What is the difference between the “desktop,” “Desktop Folder,” “Desktop folder,” and “Desktop file?
” The term Desktop has several different meanings in the Mac OS, and you can determine the meaning from context. If you aren’t familiar with this term, see: Article 106166: “Mac OS 9, Mac OS X: Usage of the Term Desktop” The desktop in Mac OS 9 and earlier versions By default, anyone who uses the computer sees the same desktop. Assuming that Macintosh HD is the startup disk, items from the Macintosh HD or from remote volumes placed on the desktop are stored in one invisible Desktop Folder, located here: Macintosh HD: Desktop Folder Figure 1 A Desktop Folder revealed by Sherlock If you have more than one hard disk or hard disk partition, each disk or partition contains its own invisible Desktop Folder. Items moved from a disk to the desktop reside in that disk’s Desktop Folder. That is why items moved from a floppy disk, for example, disappear from the desktop when the floppy disk is ejected. Items from remote volumes are stored in the Desktop Folder of the disk that was the startup vol
