In Windows 11, you may notice that whenever you hover your mouse pointer over a file or folder in File Explorer, a small, empty checkbox appears to the left of the icon. Clicking this checkbox allows you to select multiple items without needing to hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key on your keyboard. While this is an excellent accessibility feature for touch-screen devices, traditional desktop users who rely on keyboard shortcuts often find these checkboxes visually cluttered and unnecessary. If you prefer a cleaner interface, you can easily hide them.
How to Hide the Item Checkboxes
You can turn off the checkboxes directly from the main view menu in File Explorer.
- Open File Explorer (press the Windows Key + E).
- Look at the main toolbar at the very top of the window.
- Click on the View menu. A drop-down list will appear.
- At the very bottom of the drop-down list, hover your mouse over Show.
- A secondary menu will slide out to the right. Look through this list for the option labelled Item check boxes. If it has a checkmark next to it, the feature is currently active.
- Click on Item check boxes to uncheck it.
The change takes effect immediately across all folders on your PC. When you hover your mouse over a file or folder, it will simply highlight the item, leaving the space to the left of the icon completely clean and free of checkboxes.