Bare vs HiddenMe vs One Switch: Mac Desktop icon tools compared
Bare hides Desktop items by file type for free. HiddenMe is an App Store utility for one-click hiding. One Switch includes other Mac controls.
Notes written while doing the work.
Technical posts, product decisions, and honest observations, written while building, not after.
Mac guides
Practical Mac workflows, Desktop controls, and small utilities.
How to hide Desktop icons on Mac: settings, Bare, and Terminal
Use macOS settings to hide Desktop items, or Bare for a shortcut and control over which file types disappear.
How to hide screenshots on your Mac Desktop and keep folders visible
Hide existing screenshots with Bare, change where future captures save, or copy a capture straight to the Clipboard.
How Bare hides Mac Desktop icons with file flags
Bare changes one filesystem flag and records which items to restore. Tracking filenames leaves an edge case when a hidden file is renamed.
How to restore hidden Desktop icons on Mac after using Bare
Undo the method that hid the icons: Bare's file flags, macOS display settings, and Finder's Desktop preference are separate controls.