To restore icons on Windows 11, right-click on an empty area on your desktop, select View, and then click on the Show desktop icons option. Your icons will show up with immediate effect.

This will make the desktop icon of Recycle Bin go invisible as you can see in the above screenshot. Similarly, you can make the desktop icon of File Explorer and other desktop items invisible.

If accessing the "This PC" folder from File Explorer feels cumbersome, here's how you can move it directly to your desktop. To add the "This PC" icon to your Windows 11 desktop, follow these steps ...