Why can't I delete desktop icons?

Our security system, which prevents end-users from making potentially malicious changes to their computers, will often alert use to requests to delete one's desktop icons. While on its face, it would seem that one should be able to delete whatever one wants on their desktop, it's not that straightforward.

When you're looking at your desktop icons, you're looking at a composite view of two desktop folders:

1. Your Desktop folder, which you'll find here: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Desktop. You have full control over the contents of this folder.
2. The computer-global desktop folder, which is here: C:\Users\Public\Desktop. Non-admin users have no access to this folder.
   

If the software installation process puts its desktop icon in your personal desktop folder, you can delete it, but if the software installer puts the desktop icon in the Public desktop folder, you can't delete it because you don't have access to that folder.

"Why don't you give everyone access to the Public desktop folder?"

We used to, but then someone would delete a desktop icon - intentionally or not, and then complain that the software wasn't installed when only its desktop icon was missing.

🤦🏻‍♂️

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