How in the Tech

Remove Gadgets and Screen Resolution to streamline Windows 7 desktop right-click

By Adam Myers ⋅ January 14, 2010 ⋅ Tags: Customization, Windows 7

How often do you change your screen resolution in Windows 7? Not very often, if at all right? What about adding new gadgets to your sidebar, which defaults to off incidentally? I can guess with great confidence the answer to that question. Then why is it that Microsoft felt it was necessary to provide quick access to both options right off your Windows desktop right-click? I haven’t the slightest and in the vein of minimalism, it’s possible to remove both with a bit of registry hacking.

Launch regedit.exe from the Windows 7 Search Box off the Start Menu.

Navigate down to the registry tree to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell.

You’ll notice three items: Desktop, Gadgets, and Personalize. Interestingly enough, you do not have the proper permissions by default to modify any of these items. So, lets give us full access by right-clicking on DesktopBackground and choosing Permissions.

Click Advanced to skip right into the special permissions.

From the Owner tab select the Administrators from the list as well as check Replace owner on subcontainers and objects. Click Apply.

Now on the Permissions tab select Administrators again and also check Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object. Click Apply here.

Finally, back in the Registry Editor you now have the ability to remove any of the three items from above. For example, if you wish to remove Gadgets from your desktop right-click context menu simply delete the Gadgets folder here.

Gadgets is now gone!