How to fix desktop blank icons on Windows 10/11 [Full Guide]

If you’re one of the many people who’ve been experiencing a lot of desktop blank icons on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, there are various solutions to fix these problems. In this article, we’ll cover everything from fixing the problem at its source – by updating or upgrading all available drivers – to implementing third-party software in order to get rid of these annoying issues.

The “windows 10 blank icons on taskbar” is a problem that many people face. There are multiple ways to fix this issue, but the best way is to uninstall and reinstall the icon cache.

authored by Matthew Adams

Windows & Software Expert

Matthew is a freelance writer who has written a number of articles on different technology-related themes. His major interest is the Windows operating system and all that surrounds it. He is enthralled by… Read more

7th of March, 2022

Originally published in February 2021.

• Blank icon shortcuts on Windows 10 users’ desktops have perplexed some users.
• The blank Windows 10 desktop icons still launch the apps they’re supposed to, but it’s still a bother.
• The manual replacement of the icons is a simple approach, but it might be time-consuming.
• You may also use certain command-line tools to repair the blank icons in Windows 10, as illustrated below.

BY CLICKING ON THE DOWNLOAD FILE, YOU CAN INSTALL XINSTALL.

We propose Restoro PC Repair Tool to address a variety of PC issues: This program will fix common computer faults, protect you against file loss, viruses, and hardware failure, and optimize your PC to run at its best. In three simple actions, you can immediately fix PC problems and eradicate viruses:

1. Download the Restoro PC Repair Tool, which includes patent-pending technologies (patent available here).
2. To detect Windows faults that may be causing PC difficulties, click Start Scan.
3. To correct problems that are hurting your computer’s security and performance, click Repair All.

• This month, 0 readers have downloaded Restoro.

Blank desktop icons have been reported by certain users on Microsoft’s support site. Instead of program icons, the Windows 10 desktop shows blank, white icons for such users.

Desktop shortcuts, on the other hand, continue to run their applications. In a forum post, one user described the problem as follows:

I’m having trouble with various shortcuts, such as XBOX, Weather, Calendar, and others, having merely a white blank icon. However, simply clicking on the shortcuts, the programs operate fine.

We’ll look at this problem and how to repair blank icons in Windows 10 in today’s article.

Why are there blank icons in Windows 11?

You may run into a lot of icon-related difficulties, and many people have experienced missing Taskbar icons with Windows 11. This is frequently caused by a system issue, which can easily be fixed with a short update.

Unfortunately, additional difficulties might arise, and many users have claimed that the Taskbar in Windows 11 is empty. This may happen if your profile is corrupted, in which case you should recreate it.

Windows icons may not appear in certain cases, but this may be easily remedied by following the recommendations in this article.

What can I do if my desktop icons in Windows 10 and 11 are blank?

1. Change the icons by hand.

1. First, try right-clicking their program shortcuts and choosing Properties to manually change the blank icons on the desktop.
2. On the Shortcut tab, click the Change Icon button.
3. On the Change Icon box, you may then choose an alternate icon.
4. Alternatively, you may choose a downloaded icon by clicking Browse.
5. Then press the OK button.
6. Choose the option to Apply.
7. To close the window, use the OK button.

2. Run scans with DISM and System File Checker.

1. On the left side of Windows 10’s taskbar, click the Type here to search button.
2. In the search box that appears, type cmd.
3. To launch Command Prompt with administrator rights, choose Run as administrator.
4. Press Enter after typing the following command: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
5. Then type sfc /scannow and hit Enter to start a system file scan.
6. Allow the system scan to complete. If Windows fixes system files, restart it.

3. Rebuild the cache of icons

1. By hitting the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut, you may access File Explorer.
2. Toggle to the View tab.
3. Then, tick the box next to Hidden objects.
4. Go to the following URL: Users (C) (your user folder) Folder AppDataLocal
5. To delete the IconCache.db file, right-click it and choose Delete.
6. On the desktop, click the Recycle Bin icon.
7. Select Empty Recycle Bin from the drop-down menu.
8. After removing the IconCache.db file, restart Windows 10.

The issue should be resolved when this operation rebuilds the icon cache and restores your icons.

4. Turn off the tablet mode.

1. To turn off tablet mode in Windows 10, go to the Start menu and choose Settings.
2. To see more choices, go to System.
3. On the left side of the Settings panel, choose Tablet mode.
4. Select Use desktop mode from the When I sign in menu if tablet mode is chosen.
5. After choosing Use desktop mode, restart Windows.

More information about this subject may be found here.

5. Open Windows Explorer again.

1. Select Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar.
2. Locate and select the Windows Explorer process.
3. From the bottom right corner, choose the Restart button.

This method will refresh File Explorer’s icon cache as well as its components. As a result, your desktop icons should revert to their default hues.

6. Revert Windows 10 to its previous version

1. To use the Run accessory, press the Windows key and R at the same time.
2. In the Open box, type rstrui and choose the OK option.
3. If the System Restore window offers it, choose Choose a different restore point.
4. To continue, click the Next button.
5. To completely extend the list of restore points, click Show additional restore points.
6. Make a choice for a restore point.
7. To check what software a specified restore point removes, click Scan for impacted applications.
8. To continue, click Next.
9. To revert Windows 10, choose the Finish option.

7. Restart your computer.

1. In Windows 10, go to the search tool.
2. In the search bar, type the term “reset.”
3. To access Settings, click Reset this PC, as seen in the screenshot below.
4. To launch the Reset this PC window, click the Get started option.
5. Select the option to keep my files.
6. To return Windows 10 to its factory settings, use the Next and Reset buttons.

The resolutions listed above are among the most common remedies for blank desktop icons. Many customers have reported that using the System File Checker or rebuilding the icon cache helped them repair their desktop icons.

Check read our in-depth tutorial on the subject if any of your icons are corrupted.

If none of the above methods work, we suggest restoring or resetting Windows 10.

Was this page of assistance to you? 3

Thank you very much!

There are insufficient details It’s difficult to comprehend Other Speak with a Professional

There are 4 responses to this post.

The “windows 11 blank icons” is a problem that has been present for a while. Microsoft has released a fix to fix the issue. The full guide will help you resolve this problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I fix blank icons in Windows 11?

A: The most common cause of this issue is that the program you are trying to open requires a newer version of Java. If updating your software does not fix it, try using an alternative browser like Firefox or Chrome.

How do I fix the blank icons in Windows 10?

A: If you are having issues with your icons not showing in Windows 10, there is a simple solution. First of all, make sure that the correct drive letter has been assigned to your hard drive and if it has, restart your computer and go back into Disk Management. From there assign the correct letter for C:\Windows\System32 folder.

How do I fix a blank desktop icon?

A: To fix a blank desktop icon, you will need to go into the settings menu and find your icons. From there, click show hidden files and open up the folder called Desktop. There is likely an .exe file in that folder. If not, create one yourself with any word or name you want!

Related Tags

• how to rebuild icon cache windows 10
• how to fix blank icons windows 10
• how to fix blank white icons on desktop (windows 10)
• how to fix blank desktop icons
• fix blank or white shortcut icons on desktop