How to Edit the Arrows on Shortcut Icons in Windows Vista

Many Windows users have not yet upgraded to Windows 7 and are still using Windows Vista instead. Anybody using Windows Vista will notice there are large arrows on all of the shortcut icons. There have always been arrows on these shortcut icons but normally they are so small that it is not bothersome. Many have complained about the large arrows on the Vista shortcut icons though. Fortunately there is an easy way to get rid of these icons.

Unfortunately the easiest way to get rid of the large arrows on Vista icons involves downloading a program. The good news is the program is free, easy to work and takes no time to use. The program is called Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover. The free program can be found at PCworld.com.

Find Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover and locate the "Download Now" button. Click on "Download Now" and then choose the location to save the file on your computer. Remember what folder the file is saved in because you will then have to locate the file in on your computer. (If you are using Google Chrome then at the bottom of the page where the downloaded file is you can click on the arrow next to it and choose "Show in Folder" to be taken directly to it.

Once the Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover has been found, double-click on the file and that should begin the installation process. Installing the program should be pretty self-explanatory. Continue press "Next" until the program is installed on your computer. Sometime during the to installation process you will choose the location that you will be installing the program. Again you need to remember this folder so that you can navigate to the .exe file.

Once you have navigated to the .exe file, double-click on it to open up the Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover program. Once Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover has been opened there will be a box that will give several options to choose from. The "Arrows" option is the large arrows that are currently send on the shortcut icons. Choosing the "Light Arrows" will leave the arrows on the shortcut icons but they will be much smaller like the previous versions of Windows. The final option, "No Arrow" will get rid of the arrows completely.

Choose the option that suits you and then press the "Apply" button. If the arrows have not changed yet, don't panic. Before the changes to the shortcut icons can take place the user must sign off of Vista and then sign back on. Once the user has signed back on the arrows on the shortcut icons should change to the option that was chosen.