The Desktop Icon Clutter
Historically, macOS has always treated the Desktop as a literal representation of your physical workspace. In older versions of the Mac operating system, the icon for your primary internal hard drive (usually named “Macintosh HD”) was permanently glued to the top-right corner of the screen. Apple considered this the primary gateway for users to browse their files. Even today, macOS still provides the option to display internal hard disks directly on the desktop wallpaper.
However, modern macOS design philosophies have shifted dramatically. The Finder app, Spotlight search, and the Launchpad are now the standard tools for navigating your computer. The Desktop is generally reserved for temporary files, screenshots, and active project folders. Having a permanent icon for your “Macintosh HD” sitting on your desktop serves almost no practical purpose anymore, especially since clicking it just opens a standard Finder window anyway. If you want a perfectly clean, minimalist desktop environment where you can actually enjoy your wallpaper, you should hide this legacy icon.
How to Hide Hard Disks on the Desktop
You can remove the Macintosh HD icon from your wallpaper via the Finder Settings.
- Click on any empty space on your Desktop, or click the Finder icon in the Dock, to ensure Finder is the active application.
- In the top menu bar, click on Finder and select Settings… (or Preferences on older macOS versions).
- In the Settings window, ensure you are on the General tab.
- Look for the section titled “Show these items on the desktop:”.
- Locate the checkbox for Hard disks.
- Click the checkbox to remove the checkmark.
- Close the Settings window.
The icon for your internal drive will instantly vanish from your desktop. (Note: You can still easily access your main drive by opening a Finder window and pressing Shift + Cmd + C).