1. If you have not already, click on the Download button below to download the Vista Shortcut Overlay Remover (Vista Shortcut Overlay Manager) program below for the 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 you have installed. Save the .msi file to your desktop, and install it.

32-bit (x86) Windows 7

64-bit (x64) Windows 7

2. Double click on the program’s shortcut to run the program.

3. To Change, Restore, or Remove the Arrow for All Shortcuts

A) Select (dot) the arrow option you want for the shortcut arrow. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If you selected Custom Arrow to change the shortcut arrow, then click onSelect and navigate to and choose a ICO (icon) file you have downloaded to use as the shortcut arrow.

4. To Remove the “Shortcut” Name from All Shortcuts
NOTE: See also: Shortcut Extension – Remove or Restore

A) Check the box to also remove the – Shortcut name extension for new shortcuts that are created.

5. Click on Apply.

6. Click on Yes to log off to apply the changes. (See screenshot below)

7. Log back on and your done.

1. For how, see: Shortcut Arrow – Change

1. Click on the Download button below to download the file below.

Remove_Shortcut_Arrow.zip 

2. To Remove the Shortcut Arrow

A) Open the downloaded ZIP file (step 1), and extract (drag and drop) the Blank.icofile, and the Remove_Shortcut_Arrow.reg to the desktop.

B) Right click on the Blank.ico file and click on Properties. Under the General tab, click on the Unblock button if there. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If the Unblock button is not there, then the file is already unblocked. Continue on to step D below.

   Warning

If you do not unblock the Blank.ico file first before moving it in step 2C, then you will only get a default white icon instead of the blank transparent icon like below.

C) Copy and Paste the Blank.ico into the C:Windows folder, then click onContinue, and Yes (if prompted by UAC) to approve the copy.

D) Right click on the extracted Remove_Shortcut_Arrow.reg file, and click onMerge.

E) Click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

F) Go to step 4.

3. To Restore the Default Shortcut Arrow
NOTE: This will only work if you had originally removed the shortcut arrow using step 2 above. If you used some other method, then you will need to use OPTION TWO below instead.

A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to yourdesktop.

Default_LNK_(Shortcut).reg

B) Right click on the Default_LNK_(Shortcut).reg file and click on Merge.

C) Click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

D) In the C:Windows folder, right click on the Blank.ico file and click on Delete,Continue, and Yes (if prompted by UAC).
NOTE: This file will only be there if you used step 2 above to remove the shortcut arrow.

4. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.

5. You can now delete the downloaded files on your desktop if you like.