Is the “Learn about this picture” icon cluttering your desktop?
If you’re using Windows Spotlight as your background, you’ve probably seen this popup — and maybe you want it gone.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through three simple methods to remove the icon completely, whether you prefer changing a setting, using Command Prompt, or tweaking the Registry.
Let’s get started and clean up your desktop.
How to Personalize Your Windows Desktop Using Windows Spotlight
When you use Windows Spotlight as your desktop background, a small icon called “Learn about this picture” appears by default on your desktop. This icon:
- Shows info about the current Spotlight image.
- It lets you like/dislike, learn more, or change the image.
- Can be moved anywhere on your desktop.
- Only appears when Windows Spotlight is enabled.
Now if you want to get rid of this “Learn about this picture” icon follow the methods shown in this guide.
How to Remove “Learn about this picture” Icon From Your Desktop
Now here is how you can remove the Learn this picture icon from your desktop.
1. Change the Lock Screen Background
This method avoids using Windows Spotlight entirely.
Here is what to do:
- Open Windows Settings.
- In the left-hand sidebar, click Personalization.
- On the right side, click on Lock screen.
- Under the “Personalize your lock screen” dropdown, select Picture, Solid color, or Slideshow instead of Windows Spotlight.

- If you chose Picture, click Browse Photos to select a custom image.

- For Slideshow, pick or add a folder of images.
- This method removes the “Learn about this picture” feature because it’s only associated with Windows Spotlight.
2. Disable Windows Spotlight via Command Prompt
You can also disable Windows Spotlight via Command Prompt. This removes Windows Spotlight functionality more completely.
Here is how to do so:
- Type cmd in the Windows Start menu. Then choose to run Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.
- Now, enter the Registry Command and press Enter to run the command.
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent" /v DisableWindowsSpotlightFeatures /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
- Once done, restart your PC for the changes to take place.
- This method disables Windows Spotlight features across the board, including the lock screen and suggested content.
3. Tweak The Registry
The next thing you can do is make some changes in the registry.
However, tweaking the registry as making changes in the Windows Registry can affect system behavior. Proceed with caution and create a backup of your registry:
- Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
- Click Yes if prompted by UAC.
- In Registry Editor, copy and paste this path in the address bar:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel
- Press Enter to go directly to the location.
- On the right-hand side, right-click in the blank space.
- Select New then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Now you need to rename the New Value.
- Name the new DWORD as:
{5DB26476-3E07-4C5C-B3B6-4A6B0B74F6FC}
- Now, double-click on the newly created key.
- Set Value data to 1.

- Click on OK.
- Now, go to your desktop. Right-click and choose Refresh.
- The unwanted Windows Spotlight icon should now be removed from your desktop. If the icon is still there, try signing out and signing in again or restarting your system.
Wrapping Up
And there you have it — three effective ways to remove the ‘Learn about this picture’ icon from your Windows desktop.
Whether you changed your background, used Command Prompt, or edited the Registry, your desktop should now look cleaner.
If this helped, let us know in the comments section provided below.
