Why Does Learn About This Picture on Desktop & How to Remove

By Shirley Howard to Windows Tips | 2024-10-25
Approved

If you’ve been seeing the icon ‘Learn About This Picture' on desktop in Windows 11, you’re not the only one. This icon is part of the Windows Spotlight feature which shows beautiful images from Bing as your desktop background. Some like the stunning visuals, others think the additional icon clutter is unnecessary and cluttered. In this article, we’ll show you why this icon appears, and how to remove Learn About This Picture.

Struggling with a forgotten Windows password? Download PassFab 4WinKey for free and regain access to your system within minutes by bypassing or resetting your password.

Part 1: What Is Learn About This Picture on Desktop Windows 11?

learn about thin picture on desktop

Windows 11 features a Windows Spotlight that includes an ‘Learn About This Picture’ icon. Windows Spotlight chooses images for your desktop and shows you a short description about where the image is. The Learn About This Picture on desktop remove icon is a click on which users can learn more about the displayed image. While it looks good, it can be distracting to users who like a minimalist desktop.

It is an evolution of the lock screen feature found in earlier versions of Windows, but now it moves to the desktop background, adding rotating Bing images to your desktop.

Part 2: Why Is There a Learn About This Picture Icon on My Computer?

To make their desktop backgrounds more interactive, Microsoft introduced the Learn About This Picture Windows 11. The icon appears every time Windows Spotlight changes your background so you can interact with the image. It provides the option to like or dislike the image, get more information about the image or switch to another image.

This may sound helpful for some, but it can be an unwanted distraction for others, especially if you don’t want all the extra icons on your desktop.

Part 3: How Do I Remove the Learn About This Picture Icon on My Desktop?

If the “Learn About This Picture” icon is more annoying than helpful, you can remove it in two simple ways. Follow these steps for how to turn off learn about this picture:

Method 1: Turn off Windows Spotlight Theme

The easiest way to remove the icon is to turn off Windows Spotlight, which is the source of the background images and the icon.

  • Press the Win + I keys to open Settings.

  • Navigate to Personalization > Lock Screen.

  • Under Personalize your lock screen, change Windows Spotlight to Picture or Slideshow.

    how to turn off learn about thin picture
  • Return to your desktop and press F5 to refresh your screen.

This will replace the rotating Spotlight backgrounds with a static image, effectively removing the “Learn About This Picture” icon.

Method 2: Modify the Registry Editor

For those who want a more granular solution, you can remove the icon directly through the Registry Editor. Please note, before making changes to the registry, it's a good idea to back it up to avoid any accidental issues. Here is how to disable Learn About This Picture:

  • Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.

    run cmd or powershell
  • Navigate to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel

  • Right-click on the right pane and create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}.

  • Double-click on the new value and change the Value data to 1 to disable the icon.

    how to disable learn about this picture
  • Refresh your desktop by pressing F5.

After doing this, the “Learn About This Picture” icon will be gone.

Part 4: How to Add Learn About This Picture?

If Learn About This Picture icon missing but later decide you want it back, here’s how you can easily restore it.

  • Download the .reg file. It is the safest source for Learn About This Picture download.

  • Save the file to your desktop.

  • Double-click the .reg file to merge it with your registry.

  • When prompted, click Run, followed by Yes (for UAC), Yes, and OK to confirm the merge.

  • Right-click on your desktop and click Refresh (or press F5). Now, the “Learn About This Picture” icon should reappear.

Extra Tips: How to Factory Reset Windows 10 without Password?

Resetting the system can be quite daunting if you are ever locked out of your Windows computer. Luckily, PassFab 4WinKey has a simple solution to reset forgotten passwords on any Windows version.

With PassFab 4WinKey, you can bypass, reset, or remove administrator and user passwords without losing any data. This powerful tool can also factory reset your Windows 10 or 11 PC without password.

passfab 4winkey

PassFab 4WinKey

  • Remove or reset Administrator password instantly
  • Reset Microsoft account password in minutes
  • Delete or create Windows account if you want
  • One click to create a Windows password reset disk (USB/CD/DVD)
  • Compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP and Server 2019

PassFab 4WinKey has Recommended by many medias, like macworld, makeuseof, appleinsider, etc.

FAQs on Learn About This Picture on Desktop

Q1: What is the picture on the desktop

The images that you see are part of Windows Spotlight, a feature that pulls in scenic images from Bing to help make your desktop a little more interesting.

Q2: Is Learn About This Picture a Virus?

No, it is not a virus. It’s a legitimate Windows feature that shows you information about your desktop background.

Q3: Is Learn About This Picture available on Windows 10?

No, Learn About This Picture Windows 10 is not available. Windows Spotlight for the desktop has its own “Learn About This Picture” icon, which is unique to Windows 11.

Conclusion

For those who like to know about the images on their desktop, the “Learn About This Picture” icon can be a good feature to have. But if you don’t need it, Windows 11 remove Learn About This Picture from desktop easily using one of the methods suggested above. But if you ever want it back, you can always follow simple steps to restore it. Windows 11 lets you customize the desktop the way you like it, whether you’re into a minimalist look or you prefer to explore scenic views.

RELATED ARTICLES

COMMENT