How can I delete files on my desktop and still keep them?

My best advice is spring cleaning… but you could always just put your stuff into a folder(s), and have that on the desktop…

But there are platform specific alternatives:

On windows:
You can change their attributes to hidden, and then make sure you have “view hidden files and folders” toggled off in ‘Folder Preferences’ (under tools in an explorer window in XP; Organize button of the context bar in a Vista explorer window).

Get Fences. I use this. It’s freaking brilliant.

On a Mac:
change the filenames of all of your items to have a period in front of it. (zB thing.rtf would become .thing.rtf
BE SURE THAT YOU WANT TO HIDE THINGS WITH THIS METHOD. THE ONLY WAY TO RETRIVE THEM BACK TO PLAIN VIEW IS TO RENAME THEM ON THE TERMINAL WITH SUDO!!!!

Just move them to a different folder (copy-paste) and then delete them off the desktop, keeping the copied files.

You can right click on the desktop and select new folder. Then, name it something specific to what you want to put in it. Then click on one icon you want to have on that folder, hold the control key, and click on the other icons you want in the folder. When you are done selecting, let go of the control key, then click on one of the selected icons and drag it over the folder and let go. Then all the icons you have selected will move into that folder.

Alternatively, you can keep stuff under your username folder. Such as putting documents in the documents folder, music in the music folder, videos in the videos folder, etc. It is much easier than searching through a bunch of unorganized icons on your desktop.

The easiest way to clean up your desktop is to right click the desktop > Arrange Icons > Hide Desktop Icons. This will keep all of your icons hidden, and make your desktop look nice and neat.

@blastfamy – seriously? You don’t need sudo for a rename? Also, in my little experience with OS X I have found out that you can get it to show hidden files in the Finder.

But anyway, you don’t want to hide the files anyway, you’d only do that with configuration files and the like. Just move them to appropriate folders. Or stuff everything in one folder in (on Windows), say, My Documents.

Put all your icons in a folder and do something like this.

It’s simple, plain, and beautiful.

Just make a new folder, drag all the icons into it, then put that folder in “My Documents” or wherever you like.

Then follow this Lifehacker Guide.

You’ll love your computer even more.