Hide Time Machine icon on desktop?

[ChromeCrescendo]

I keep an external SSD connected at all time for Time Machine backups
I do not want the Time Machine icon on the desktop
I know I can hide all external disks but I only want the Time Machine icon hidden, not any other drives I might connect in the future

In an effort to solve the issue via the usual "Google is your friend" advice, I came across this Terminal command:

sudo SetFile -a V /Volumes/"Time Machine"

However, this command was written on a forum from 2016 - does anyone know if this command will still work in Catalina?

Thank you and be well.

 

[chscag]

System Preferences, Time Machine, "Show Time Machine in menu bar" - remove the check from the box. No icon will show up. No need for a terminal command.

 

[Taz Mangus]

System Preferences, Time Machine, "Show Time Machine in menu bar" - remove the check from the box. No icon will show up. No need for a terminal command.

The OP wants to hide the TimeMachine drive from not showing up on his desktop, not about hiding the icon on the menubar.

 

[chscag]

Yep. I just re-read his initial post. I think I'll go back to sleep now.

Thanks.

 

[Taz Mangus]

I keep an external SSD connected at all time for Time Machine backups
I do not want the Time Machine icon on the desktop
I know I can hide all external disks but I only want the Time Machine icon hidden, not any other drives I might connect in the future

In an effort to solve the issue via the usual "Google is your friend" advice, I came across this Terminal command:

sudo SetFile -a V /Volumes/"Time Machine"

However, this command was written on a forum from 2016 - does anyone know if this command will still work in Catalina?

Thank you and be well.

Yes that will work. Be aware that after you execute the SetFile -a -V command you may need to logout/login before it stays hidden. Also something strange is that when I tried to unhide the drive using SetFile -a -v, the drive showed up twice on the desktop. Doing a logout/login seemed to resolve that.

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

Yes that will work. Be aware that after you execute the SetFile -a -V command you may need to logout/login before it stays hidden. Also something strange is that when I tried to unhide the drive using SetFile -a -v, the drive showed up twice on the desktop. Doing a logout/login seemed to resolve that.

Ahhh thank you for the head's up - will try it at end of the evening

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

Yes that will work. Be aware that after you execute the SetFile -a -V command you may need to logout/login before it stays hidden. Also something strange is that when I tried to unhide the drive using SetFile -a -v, the drive showed up twice on the desktop. Doing a logout/login seemed to resolve that.

I tried it and logged ou/in a few times and Time Machine icon still on the desktop

 

[Taz Mangus]

I tried it and logged ou/in a few times and Time Machine icon still on the desktop

Try rebooting next. Also, make sure you are executing the SetFile command as admin user.

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

Try rebooting next. Also, make sure you are executing the SetFile command as admin user.

I ended up using this command in Terminal

sudo SetFile -a V /Volumes/"Drive Name"

 

[Taz Mangus]

I ended up using this command in Terminal

sudo SetFile -a V /Volumes/"Drive Name"

I take it your drive was not named “Time Machine”.

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

I take it your drive was not named “Time Machine”.

It was named Time Machine and it wouldn't hide so I changed it to TimeMachine

 

[Taz Mangus]

It was named Time Machine and it wouldn't hide so I changed it to TimeMachine

I think the issue you were having is the double quotes. I suspect it would have worked if you used:

sudo SetFile -a -V /Volumes/Time\ Machine

 

[ChromeCrescendo]

I think the issue you were having is the double quotes. I suspect it would have worked if you used:

Oh - I did not use double quotes

 

[mrxtc007]

I know this sounds crazy but I hid time machine from my desktop on one MacBook Air and when I connected the same external to another MacBook Air it was not showing up on that desktop either.

So I ran the hide/unhide commanded and terminal and now it's showing up on the second MacBook Air. Just thought it was weird that it hid it on the second desktop without it having it hid within terminal.

 

[ARedW]

I keep an external SSD connected at all time for Time Machine backups
I do not want the Time Machine icon on the desktop
I know I can hide all external disks but I only want the Time Machine icon hidden, not any other drives I might connect in the future

In an effort to solve the issue via the usual "Google is your friend" advice, I came across this Terminal command:

sudo SetFile -a V /Volumes/"Time Machine"

However, this command was written on a forum from 2016 - does anyone know if this command will still work in Catalina?

Thank you and be well.

I'm not fancy with computers so all I did was open Finder Preferences and unclick "External Disks" under "Show these items on desktop." EASY and affective.