How to remove Network icon from Windows 10 File Explorer

RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows issues and optimize system performance

By default, Windows 10 shows the Network icon in the navigation pane of File Explorer. It is useful to quickly browse your local area network. But for users who have only one PC and no home network, or for those who prefer another way of network sharing instead of the default Windows SMB protocol, that icon can be completely useless. If you are not going to use it and don’t wish to see the Network icon in the navigation pane, here is how to remove it from Windows 10 File Explorer.

To remove and hide the Network icon from Windows 10 File Explorer, do the following:

1. Open Registry Editor.
2. Go to the following
   
   Registry key:HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C}\ShellFolder
   
   Tip: See how to jump to the desired Registry key with one click.
   You need to take ownership of this key as described HERE or using the RegOwnershipEx app (recommended).
   
3. Set the value data of the DWORD value Attributes to b0940064.
4. If you are running a 64-bit operating system, repeat the steps above for the following
   
   Registry key:HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C}}\ShellFolder
   
5. Restart Windows 10.
6. Open the File Explorer app. The Network icon will disappear from the File Explorer navigation pane:

That’s it. To restore the Network icon, set the Attributes value data to b0040064.

RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows issues and optimize system performance

Support us

Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options: