The macOS desktop can turn into a chaotic digital junk drawer, cluttered with files, folders, and screenshots. But what if you could tidy it up while keeping its functionality intact? Here’s a smarter way to reclaim your desktop.

The Nuclear Option for Cleaning Up Your Mac Desktop

The most common technique for instant Desktop decluttering is to run the following Terminal command:

defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool false && killall Finder

While the above is effective at wiping the slate clean, I would classify it as a bit of a nuclear option. This is because it hides useful items like connected drives and external volumes alongside the clutter.

After running into this problem myself, I decided to write a better solution: a script that hides desktop clutter while keeping the essentials visible.

Why Hide Your Desktop Icons?

There are plenty of good reasons to declutter your desktop. For one, it makes your workspace look cleaner, which can boost focus and productivity. But there are practical reasons too.

Screen sharing during meetings or livestreaming often reveals more of your personal workspace than you might be comfortable with. Hiding those desktop icons protects your privacy. It’s also a way to reclaim the desktop as a place for essential shortcuts rather than a dumping ground for every file you download or screenshot you take.

The traditional method of hiding desktop icons using the CreateDesktop setting above is fine for some situations, but it has significant downsides. Once you turn it off, your desktop becomes completely inaccessible. It’s like locking a messy room but losing access to everything inside, even the things you may actually need.

That’s where my script comes in.

Why This Script Is Better

Instead of hiding everything indiscriminately, my script uses file attributes to selectively hide non-essential items. This approach is cleaner, safer, and more flexible than the traditional method.

First, it doesn’t rename your files by adding a dot (.) at the beginning of their names. This avoids breaking automations or scripts that reference desktop items. The files aren’t renamed; they’re just given a “hidden” attribute, making them invisible on the desktop and in Finder unless you’ve configured Finder to show hidden files.

Second, the script ensures that connected drives and mounted volumes remain visible on the Desktop. This is a big win for aesthetics and functionality. Volumes are a core part of the macOS desktop, and keeping them visible reduces the chances of accidentally disconnecting an external drive without ejecting it properly. It’s also just nice to glance at your desktop and see what’s plugged in without having to open a Finder window.

Finally, the script is customizable. Users with basic shell scripting familiarity can specify exceptions by way of variable arrays near the top of the script—files or folders that should always remain visible or always hidden. This is useful for keeping certain items accessible while cleaning up the rest of the clutter.

As a bonus and unlike the traditional approach, my script doesn’t require restarting Finder, meaning no interruptions to your workflow or lost Finder windows when the application re-initializes.

How to Use the Script in Apple Shortcuts

The Apple Shortcuts app is a great way to integrate this script into your workflow and make it “portable”, so to speak.

Start by opening the Shortcuts app and creating a new blank shortcut.

Add a “Run Shell Script” action, delete the default “Hello World” configuration in the body and replace it with the entire script below.

#!/bin/bash

# Path to the Desktop directory
DESKTOP_PATH=
"$HOME/Desktop"
 
# Don't edit this line

# List of files and folders to always SHOW
ALWAYS_SHOWN=(

# Add filenames/folders here as needed (examples below)
# "Always Visible Folder" # placeholder/example folder
# "Always Visible File.txt" # placeholder/example file
)


# List of files and folders to always HIDE
ALWAYS_HIDDEN=(

  
"$RECYCLE.BIN"# Don't edit this line
# "Always Hidden Folder" # placeholder/example folder
# "Always Hidden File.txt" # placeholder/example file
)




# Function to check if an item is in the ALWAYS_SHOWN array
is_in_always_shown() {

  
local
 item_basename=
"
$1
"
  
for
 shown_item 
in
 
"
${ALWAYS_SHOWN[@]}
"
; 
do
    
if
 [[ 
"
$item_basename
"
 == 
"
$shown_item
"
 ]]; 
then
      
return
 
0# Match found
    
fi
  
done
  
return
 
1# No match
}


# Function to check if an item is in the ALWAYS_HIDDEN array
is_in_always_hidden() {

  
local
 item_basename=
"
$1
"
  
for
 hidden_item 
in
 
"
${ALWAYS_HIDDEN[@]}
"
; 
do
    
if
 [[ 
"
$item_basename
"
 == 
"
$hidden_item
"
 ]]; 
then
      
return
 
0# Match found
    
fi
  
done
  
return
 
1# No match
}


# Check if any visible non-volume item exists
has_visible_non_volumes=
false
for
 item 
in
 
"
$DESKTOP_PATH
"
/*; 
do
  
if
 
[[ -e 
"$item"
 ]
]; 
then
    item_basename=$(basename 
"$item"
)


    
# Ignore items in ALWAYS_SHOWN
    
if
 is_in_always_shown 
"
$item_basename
"
; 
then
      
continue
    
fi

    
# Ignore items in ALWAYS_HIDDEN
    
if
 is_in_always_hidden 
"
$item_basename
"
; 
then
      
continue
    
fi

    
# Check if the item is not a volume and is not hidden
    
if
 [ ! -d 
"
$item
"
 ] || [[ $(diskutil list | grep 
"
$item_basename
"
) == 
""
 ]]; 
then
      
if
 ! ls -ldO 
"
$item
"
 | grep -q 
"hidden"
; 
then
        has_visible_non_volumes=
true
        
break
      
fi
    
fi
  
fi
done

# Toggle visibility accordingly
if
 $has_visible_non_volumes; then

  
echo
 
"Hiding all non-volume items (excluding specified exceptions)..."

  
for
 item 
in
 
"
$DESKTOP_PATH
"
/*; 
do
    
if
 
[[ -e 
"$item"
 ]
]; 
then
      item_name=$(basename 
"$item"
)


      
# Check if the item is in the ALWAYS_SHOWN list
      
if
 is_in_always_shown 
"
$item_name
"
; 
then
        
continue
      
fi

      
# If it's not an exception, hide it
      chflags hidden 
"
$item
"
    
fi
  
done

  
echo
 
"Non-volume items hidden (except exceptions)."
else
  
echo
 
"Unhiding all items (excluding specified exceptions)..."

  
for
 item 
in
 
"
$DESKTOP_PATH
"
/*; 
do
    
if
 
[[ -e 
"$item"
 ]
]; 
then
      item_name=$(basename 
"$item"
)


      
# Check if the item is in the ALWAYS_HIDDEN list
      
if
 is_in_always_hidden 
"
$item_name
"
; 
then
        
continue
      
fi

      
# If it's not an exception, unhide it
      chflags nohidden 
"
$item
"
    
fi
  
done

  
echo
 
"All items unhidden (except exceptions)."
fi

Now, go ahead and test it out by clicking the play button near the top or with the hotkey Command+R when the Shortcut window is focused.

The first time you run the shortcut, macOS may prompt you to allow Shortcut.app to execute scripts. Once you grant permission, run the shortcut again, and it should work flawlessly. You can change these under Shortcuts > Settings > Advanced too.

For easy access, why not pin the shortcut to your Mac menu bar?

For advanced users, the script includes arrays near the top for customizing which files or folders should always be hidden or shown. By adding the names of specific items to these arrays, you can tailor the script to suit your preferences. The single script works as a toggle, so you only need one to both hide and show non-volume desktop items (just run it agan to put everything back).

Using the Script as a Standalone Tool

If you’d rather run the script directly, that’s easy too. Save the script to a file in your preferred directory. For example, create a file named hide_desktop.sh, save it in a convenient location, and make it executable with the following command:

chmod +x /path/to/hide_desktop.sh

From there, you can run the script manually in the terminal emulator of your choosing or configure it to run using your favorite tool. If you use Alfred, you can trigger the script with a configured hotkey or keyword. Alternatively, you can turn it into a double-clickable app using Automator.

These options make it easy to hide and unhide your desktop icons with minimal effort. You can even combine methodologies by running Apple Shortcuts directly from your terminal as shown below (I named my Shortcut “Declutter Desktop”).

This script doesn’t just tidy up your desktop—it gives you control. It hides the clutter without taking away the functionality of your desktop, ensuring that important items like mounted drives stay visible.

Whether you’re livestreaming, screen sharing, or just trying to beautify your workspace, it’s a flexible and elegant solution that works the way macOS should. So, give it a try. With a little setup, you can declutter your desktop without burning it all down.