

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “Personalize.”
2. Click “Background.”
3. Under “Personalize your background,” open the dropdown menu.
4. Select “Picture” or “Solid color” instead of “Windows Spotlight.”
5. The “Learn about this picture” icon will disappear immediately, but Spotlight wallpapers will stop rotating.

Method 2: Hide the Icon via Registry Editor (Keep Spotlight Active)

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to this path:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel
3. Right-click in the right panel and select “New” > “DWORD (32-bit) Value.”
4. Name it {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}
5. Double-click it and set the value to 1.
6. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC.
   This hides only the icon while keeping Windows Spotlight wallpapers working.

Method 3: Hide the Icon Using Command Prompt or PowerShell

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Paste and run this command: reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel /v {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
3. Restart your PC to apply the change.

Method 4: Use Explorer Patcher or a Third-Party Tool

1. Download and install “Explorer Patcher” from its official GitHub page.
2. Open its configuration panel.
3. Navigate to the desktop settings section.
4. Find the option to hide the “Learn about this picture” or Windows Spotlight info icon and toggle it off.

Method 5: Use Group Policy (Pro Edition Only)

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. Go to:
   User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop
3. Look for settings related to Windows Spotlight or desktop icons and disable Spotlight suggestions.
4. Apply changes and restart your PC.

These steps let you either hide the icon permanently or remove it entirely, depending on whether you still want Spotlight images rotating on your Windows 11 desktop.