When you have a broken icon cache in Windows, it is usually because the drivers are corrupted or missing. This article will show how to rebuild the icons and reset all caches after deleting them manually.
Windows 11 and 10 have a feature that allows users to reset the cache and rebuild the icon cache. This is useful if Windows starts crashing or has other issues. Read more in detail here: how to factory reset.
In Windows, the Icon Cache is a database file that the operating system keeps to store the layout, location, and characteristics of your desktop and file explorer icons.
The operating system and programs like Windows Explorer utilize these database files to show and draw the icons. Every screen resolution and icon size has its own icon cache database.
Windows creates, manages, and handles this database automatically, but these database files may get damaged at any moment, causing your icons to shift or move out of place.
In this case, consider removing the database files and letting Windows recreate the icon cache files from scratch.
How to Delete the Icon Cache in Windows 10 & 11
The steps to delete the Icon Cache in Windows 11 & 10 are the same. However, you won’t be able to delete these database files using the File explorer. These files are in perpetual use by the Windows Explorer and it won’t allow you to delete them while it’s active.
However, you may erase the Icon Cache Files in Windows using the Command Prompt. Follow the actions outlined below to remove the files.
Step 1
To launch the Start Menu search, use the Windows + S shortcut key and enter Command Prompt in the search field.
To launch Command Prompt with elevated privileges, click Run as Administrator. This is crucial since deleting the Icon Cache files requires admin capabilities.
Step 2
The databases for Icon Cache may be found in the following locations on your computer. In the following route, replace the username with your Windows account. You won’t be able to remove them through the file explorer, however.
C:UsersusernameAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
To open this folder in the Command Prompt, use the following command in the Command Prompt window.
%homepath% AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
Step 3
To examine the Icon Cache database files on the Command Prompt, use the following command. The extension of these files would be.db.
iconcache* directory
This command will show you all of the Icon Cache database files that Windows keeps track of.
Step 4
We’ll now remove these files and wait for Windows to recreate the Icon Cache database on its own. However, we must first stop Windows Explorer, which is constantly open in the background and prevents us from removing these files.
To shut Windows Explorer, close all active File Explorer windows and other programs, then type the following command into the Command Prompt window and press Enter.
explorer.exe taskkill /f /im
When you run this command, Windows will shut the Taskbar and the Start menu, and your screen may go blank or black. When we restart Windows Explorer after clearing the Icon cache files, your machine will return to normal.
To erase the icon cache files, use the following command in Command Prompt.
del iconcache* del iconcache* del iconcache* de
You’re running Command prompt without administrator rights if you receive an Access denied error while removing. You must return to Step 1 and open Command Prompt in ‘Run as Administrator’ mode.
Step 5
You may restart Windows Explorer by running the following command in the Command Prompt after removing the Icon Cache files.
explorer.exe
The taskbar and Windows Explorer would be restored as a result of this.
To close the command prompt window, use “exit” without the quotations.
Windows will automatically reload the Icon Cache if you restart your PC. This should resolve the problem with the missing or changing icons.
Recommended
The “how to factory reset android” is a process that can be done in Windows 11 & 10. It will delete the cache files, and rebuild them from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I reset my phone?
A:You can reset your phone by performing a factory reset, or you can do an emergency reboot.
How do you totally reset?
A: This is a tough one. Im not sure if youre trying to ask me how to reset the game or asking me how to restart Beat Saber in general, but this answer should cover both topics. If youre interested in knowing more about restarts and resets specifically on your PS4, you can check out our guide here
How do you manually reset?
A: To manually reset Beat Saber, press the button on your right controller and then release.
Related Tags
- how to factory reset samsung
- phone reset
- how to reset android phone when locked
- how to reset galaxy phone
- how to hard reset android phone
