WiseCleaner Think Tank
Encounter difficult computer problems?
All about maintenance and optimization of your Windows System.
Mar 19, 2025
The Spotlight feature is well-known among Windows users, and with Windows 11, Microsoft has expanded its functionality to the desktop. You can now set Spotlight as your desktop background.
When Spotlight is used as the desktop background, it includes an additional icon, Learn About This Picture. This icon provides more information about the current image and even works with stock wallpapers. Its context menu offers options to switch to the next background image or provide feedback with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the current image.
Although it looks like any other desktop icon, the Learn About This Picture icon is unique because you cannot delete, cut, copy, paste, or move it into folders like other desktop icons.
Fortunately, if you'd like to remove this feature from your lock screen, it’s entirely possible with a few simple steps. Below is a comprehensive guide on how to disable it.
First of all, you can remove Learn about this picture by disabling the Windows Spotlight theme easily.
1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Click Personalization on the left pane, then select Lock Screen on the right.
3. Click Picture or Slideshow next to the Personalize your lock screen option.
Then you will find that the Learn about this picture icon is removed from your Desktop.
For users running Windows 11 Pro, further control can be gained using the Group Policy Editor.
1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter to launch the Group Policy Editor.
3. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerHideDesktopIconsNewStartPanel
4. Right-click on the right pane, select New > DWORD(32-bit) Value and name it as {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3}.
5. Double-click the {2cc5ca98-6485-489a-920e-b3e88a6ccce3} item you just created to open it, and then change the Value data from 0 to 1 to disable it, and click OK.
Finally, turn back to the Desktop and refresh it by pressing the F5 hotkey. Once you refresh your desktop, the Windows Spotlight icon will disappear.
This method prevents changes to the lock screen that might reintroduce the unwanted feature in future updates or configurations.
With these steps, you should be able to remove the Learn About This Picture icon from your Windows 11, offering a simpler and cleaner environment. Whether you opt to switch your lock screen background style or dive into system policies for a more comprehensive solution, Windows 11 offers the flexibility to tailor your experience to your personal preferences.
