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By default, the text below the icons on the Vista desktop use drop shadows. Sometimes this looks good, and sometimes it doesn’t. As an example, I changed my desktop to be solid white, to make doing screen captures for inclusion in these posts a bit easier. Notice when you do that, the white text with the drop shadow just looks ‘muddy’, and is difficult to read:
Removing the shadow makes the text much easier to read in this case:
There are a number of ways to get to this setting, but so far all that I’ve explored take a number of clicks. Here’s one:
- Click on Start and choose Control Panel
- Click System and Maintenance
- Click System
- Towards the bottom-right corner of the System window, click
(click continue if UAC asks for approval) - In the System Properties window that opens, select the Advanced tab, and click the Settings… button
- At the bottom of the Custom: section of the Visual Effects tab of the Performance Options window, uncheck Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop
- Click OK, close all the windows that are left open, and admire your readable desktop labels!
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Comments
ITsVISTA Tip #6: Resize Your Vista Desktop Icons | ITsVISTA
Dec 13, 2006 at 4:43 pm
[...] Tip number 2, "Notice any Mud on Your Vista Desktop? Here's How to Clean It" dealt with how your desktop looks. Since the desktop plays a big part in what you'll be seeing right away, and every day on from there, here's another desktop tip that I spotted at The UsefulTechnology Blog. [...]
Gumbo Gurl
Apr 2, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Thanks again. I’m glad I googled and found this blog.
I already love the new default font in Vista and Office 2007 and to remove the drop shadow from it makes it nice and clean. Wow!
Susan Lofthus
Jan 6, 2008 at 9:44 am
Thank you for great tips! Its simple and to the point!
Susan Lofthus
Jan 17, 2008 at 4:13 am
I love this it is made so simple and shows people how anyone can handle problems. It has raised my confidence alot. Thanks again. I greatly appreciate this resource and have it under favorites.
Andrew
Feb 15, 2008 at 1:11 am
I can bring down the first 4 steps to 2 steps. press Windows Key + Pause/Break key, then on the left click Advanced System Settings and continue with step 5
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