Change the blue arrows icon on compressed files and folders in Windows 10. Do those little blue arrows on compressed files bother you in Windows 10? They signify NTFS compression, but if you prefer a cleaner look, you can change or hide them. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to Ninja One's IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. Decoding the blue arrows: why your files look different. You've probably seen them, those tiny blue arrows (ding) on compressed files in Windows Explorer. But what exactly do they indicate? These visual cues are Windows' way of telling you a file or folder has NTFS compression enabled. This handy feature saves valuable disk space by making your files smaller. While purely cosmetic, many users find them distracting and want to customize their appearance. A quick fix for blue arrow removal. The quickest way to get rid of those blue arrows on compressed files is by disabling NTFS compression. Keep in mind that this will make the file or folder take up more disk space. Here's what you need to do. First, right click the item, select properties, then advanced. Next, uncheck compress contents to save disk space, click okay, and then apply. Finally, choose to apply changes to subfolders and files if prompted, and you're done. The registry's role: customizing your compressed file icons. If you want to keep your files compressed but ditch the blue arrows on compressed files, you'll need to modify the registry. Always back up your registry before making changes. Here's how. First, create or download a blank or custom .ico file and save it permanently. Open Registry Editor, Windows key plus R, type regedit. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/ShellIcons. Create the ShellIcons key if it doesn't exist. Double click or create a 179 string value, then paste the full path to your .ico file. Finally, restart File Explorer or reboot your device to apply the changes. Troubleshooting your icon changes and FAQs. Sometimes, changes might not take effect or icons can appear corrupted. If your overlay didn't change, double check your icon file path and ensure it's a valid .ico. If icons look corrupted, you might need to rebuild your icon cache. And to answer some common questions, disabling compression can affect performance, but you can always restore the default blue arrows on compressed files. Editing the registry is safe if done correctly. And no, these changes won't affect system files. Customizing or hiding the blue arrows on compressed files in Windows 10 gives you control over your desktop's appearance. Whether you disable compression or tweak the registry, you can achieve a cleaner, more personalized look. Remember to back up your registry if you choose that method. For more information, check out our official blog post on change the blue arrows icon on compressed files and folders in Windows 10 linked in the description below. Be sure to subscribe to Ninja One's IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this.