The good news is nothing is lost, you just need to re-enable the setting. This will create a shortcut to the website. Kamil is a certified MCITP, CCNA (W), CCNA (S) and a former British Computer Society Member with over 9 years of experience Configuring, Deploying and Managing Switches, Firewalls and Domain Controllers also an old-school still active on FreeNode. Thus, let us first go through what may have gone wrong. Double-click on it to open its Properties box. In the Group Policy Editor window, navigate or search for the following path from the left side panel:-. Step 1: Press Win + I keys together on your keyboard.. Click the magnifying icon on the taskbar to open the search menu. Right-click on the empty area on your desktop. It is important to mention that taking the time to recreate shortcuts and move files will only exacerbate the problem and end up frustrating you. Restore File Explorer default settings. If the device you are using is running Windows 11, you may have recently run into an odd issue where all of your desktop icons were suddenly missing. Top 6 Ways to Fix Windows 11 Showing Wrong Time. Windows 11 Home doesnt have Group Policy Editor. On the Customise tab, beneath the Folder Icons section, click Change Icon. It will open another window where you can change icons of This PC, User Folder, Network, Recycle Bin using the Change Icon button. How to Fix Desktop Icons Not Working/Not Showing Properly in Windows 10/8/7. Report. After installing the build, several users are reporting that Start and Taskbar were unresponsive and Settings and other areas of the OS not responding. Heres how to refresh the icon cache via Windows Terminal: Type in desk.cpl ,,5. 5. Following that, your desktop icons should appear. Refresh Icons using Command. Note: An issue with the icon cache is much more likely if youre noticing that taskbar icons and File Explorer icons also fail to display. 2. This should fix the issue if youre only dealing with a minor display glitch but wont work if youre dealing with some type of corruption that is affecting the icon cache. If the icon cache is responsible for this problem, you should be able to fix the problem by refreshing the icon cache via Windows Terminal or by rebuilding the entire icon cache using a custom .BAT file. Select a restore point before the issue first appeared and hit. Step 2: Type in the command given below and press Enter. Click and drag the icon. Desktop icons on Windows 11 give you quick access to your favorite apps, files, folders, and more. Once you enter the Personalization settings, find and click the "Theme" option menu. I found the solution. This problem can be easily rectified by right-clicking on a free space on your desktop and clicking on Show desktop icons from the View tab. Fix 5: Check the OS files. Therefore, you may follow these steps to restore your desktop to the earlier state. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and select Task Manager. If the desktop icons are still not showing up, you may continue troubleshooting. Unexpectedly losing all of the icons on your desktop can be extremely upsetting, especially if you store folders and documents directly on the desktop. Folder and file names are not showing in Windows 11/10 If folder and file icon names are not showing . Note: If you notice a checkbox next to Show desktop icons, icons should already be enabled on your Windows 11 installation. 2. Right-click (or press and hold) the desktop, point to View, and then select Large icons, Medium icons, or Small icons. How To Fix VLC Shortcuts or Hotkeys not Working Problem? Go to Windows Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar corner overflow. If a similar issue is bugging you on your Windows 11 computer, you can troubleshoot and fix it. 1. Step 3: Scroll down to select Thumbnails and click on the Remove files option at the top. Rebuild the icon cache. Step 1. Step 1: Open Windows Explorer and click on the View tab on top of your screen. The easiest way is to Select the Action Center icon in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, then click Tablet mode . On the right-side locate Hide and disable all items on the desktop. Follow these suggestions to bring the icons back on your Windows Desktop: Some of the methods may need admin permission.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'thewindowsclub_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_1',815,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thewindowsclub_com-medrectangle-4-0'); If Windows has set to hide the desktop icons or you have done it earlier and forgotten about it, you can enable it quickly. I never had a system with OneDrive, and frankly Im only living with it for 1 year. If this does not work, try unchecking the option to change your desktop icons. Click "Show desktop icons" if the checkmark is missing which will toggle all of the icons back onto your desktop. Required fields are marked *. Scroll down to Explorer within the Windows processes section. If the problem is still not fixed, move down to the final potential fix below. Above, we discussed all about fixing the Windows 10 desktop icons not showing issue. The problem can also occur in some of the corrupt system files are related to the Desktop. Now, click on the Themes option. Generally this can be displayed. How to Generate Art from Text Using Simplified AI Art Generator? Click Apply then press OK to show the selected desktop icons. Run the following command to terminate the Explorer process: Finally, type in the following text and hit, Right-click on your graphics driver and select. When that data gets corrupted, Windows might fail to load up thumbnails. Step 2: Click on Personalization in the left pane of the window.. Step 2: Click on More details to expand Task Manager. . WRs guide to factory resetting Windows 11 includes instructions for how to do that with the built-in tool and other methods. Today's major update to Windows 11, that I am pumped to introduce, meets this new age of AI and reinvents and improves the way people get things done on their PCs. TheWindowsClub covers authentic Windows 11, Windows 10 tips, tutorials, how-to's, features, freeware. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "af71bf9a4de3d912dd596aa311b2bee6" );document.getElementById("c494d01588").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Get weekly Video Tutorials tips and trends via email! The Group Policy Editor lets you make various system-wide changes on your Windows computer. While we all love to keep icons and files on the Desktop for quick access . After this, you can follow the steps mentioned below: First of all, open the Registry Editor window. thank you that is the only method that worked The above steps must have helped you resolve the Windows icons not showing issue. Step 2: In the following window, switch to the View tab and click on the Restore Defaults button. Click User Configuration in Group Policy Editors sidebar. Fix them with this tool: If the advices above haven't solved your issue, your PC may experience deeper Windows problems. It can be quite irritating if the Windows 10 desktop icons are not showing properly. Select the box that is your main monitor. Click View on the command bar. At Recovery, click Open System Restore . 2. Hit Apply > OK.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'thewindowsclub_com-banner-1','ezslot_2',819,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thewindowsclub_com-banner-1-0'); Restart your computer and see if it has helped. Sometimes you see the icons. The only thing you need to be sure of is correctly picking up a restore point where everything is working as expected. Right-click your desktop and choose the option to. You can fix desktop icons not showing in Windows 11 with the resolutions below. This Tutorial Helps to Fix Windows 11/10 Desktop Icons are Not Showing00:00 Intro00:09 Method 1 - Restart Windows Explorer00:29 Method 2 - Change View Settin. When work isn't on his mind, you can find him watching a football match or reading a book. After reboot, you should be able to see the thumbnails like normal. Luckily, if you are part of the group that recently had this happen, it's quite possible nothing on the desktop is lost, but rather that the icons simply are not being displayed. . Time-saving software and hardware expertise that helps 200M users yearly. To hide the desktop icons, use these steps: Right-click on the desktop area. The Windows Explorer process handles the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for a number of utilities, including the desktop. Right-click a folder on your Windows 11 PC and select Show more options to expand the menu. Press OK to exit and close Group Policy Editor. Resetting Windows 11 will likely resolve registry or system file issues for missing icons. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The built-in tool can repair corrupt files and replace them with new ones.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'thewindowsclub_com-banner-1','ezslot_3',819,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thewindowsclub_com-banner-1-0'); Restart the File Explorer and check if the desktop icons are available. Check whether the above steps fixed the issue or if the Windows 10 desktop icons are still not showing. Our purpose is to share the true essence of technology with our tech-loving community. Reply. Or you can also access the tab through "Start" > "Settings" > "Personalization". If the two methods above didnt work in your case, chances are youre dealing with some kind of corruption that is affecting the registry database that handles your Windows icons. Select the "View" submenu and choose the "Show desktop icons" option again to hide the icons . Final remarks: Desktop icons not showing in Windows 11/10. If you use a PC, there's no doubt you would be using a mouse along with it. Inside the elevated Notepad window, paste the following code inside the empty box: Wait until the file is processed, then reboot your computer and see if your desktop icons are restored on your Windows installation the next time you restart your PC. After installation, simply click the Start Scan button and then press on Repair All. Step 2: Now, right-click again on an empty space on the Desktop and click Refresh. Then, click the Browse button to locate the file, folder, or app you want to add to your desktop. Select all the checkboxes for desktop icons. Wait for the scan to reach 100 percent and show an outcome message inside Command Prompt. Check the box beside Show more restore points. Top 7 Ways to Fix WhatsApp Desktop App Not Showing Notifications on Windows 11. The content remains unbiased and authentic. Image: MSpoweruser. There are multiple reasons why your file names are not showing up, like corrupted system image files, conflicting third-party services or startup apps, etc. To do that, follow the steps: Everything on the Desktop will refresh, and icons should appear right away. You may check and fix the .Ink file association to solve this problem. What happens when you switch on your computer? This post will show you how to unpin or remove the pinned Taskbar items in Windows 11/10. Step 2: Click on Temporary Files. If the thumbnail not showing the issue is limited to only a few file types, it might be due to the set default application. However, this article elucidates how to fix the issue quickly and easily. Click Apply then press OK to show the selected desktop icons. Select all the checkboxes for desktop icons. First right-click on the blank space of the desktop, in the pop-up menu, select "Personalize". Step 3. Instead, most people share that they receive more emails than they want or feel like they can manage well. If desktop icons are still not showing after applying all the aforementioned potential solutions, a more drastic fix might be needed. All Rights Reserved. From there, select an icon that you can easily identify and then click on 'OK'. Right-click on the Best match and click on Open file location; a new File Explorer window should pop up. You can turn on Bluetooth simply by double-clicking on the "fsquirt" icon . Then navigate to this directory path (replace with your actual folder): Select to restart the PC from Windows 11s Start menu. If that policy is set to Enabled, select Not configured. Try running it in Windows compatibility mode. Then click on Apply followed by OK. Corrupted or missing system files can lead to errors on Windows 11, including this one. Following this, your desktop icons should be visible. Readers like you help support MUO. Windows Start menu always had quick access to folders and settings. Thankfully, such issues are often easily resolved once you restart File Explorer. Press Win + R to open the Run Command. Step 4: Turn on desktop . 3. Type regedit in the Search box of Windows 11/10 and use Enter key for this. Right-click on an empty area on the Desktop and click on View > Show desktop icons. All thumbnail data on Windows gets stored in the form of cache. This is the first guide I found that actually repaired the issue; most of them only suggest the File Explorer Options method to only view thumbnails. Disable Windows 10 Tablet mode. Copyright 2023 www.techpout.com. Therefore, below is how to check and fix these settings. These are the causes for desktop icons not showing in Windows 11: Now lets get your Windows 11 desktop icons back. Now, follow the on-screen directions to complete the process of resetting your computer. Its essential to have icons on the desktop for quicker software access. Some PC issues are hard to tackle, especially when it comes to corrupted repositories or missing Windows files. How to Fix Icons Not Showing on Desktop Issue. Hence, you may activate the same to solve the problem. In this screenshot, you can clearly see how Windows drops a shadow for icon labels: If you are having troubles fixing an error, your system may be partially broken. Not associated with Microsoft. Most things on our desktop are there for a reason - whether it is a temporary home for something you do not intend to keep, or something you use several times a day and need to be able to quickly access. Toggle on the settings next to the app icon you want to appear. Note: An issue with the icon cache is much more likely if youre noticing that taskbar icons and File Explorer icons also fail to display. A special window titled "Desktop Icon Settings" will appear. Also Read: [Solved] USB Drive Not Showing Up on Windows 10. When a folder is encrypted, Windows adds a lock icon overlay to the folder icon to identify it as an encrypted folder. Now, uncheck the Auto arrange icons option from the sub-menu. Many of us prefer using thumbnails over icons. It is critical that your Windows computer shows the correct date and time. 6. After you click on Show desktop items, the desktop should refresh automatically and the icons should re-appear on your screen. The following may be the reasons Windows 11/Windows 10 desktop icons are not showing properly. Now, right-click on it and choose "Restart". TheWindowsClub covers authentic Windows 11, Windows 10 tips, tutorials, how-to's, features, freeware. ; Now select Apps and expand the MS Office installation. If you configure your Desktop to hide all icons, all icons including the Recycle Bin will be hidden. Desktop Icons not working or are unclickable. Make sure to untick the Auto Arrange icons option. This action would purge and rebuild the icon cache. Press the Windows key and open Settings. User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop. Same as other users, I have gone through all the troubleshooting steps listed above but the issue persists. Rebuilding the entire icon cache will require you to build a custom BAT file that will automatically run a series of commands that will effectively rebuild the cache associated with every Windows icon. You can download Restoro by clicking the Download button below. Image: MSpoweruser. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. None of my older computers with previous Windows OS versions had this issue ever. Refer to our guide on how to fix corrupt drivers on Windows for more instructions on how to fix this. Open up Notepad with admin access. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Hide desktop icons. Many keyboard shortcuts are familiar, used daily, yet others can be less common and you may have to document them to use later. The Accessibility Checker uses the same axe-windows engine as Accessibility Insights, which is the same accessibility testing tool the Visual Studio team uses for our own accessibility testing. You configure your desktop icons of is correctly picking up a restore point where everything is Working as.! 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