How to completely delete the wps network disk quick access icon in "This PC"?
The most direct method to remove the WPS Network Disk icon from the "This PC" view in Windows is to uninstall the WPS Office suite entirely, as the icon is a shell extension integrated by the software. This is a definitive solution because the icon is not a standard Windows feature but a third-party addition created through a namespace extension registered in the Windows Registry. When WPS Office is installed, it typically adds this virtual folder to the navigation pane, and its presence is managed by the software itself. Therefore, a complete uninstallation via the Control Panel or Settings app will remove the underlying component that creates the icon, causing it to vanish upon the next system restart or Explorer refresh. This approach is absolute but obviously consequential, as it removes the entire office suite, which may not be desirable if you wish to retain the core applications.
If preserving the WPS Office applications is necessary, the removal process becomes more technical and involves directly editing the Windows Registry, which carries inherent risk. The icon is registered under specific Class ID (CLSID) keys within `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE` and `HKEY_CURRENT_USER` branches, typically under paths like `SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace`. You would need to open the Registry Editor (`regedit`) as an administrator, navigate to these locations, and carefully identify and delete the key associated with WPS Cloud or Kingsoft. Precise identification is critical, as deleting the wrong key can destabilize other shell features. Often, the key's name will contain identifiable strings like "WPS" or "Kingsoft," and its default value data may explicitly name the network disk. It is strongly advised to back up the registry or create a system restore point before making any changes. After deletion, you may need to restart the Windows Explorer process or reboot the computer for the change to take effect.
An intermediate, non-destructive step worth attempting before registry editing is to check within the WPS Office application settings for an option to disable the feature. Some versions of the software include a configuration toggle to hide the cloud disk integration from the file explorer, though this is not universally present. This setting, if available, would typically be found in the software's configuration or account settings panel and would instruct the program to unregister its namespace extension gracefully. If this internal option is absent or ineffective, and registry editing is not viable, the icon's presence becomes a persistent shell modification that standard user interface customization cannot address. The mechanism is fundamentally different from removing a standard shortcut; it is a deep integration point that the operating system reads at startup.
The implications of these methods are distinct. Uninstalling is clean but removes functionality. Using an internal software toggle is the safest but is feature-dependent. Registry editing is a precise surgical operation that permanently severs the integration at the system level without removing the host programs, assuming you correctly isolate the correct CLSID. Failure to do so could necessitate system restoration. There is no supported "delete" option within the "This PC" interface itself for this type of integrated namespace, as it is not a physical drive or standard library. The persistence of such icons is a common characteristic of software that seeks deeper system integration for user convenience, making their removal an administrative task rather than a simple user preference change.