If you’ve been wondering why your XP desktop icons have a background color, you’ll be glad to know you can flip a checkbox and have them go back to a normal transparent background.
See the two below:
To set the transparent background on the icons, we’ll need to open System Properties in Control Panel (or right-click on My Computer and select Properties).
In this dialog, click the Advanced tab, and then the Settings button under the Performance section.
Now scroll down to the button where you’ll find a checkbox for “Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop”. Make sure you check this box if you want transparent backgrounds on the icons.
Why this option isn’t just labeled “Enable Transparent Icons On the Desktop”, I just can’t say.
if checking it doesn’t fix your problem there is another step you must do. Follow this procedure:
Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck everything here > OK > Apply
Thanks Matt
Thanks man! I was just finding this option.
Yes, you’re right! Why don’t they label it “Enable Transparent Icons On the Desktop”?
ya, thanks i realy got the solution from this site
it does’nt work for me i already tried that one and i dont have save as a web item. i already lock and unlock the web items. i tried setting a picture in the internet to set as webitem i clicked mouse 2 or rightcliick but i cannot find it. can you plss help me email me at meder_go@yahoo.com
It didn’t work for me – the box was already checked when I went into that folder!
The answer above is correct but not complete. That box must be checked but if checking it doesn’t fix your problem there is another step you must do. Follow this procedure:
Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck everything here > OK > Apply > Curse out Bill Gates for making such a simple thing so difficult
Thank you, Matt. Been to few websites and read forums all morning, but finally this worked for me. All the rest was not really useful. Thanks so much!
thank you so much! this helped a lot!
Thanks man, It worked for me. After your first method didn’t work I tried your second method and at the WEB Tab, all I did was UNcheck the lock desktop items found at the bottom. But I made sure that the first method is also done right. Otherwise it will not change anything. Hope this helps others too.
Thanks Man..
Thanks for helping get rid of an annoyance! I rejoiced out loud when the second method worked (box was already checked from step 1).
Did everything twice,and still will not work for my own desktop background pictures…
any ideas ?
Make the background transparent for icons
Generally the background of icons is transparent by some way it turns into some colour this will not be nice to look at isnt it ??
So try these,
1)right click on the desktop>arrange icons by>lock web items on desktop (uncheck it)
If this does not solve ur problem then try
2)Go to Control Panel>System>Advanced>Performance area>Settings button>Visual Effects tab “Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop”.(check it or tick on it)
this will solve the problem
Thank you soooooo much that was bugging the living daylights out of me. Your solution worked pefectly and instantly ( the original solution by the website didn’t work)
thank u so much yar. its great and perfectly working
Thank you so much for posting this. I tried a million other things and it didnt work, but this did. You are a genius!
Thank you Matt for your helpful advise! It worked for me!
Thank you so much for the 2nd set of instrutions to go into the custimize desktop and uncheck everything- it worked!!! I was going nuts trying to fix it the other way, but nothing changed until i unchecked the box under web.
Thanks a lot AIMAN SAAD EGYPT!!! You are the best! your advice was the single one who really works! Thanks again!
Now I have another problem
My network administrator has blocked the USB for using any USB data storage like mp3 players, flash pen etc. Know somebody what can I do to use again this option?
Thanks!
Thanks for the tip – it worked BUT. . .now the wallpaper has shifted down so there is a band of the background colour to the top.
I tried stretching the wallpaper but it doesn’t work – it’s the correct size but somehow its just pushed down.
It disappears when I enable “Lock web items” but then the icon backgrounds become solid again.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
guyz I hav tried everything but nothing is working and I read this article saying it is because of spyware which attacked me a few dayz ago but it didnot give an option of how I can remove the colour.oliz help
How this in Windows Me (Millenium Editions) . I have the same problem.
Thanks .
tnx for this one dude, this really helped me.
Thanks Man…. you made my day! Been looking to fix this problem for a couple of days now, and this actually did it!! The key thing i didn’t do: Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck <> here > OK > Apply. TY again and will def come back here for any other PC help!
Hey Guys,
if all fails, please note:
The type of image you are using in your background impacts the transparency of your icon text.
For example – if you use a .jpg image the icons will get transparent — Using a .png they will not!
Hope this helps.
this needs to be remembered, i was having this problem and couldnt fix it, but realized my background was png. thanks!
can any one help me how make folder’s background Transparent. it will be sooooo nice but I don’t know how to do that ?
Dont work to my computer
Thank you
I haved this problem for many days…
Dang thanks this really helped!
Thank you. It is amazing. !!! It work. Thanks again !
I just created another administrator profile. Everything I tried here didn’t work. But the new profile worked. I just had to set up all my personalized settings up again. Fortunately, since it was a virtual machine, I had not yet set a whole lot up.
Epsilon was very intuitive, After trying everything…many times! I checked my backgroung image and even though it was a .jpg I changed it to .bmp AND put it in the windows folder ( which may or may not have anything to do with it since it has not been there for years) and voila! IT WORKED!
Thanks
It worked beautifully for me. Thanks Mate!
None of this stuff worked. And oh, please don’t give the very same instructions as every other dumbass on this planet.
If you don’t know, then just shut up.
Thanks man! the first think didnt work but the second one did.. thanks again
god bless u 
can you tell me how to do this on windows 2000 ?
Thanks man!
It worked.
Wow. I have been fighting this annoyance for a long time. I had to run through the:
Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck everything here > OK > Apply
option, and it worked perfect.
Thanks for bringing back my sanity!
ThankQ… It Worked….
Hello everybody
I have follow both way for make icons transplant.
1. Control Panel>System>Advanced>Performance area>Settings button>Visual Effects tab “Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop”.(check it or tick on it)
2. Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck everything here > OK > Apply
but both are not working, please help me !!!!!!!!!
Thanks
Thanks a lot
I knew only about first way of making background of icons transparent but that time (some stupid program change it value) it does not help so I have started to search the answer on the net.
I have used “Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck everything here > OK > Apply” and it works.
Thank you very much once again
@ samuraih,
Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck everything here > OK > Apply
All credit to How to Geek for this article (I might have missed the credit given somewhere).
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows/why-do-my-icons-have-a-background-color-in-windows-xp
If this all doesn’t work, change the theme to the original windows xp theme in display properties, then, look for a background you want in firefox, rightclick on it, and choose it as background, without changing the color, and voila, you have fixed it in some way
Holy shit Matt. Thanks so much. It took me forever to mind this solution. >_<
Thanks for your help. Worked perfectly =D
thanks man.
Hey guys, I read through the entire comments section and quite conveniently, nothing worked. I was using a .PNG file which didn’t have any background image on the icons. I tried BMP and JPEG, neither are working. What do I do? TIA
TEST
I don’t know
it isn’t work on my computer
T___T
help me
I have tried both of these solutions many a times but they didn’t work out for me.
if you have some other solution please send me feedback at my id
I recently found a nice photo on Flickr I wanted to use as the background image on my desktop. I copied the image and then pasted it in Photoshop and resized it to fit my desktop (1680×1050). After doing this I noticed there was still a background color behind my icon text. After spending all morning browsing Google and all the solutions offered (including the one here) I finally figured out what was wrong.
When saving the image in Photoshop I had used the “Save for Web” dialogue. Instead I saved the same image again only this time using “File>Save As” and picked “JPG” as the file type. Then I went to my desktop, right-clicked, chose Properties, Desktop tab, browsed to the saved image, and applied.
Viola! Transparent icons.
OMG OMG THANKS AIMAN SAAD EGYPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT HELPED SO MUCH!!!
I’ve tried everything on this page and none of it works!!!!
I’ve accidently done this on my friends computer and now I can’t undo it!! and I don’t know how I did it in the first place. Can anyone help??
thanks for the info on making desktop clear on xp
unchecking the WEB sttings worked when nothing else would….
appreciate it…
eddie
Thank you!
Thanks a lot, man!
i was wondering what happened to my icon backgrounds.. the second solution solved it!!
I really appreciate it!
Thanks mate it’s worked…
“if checking it doesn’t fix your problem there is another step you must do. Follow this procedure:
Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck everything here > OK > Apply”
this option worked fine.
Thanks.
nice.. it worked ^_^v tnx
I have no web tab in my “customise desktop”. Help!!!!
thank you friend.its working.thanks a lot.
Thank you …………………………..
i check it but this is not work so please please send me another way to transparent & i have another prob that if my desktop have not any icon his background-color is white
send your answer to
anirudhakumar.gupta@gmail.com
Thank you, thank you! Didn’t work the first way. Had to try the second one with the Display/Desktop menu.
Cheers!
Under the desktop and customize desktop, Web is not an option. There are only 3 avaialble. I looked on a different computer and it was there, how do i get it back?
I was really frustrated because nothing was working…this worked:
# You need to make sure that High Contrast is not selected under Accessibility \ Display Options in your Control Panel.
Thanks very Much.
The customize desktop step helped me a lot.
i had tried all in visual effects but was not able to get the same.
I knew it was the active desktop, but I couldn’t remember how to get to it in XP! THANKS! More helpful that Microsoft’s laughable database.
ya Matt. Thank you……. It’s works me….
Great !!!
It worked
Thanks
Both the tricks dint work for me
the reason was that my wallpaper was in PNG format, I changed it to JPG and it worked
reference:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows/why-do-my-icons-have-a-background-color-in-windows-xp/
Thanks! it worked for me.
thanks. REALLLLLLYYYYYY WORKS!!!!!!!
HI ITS ME NIK
Hey It worked for me Thank u..
Thanks very much. Very useful guide and well illustrated. If only there were more people able to put together quick tutorials like this.
Hey this worked.
You r my man!!!!! nice
what is the color that will turn transparent?
I tried that but my background is still gray…I checked it..did I do something wrong?
Nevermind, I looked through the comments and found the solution.
Super!!
Worked for me, now i am happy with the result.
I am glad i stumbled upon this tutorial.
Thank you.
Hi… thanks its working very nice…
really its helpful for me..
thank u
thank’s. quickly changed yourself background
THNX MAN IT WORKS…………… THNX A LOT
None of this works with a gif file, any other suggestions
Thanks this was driving me bugnuts, don’t know how it got turned on but am glad it is off now.
Thanks a lot Bud…..2nd option worked for me.
Thanks, Matt….. the 2nd thing worked. Looked all over for a solution, and you turned out to be the genius. Thanks!!!
This didn’t work for me because my background was in PNG format…once i changed it to a jpeg it worked fine!
Thanks – you’re a genius – its so pesky otherwise!!!
I tried everything and was ready to pull my hair out. I finally found this option
You need to make sure that High Contrast is *not* selected under Control Panel -> Accessibility -> Display Options.
My wasn’t, however, I selected High Contrast to enable it, then Apply, then unchecked it, then Apply and then went into the Settings and under High Contrast Appearance Theme: I chose Windows Standard from the drop down menu. Then Selected Ok and then Apply.
FINALLY – it’s back to normal.
Thank you very much!! ITS WORKING!!! btw, this is from Buddy from Philippines
Thanks a lot. The second way changed my settings back.
thanks u so much for helping this …
thank you, that helped alot.
Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customize Desktop > Web > Uncheck everything here > OK > Apply
This has been only worked for my system
Thanks buddy
Thanks buddy…. its worked. thanks a lot.
Thanks a lot.!!….
thanks. it really help….
Spectacular. From a computer challenged knob, you’ve made my Friday even brighter
[...] [...]
Great solution, thx..
thanks … men i like this …
now a fix my desktop to original appearance
thanks a lot
Thanks…finally found a post that worked…
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! =))
The box was initially checked on mine when the background color was appearing, so I unchecked, applied, and rechecked, applied and it removed it. The IT department here at work had no idea how to resolve it. Cheers, thanks.
thank for help me , it will work if you do full process ok
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This has been driving me nuts for ages.
Thanks man ! So goooood !!!! Very nice !
What version of XP is this for, since it doesn’t seem to matter how many times I repeat any of the steps, it doesn’t work for XP Pro SP 3.
Please disregard my last post. After going back over the steps listed, I realized that my background was in .png format. Converted it over to .jpg. Transparency applied.
Thanks..
Really Worked.
Thanks for the help man.
Keep it up.
Update more solutions.
THANK YOU!!
It was a simple trick i never knew. It was checked previously, I unchecked and clicked apply and again I checked that option and the problem got solved.
The second solution worked.
Thanks
Thanks, really worked for xp home edition.
my problem is not solve please help me & give a answer quicly.
give a full process in email id
please give me answer in 2 min.
The second option worked for me.thnx!
thankz
it worked 
thanks it helps me alot