Green check marks on desktop icons

Anonymous
2009-11-10T23:14:51+00:00

Suddenly all my desktop icons have green check marks on them.  What does it mean?  How do I fix them?

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Anonymous
2011-02-14T02:55:52+00:00

Suddenly all my desktop icons have green check marks on them.  What does it mean?  How do I fix them?

Hi,

Do you use norton 360? Norton -> Settings -> Backup Settings -> Backup Status Overlays -> OFF -> Apply.  After you run your next backup (you can do it manually) the check marks will disappear.

Hope this helps.

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-09-16T10:56:36+00:00

    This occurred for me after using OneDrive for the first time.

    Pressing F5 to Refresh the desktop makes them go away.

    I do not have Norton or any similar program installed.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-09-20T14:20:26+00:00

    So mine just did something new. I now have this on all of my desktop icons 

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-09-29T07:19:51+00:00

    I actually am running Windows 10, and had green checkmarks too.

    I ended up canceling out of Microsoft OneDrive, which I don't use and then refreshed my desktop.  All icons went back to normal.  If you don't use OneDrive, try right-clicking on it's icon on the lower-right by your click, and telling it to exit.

    F5 will refresh your desktop. (or website you're on)

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-09-30T05:37:16+00:00

    I had this problem. I don't use Norton (right now Windows Defender is my main antivirus).

    Here's the way I solved the problem was to right click on an empty place on the desktop, then click on Refresh. That made them all go away.

    It only seemed to affect the desktop shortcuts, nothing else. Any folders or files I had on the desktop appeared as normal.

    Thank you,

    Refreshing the desktop did the trick.

    I was thinking it had to be Avast Anti-Virus, if indeed Norton does this as well, but I am glad to have read your post, as I could not find anything proving the anti-virus to be the offender, and your help solved my need to not see green, lol.

    Appreciate the help.

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