The Desktop Cleanup Wizard is a component included with Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

's Windows XP

Windows XP

Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...

 operating system

Operating system

An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...

. It aims to reduce the clutter in a user's desktop environment

Desktop environment

In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...

 by moving unused shortcut

Computer shortcut

A file shortcut in Microsoft Windows is a small file containing a target URI or GUID to an object, or the name of a target program file that the shortcut represents. The shortcut might additionally specify parameters to be passed to the target program when it is run. Each shortcut can have its own...

s to a separate directory called "Unused Desktop Shortcuts".

The Desktop Cleanup Wizard works as a scheduled task

Task Scheduler

Task Scheduler is a component of Microsoft Windows that provides the ability to schedule the launch of programs or scripts at pre-defined times or after specified time intervals. It was first introduced in the Windows 95 Plus! pack as System Agent but was renamed to Task Scheduler in Windows 98...

 that runs once a day. If the wizard has not been run for 60 days, the Wizard is displayed to the user. The Desktop Cleanup Wizard is also accessible from the desktop's context menu

Context menu

A context menu is a menu in a graphical user interface that appears upon user interaction, such as a right mouse click or middle click mouse operation...

, in the "Arrange Icons By" sub-menu.

The Desktop Cleanup Wizard scheduled task can be enabled or disabled in the "Desktop Items" configuration screen, which is available through the Desktop tab on the Display Properties dialog box.

Windows XP's successor, Windows Vista

Windows Vista

Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...

, does not include the Desktop Cleanup Wizard. As of Windows 7, its function has been integrated into the System Maintenance Wizard in the Troubleshooting Control Panel

Control panel

Control panel may refer to:* Control panel , a flat, often vertical, area where control instrumentation is mounted.* Control panel , the tool in the operating system which allows most or all of the settings to be changed through a user interface** Control panel ** Control Panel ** Web hosting...

.