Refreshing the desktop is perhaps the biggest computer myth among all Windows users and most of us do it every now and then without knowing the actual significance behind it. Maybe because we feel, it refreshes the RAM or keep the PC working fine. Refreshing the desktop simply redraws the icons on the desktop. That's all. It doesn't refreshes the RAM. It doesn't clean your PC. It has absolutely no effect on the working or performance of the computer. Refresh is to re-display the desktop. Refresh has the same function when done in explorer. So, if you are in the habit of refreshing the desktop, stop it. You are just wasting your time and effort. And the next time you see a person doing it, don't forget to explain to him the futility of this action.