Stop Windows 10 from creating desktop.ini files

The Windows 10 have hidden files and folders. One such file is desktop.ini that you can probably see in several folders.

Although hidden files and folders should not be tampered with, some of them, such as desktop.ini there is no problem deleting them. By default Windows 10 do not let you see hidden files and folders. If you see them it means that you have configured explorer properly and logically you have done it for a purpose.

The files desktop.ini as opposed to what their name implies, do not exist only on the desktop. You will also find them in other folders. They are small and there is no relevant application that you can open, as they are not associated with any specific program. But because they have text information, you can see with the Windows notebook.

What are files? desktop.ini;
A file desktop.ini is a configuration file. Contains some settings related to the folder in which they are located. The settings are usually for how the folder is viewed and some of its other features. You may not always see a file desktop.ini to any folder on your system. It is not present in every one, however, you may see it in some folders.

View files desktop.ini;
To view hidden files and folders of your system you need to enable "hidden components". To do this, open File Explorer in any folder. Go to the View tab and click on the "Hidden items" box.
You will now be able to see all their hidden files and folders Windows 10. Believe us, if you do not have a reason for this, do not do it. Apart from being useless, it is also annoying. But if you know what you are doing then see below how to stop them Windows 10 to make files desktop.ini everywhere.

Delete files desktop.ini
Deleting a file desktop.ini is easy, but it has consequences. If you delete a file desktop.ini from a specific folder, all folder adjustments you have made will be restored e.g. which columns are visible, how the folder is optimized. You can make all these adjustments again, but this way, the files desktop.ini will return. These files tend to be created automatically.

These files are necessary on the system if you like to customize the folders, so it is better to compromise with them. They are quite easy to ignore, but if you do not like to see them, you can hide them by choosing not to show any hidden files.

Stop creating files desktop.ini
If you want to stop these files from being created, you can do so by changing the Windows registry.

1. Press the Win + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run box.

2. In the Run box, type "regedit" and press enter.

3. The registry editor will open. There go to the following key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer

4. Look for a DWORD value called UseDesktopIniCache. Double click on it and set its value to 0.
If the value does not exist, right-click in the right pane and select Create> DWORD Value (32-bit) and name it UseDesktopIniCache. By default, the value must be set to 0 (zero).

You can now delete the files desktop.ini and will no longer be created. You can even customize folder views.

Conclusion
Most users may not see a file desktop.ini on their desktop or in a folder. This is only because these files only appear when you have made specific changes to this folder, such as icon changes or how the files are displayed. If you always allow File Explorer to choose how the files are displayed and if you never change anything about the icons used, you will not see these files.

These files are easily copied when copying entire folders. You can even export to a compressed file and find that the folders inside them have a file desktop.ini. It may be a little worrisome and you may think it is a virus, but it is completely safe.