hide or remove files from desktop

Move them somewhere else. If you’re syncing Desktop & Documents with iCloud, make a new subfolder in your Documents folder and drag the files there. They’ll be off your desktop but still synced with iCloud.

123nobodyspecial456 wrote:

I would like to clean up my desktop, but not put in Trash files that I have. How do I do this without deleting the files from iCloud or my Mac?

Another option, similar to what others have suggested, is create some additional folders on your desktop to better sort files currently that are all scattered just on the desktop now; use these folders to sort the existing desktop files into categories, into dates, file types, or whatever you choose to sort them by. This won't interfere with your continued use of iCloud.

You could try enabling stacks, which organizes files by type. See Use desktop stacks on Mac - Apple Support