Usually, you compress files and folders to save disk space on Windows. And, you can free up large amounts of disk space using Disk Cleanup or Storage Sense. Microsoft → Windows → Windows 10 → What is the Two Blue Arrows Icon on Folders in Windows 10 and How to Remove it? What you’re doing is just covering up the icons rather than releasing space. I assume you asked already your daughter about what she did and could she remember ? If you enabled compression for a folder, Windows will also ask you whether or not you want to encrypt subfolders and files. Windows 10 supports compression for individual files and folders on NTFS volumes using NTFS compression. it just changed from the arrows to blank page icon in the corner of the icon, not sure, what’s the problem, I already used this technique and it worked, but now I updated my windows and the arrows reappeared, si I did it again, Nevermind, I just made a mistake that I placed the blank.ico into a folder blank.ico so the register couldn’t find the way to it… At least it maybe helps someone 🙂. Right-click it and select ‘Properties’ from the context menu. the Windows\logs\CBS and Windows\Panther folders are compressed. RELATED: How to Use NTFS Compression and When You Might Want To. First you should make sure that your numeric keypad is … I went to Norton 360 and learned how to turn it off, rebooted and they are now gone!!!! After installing Windows 10, you may notice that some of your files and folders show up with double blue arrows icon at the top. What does a Windows folder icon with double blue arrows mean? Akemi Iwaya has been part of the How-To Geek/LifeSavvy Media team since 2009. When the backup runs, it would turn to a green checkmark. Even though the arrows are smaller than in some previous versions of Windows, they aren’t terribly attractive. Alternatively, you can also insert different arrows in Word only by keyboard. Open the Registry Editor (Press Win+R to open Run Window, type regedit and hit Enter). Most of the actions like selecting an option, accessing a folder, playing games etc. Click the Start Menu icon . He is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for 10 consecutive years from 2003 to 2012. Do you have Norton 360 or some other Norton security suites? Normally, these icons are common overlay arrow icons that are the shortcut icons or padlock icons which means that there are some private items in a non-private directory. This is especially the case if you have a low capacity hard drive, your system partition size is small or the hard drive is low on disk space. Ramesh Srinivasan founded Winhelponline.com back in 2005. Share it to your favorite blog + Facebook, Reddit. Disclaimer & Terms of Use | In Conclusion. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. These two blue arrows on icons mean that the item is a compressed file or folder. That’s it! On the General tab, click the Advanced button. That is it. Step 1 – Release some space. It is that simple to remove shortcut arrow overlay from shortcut icons. Download icons in all formats or edit them for your designs. Delete unnecessary files, release up to 1-3 Gb. What Does a Windows Folder Icon With Double Blue Arrows Mean? For the most part, many of us are familiar with the various folder icons included with Windows over the years, but once in a while, a new one shows up. How to remove the two blue arrows from a file or folder icon on Windows 10 File and folder compression Navigate to the file or folder that you want to disable compression for. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Steps to Change or Remove Double Blue Arrows Icon on Compressed Files and Folders in Windows 10 1. Reboot the system and the arrows will be removed from the shortcut icons. And if you want to restore the short cut arrow overlay, you can double-click on the “Restore Default Shortcut Arrow Overlay.reg” file. Click Apply or OK on the Properties window. 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How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. NAV 360 Blue boxes with white arrow on icons ... Upgrade to Windows 10 for free right now. A white colored, tilted arrow with black outline is the default pointer in Windows 10. Right-click on the app and select Properties. So, that’s the reason why your desktop shortcuts (eg., Microsoft Office application shortcuts) are compressed but the corresponding executables in Program Files aren’t compressed. This will not work if you have updated Windows to 20H2. Thankyou in advance If you do just have the Norton Security Deluxe, See if this information from the Microsoft community helps. You can right-click on the folder and see that the Compress contents to save disk space option is checked. The NTFS file system used by Windows has a built-in compression feature known as NTFS compression. The double blue icons mean there are files that haven't been backed up. You can deactivate this setting to disable the blue arrows. Best regards, Sara It’s also possible that Windows 10 has compressed the folders in your user profile folder to free up enough disk space to install important updates. If you enabled compression for a folder, Windows will also ask you whether or not you want to encrypt subfolders and files. After upgrading to Windows 10 Pro, I noticed an overlay with double blue arrows on the SpiceWorks Network Monitor icon on the shortcut on my desktop: Turns out, the double blue arrows indicate that the file is compressed (you can test on another file by going right-click -> Properties -> Advanced -> Compress to turn it off/on). If you want to remove the 2 blue arrows icon, you have two options: eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'winhelponline_com-box-4','ezslot_2',129,'0','0']));To remove the blue arrows icon on a file or folder, disable compression via the file or folder’s properties dialog. Click the Advanced button under Attributes. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. If you’re annoyed by this odd and inconsistent behavior, here are 2 simple ways to remove double blue arrows on compressed folders/files in Windows 10. Get free Arrow up icons in iOS, Material, Windows and other design styles for web, mobile, and graphic design projects. Pointer or Mouse cursor is such a thing on the desktop, that is visible almost everywhere and every time. You can have a look at this similar issue: Blue Double Arrows and some other workarounds are also mentioned in here. Because of this, every time you run the app, Windows thinks its a different app. Windows 10 tips and tricks. I was able to open it normally, and it was, to all appearances, a normal directory. If you don’t want Windows to compress your files automatically in future, increase the size of your system partition, or invest in higher capacity hard disk drive. The taskbar really is where all the action in Windows 10 ... the Windows 10 taskbar and what its icons do. Hi, Two arrows in a blue circle has appeared next to my images. Different items appear in the Action Center depending on your PC … Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read more than 1 billion times. Disabling NTFS compression is not really a solution especially if you have limited hard disk space. Also, be sure to check out new icons and popular icons. Have something to add to the explanation? Best VPN service of 2021. To help free up disk space, this update may compress files in your user profile directory so that Windows Update can install important updates. Due to security reasons, we … We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If your own or somebody else’s Windows 10 files and folders icons are showing two opposite blue colour icons to represents the folder or file has been compressed. (The registry edit below overrides the compressed files overlay shell icon #179, similar to the shortcut (.lnk) files overlay registry edit.). By submitting your email, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Related article: Are you using Windows 10, and seeing the blue double arrow icon for files and folders in Windows 10, see article Mysterious Blue Double Arrow Icon on Files and Folders in Windows 10? SuperUser reader K.A. NTFS compression is ideal for files you rarely access and saving space on small hard drives. “Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color” is still available in Folder Options. Also since the days of Windows 95 there have been third-party apps to get rid of these arrows.Windows 10 is no different. The double blue icons means there are files that haven't been backed up. Sound off in the comments. How to Enable Blue Light Reduction in Windows 10? The best Wi-Fi routers for 2021. 3. What is the Two Blue Arrows Icon on Folders in Windows 10 and How to Remove it? Check out the full discussion thread here. Step … When you compress a file or folder in Windows 10, its icon will have a double blue arrows overlay at the top right corner to indicate that it’s a compressed file or folder. To get started, right-click the file, folder, or hard drive you want to compress/decompress and select Properties. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. The Panther folder is created when you first install Windows, or when you run the Media Creation Tool or Update Assistance Tool from Microsoft. In that case, you may use the following registry edit (cosmetic) to simply hide the annoying double blue arrow icon for compressed files and folders. Join 350,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. This double blue arrows overlay icon is seen if the files and folders are compressed (NTFS compression), and there is nothing to worry about. Privacy Policy. a built-in compression feature known as NTFS compression, Check out the full discussion thread here, How to Make Microsoft Edge the Default Browser on Android, How to Use the Measurement Converter in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, How to Let People Share Their Screens in a Zoom Meeting, How to Choose the Favorites on Safari’s New Tab Page for iPhone and iPad, © 2021 LifeSavvy Media. This is to indicate the user that the folder or file is compressed. Is there a way of rectifying this? In Windows, icons for shortcuts have little arrows to remind you that what you’re looking at is a shortcut. If you ever change your mind and like to restore the shortcut arrow overlay, double-click on the “Restore Default Shortcut Arrow Overlay.reg” file and you will be good. This post tells you how to hide or remove the double blue arrow icons on folders or files in Windows 10. eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'winhelponline_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',128,'0','0'])); When you enable NTFS compression for a file or folder, the blue double arrows icon overlay appears on the top right corner of the file or folder. The two blue arrows that showed up for some files and folders are now removed or hidden. wants to know what a Windows folder icon with double blue arrows means: While browsing through my Windows directory, I found the Panther subdirectory, which had this folder icon: Does anyone know what this signifies? For anyone that does have Norton 360, if you kept it turned on, when you backed up the files, the icon would turn a solid green arrow instead of the 2 blue arrows. ... skip forward and back a month using the arrows in the top-right of the windows. Depending on your File Explorer settings, you may see icons that look larger or smaller. Join 350,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, comics, trivia, reviews, and more. No more blue file names for compress files and folders? … Proposed as answer by Teemo Tang Microsoft contingent staff Friday, March 30, 2018 10:05 AM Wednesday, March 7, 2018 8:00 AM text/html 3/30/2018 10:05:06 AM Teemo Tang 0 She has been quoted as an authoritative source by ZDNet Worldwide. Update [2018-02-20]: We have been informed that the steps in this article may no longer work for the latest versions of Windows 10, including the Fall Creators Update. Restore or Reinstall Windows Store in Windows 10 after uninstalling it with PowerShell, Windows 10: Latest Cumulative Update Direct Download Links, How to Download Missing System files (dll, exe, sys) from Microsoft site, Option 1: Disable compression for that folder or file. Thanks, @Muhammad: Can you post a screenshot of those icons/, About us | jfc, compression is turned off, one garbage windows update later and now it decided to compress some of my files. Rightwards Double Arrow: Alt + 8658: Option + 21D2 Long Rightwards Double Arrow: Alt + 10233: Option + 27F9 ⇨ Rightwards White Arrow: Alt + 8680: Option + 21E8 ⇾ Rightwards Open-Headed Arrow: Alt + 8702: Option + 21FE Open Outlined Rightwards Arrow: Alt + 10174: Option + 27BE ⇢ Rightwards Dashed Arrow: Alt + 8674: Option + 21E2 Heavy Wide Headed Rightwards Arrow Hello Angie, this is probably difficult to handle with only this single info - could you give more details please ? Fortunately, they’re pretty easy to remove. What do blue arrows mean on Windows folders and files? About. If so, the blue arrows could be the overlays to indicate the file is waiting for the next backup run. Insert Arrow by Code. I have one large blue arrows on my file and folders in desktop I don’t know what to do now. The file or folder will be now uncompressed, and the two blue arrow icon overlay will be removed. Like a crafty card player, the Windows 10 taskbar comes with a few tips and tricks. Click the Advanced button under Attributes. Enable/Disable the Compress contents to save disk space option and click OK twice. This tutorial on how to remove arrows from short cuts on Windows 10 is only applicable if you don’t save files on your desktop. She has previously written under the pen name "Asian Angel" and was a Lifehacker intern before joining How-To Geek/LifeSavvy Media. are carried out using the mouse cursor. RELATED: How to Use NTFS Compression and When You Might Want To. This post For example. For example, the Windows 10 reliability update does that. If you are using an app that was designed for earlier versions of Windows 10, and using it on the latest version, there might be compatibility issues. With that in mind, today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answer to a curious reader’s question. When files or folders are compressed, they appear as having two blue arrows overlaid on the icon. I presume this indicates that something has gone wrong with the synching of the images and videos from my SD card to the laptop. All Rights Reserved. 1. When a folder or file is compressed with NTFS to save space, Windows 10 will add a double blue arrows overlay at the top right corner to show compression status of the folder/file. Option 2: Remove the blue double arrows overlay via registry, without disabling compression. NTFS compression makes files smaller on your hard drive. It can be turned off. Additionally, Window 10 also compresses certain files and folders in your Windows directory. I tried option one as well as option 2 as per your instruction, my problem still exists. You can also press the ⊞ Win key to open your Start Menu. After installing Windows 10, you may notice that some of your files and folders show up with double blue arrows icon at the top. For example, here’s the lowdown on the icons near the taskbar’s right edge, shown here, known as the Action Center. Files required to hide the blue arrows "Compressed" indicator added to icons in Windows 10 November update (1511, TH2, whatever you want to call it). These free images are pixel perfect to fit your design and available in both PNG and vector. Right-click on the file or folder for which you have to disable the compression, and click Properties. This double blue arrows overlay icon is seen if the files and folders are compressed (NTFS compression), and there is nothing to worry about. e.g. Any editing you do to the registry will … The process is basically the same as hiding shortcut arrows - a value needs to be set in the registry so a blank icon is loaded instead of the blue arrows image. Enable/Disable the Compress contents to save disk space option and click OK twice. SuperUser contributor Biswa has the answer for us: This means the folder is compressed. Contact us | (Fig 2: Overlay added by Norton 360) (Fig 3: Overlay added by Mozy Backup)