Hide or Show Drop Shadow of Desktop Icon Labels in Windows 10

By Achilles Hill | Last Updated September 12, 2025

Comparing the following two pictures, you can see that the drop shadow of the desktop icon labels can be shown or hidden. As for how to make it, keep reading to find the solution.

Pic. 1 Existing drop shadow of icon labels

Pic. 2 Disappeared drop shadow of icon labels

Drop shadows for desktop icon labels are the faint shadowed text effect under the name of icons (so the label is more visible against many backgrounds). You can toggle this effect via Visual Effects settings or the registry.

Method 1: Toggle Drop Shadow via Performance Options

Step 1: Launch the Run dialog by pressing the shortcut keys : Windows + R. After that, input SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe and press Enter. This opens the Performance Options dialog.

Step 2: In Visual Effects settings, find Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop option. Check it if you want drop shadows ON, or uncheck it if you want them OFF. Then, click OK or Apply.

Step 3: You may need to sign out and sign back in or restart Explorer for the change to take full effect.

Method 2: Using Registry Editor

If GUI method fails or you prefer manual control:

Step 1: Press Win + R, type regedit, press Enter.

Step 2: Head to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced .

Step 3: In the right pane, find the DWORD named ListviewShadow.

Step 4: Double-click and set its value to 1 to turn drop shadows ON (default) or 0 to turn drop shadows OFF.

Step 5: Close the Registry Editor and either restart Explorer.exe or reboot your PC.

Related Articles:

• How Change Icons on Windows 10
• How to Hide Window Shadow on Windows 10
• 2 Ways to Show Mouse Pointer Shadow in Windows 10
• How to Customize Command Prompt in Windows 10