If you’ve ever been browsing through the files on your Windows computer and noticed a mysterious file named desktop.ini, you might have asked yourself what it is and whether it’s safe to delete. While the file might initially seem confusing or potentially harmful, it plays a specific and largely harmless role in your operating system. This guide is designed to explain everything a beginner needs to know about desktop.ini — from its purpose to whether you should alter or delete it.

What Is desktop.ini?

desktop.ini is a hidden system file used by the Windows operating system to store custom settings