The inability to move desktop icons, missing taskbar icons, issues while removing app icons from Taskbar, and blank app icons in Windows 11 are just some of the issues bugging the UI aspect of this OS. And as of now, there has been another unwanted entry to this list. Various users have voiced their concern that the app shortcuts and icons are missing from their Windows 11 desktop. If you are also on the same page, then this guide will help you rectify this issue once and for all. Follow along.
How to Fix Desktop App Shortcuts and Icons Missing in Windows 11
Do note that there’s no universal fix as such. You will have to try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and see which one works best in your favor. So with that in mind, let’s get started.
FIX 1: Restart PC
In most instances, a simple restart is enough to rectify the underlying UI glitch. So before moving on to any of the advanced fixes, it is recommended to give your PC a reboot. Do so and then check if it fixes the app icons and shortcuts missing issue on your Windows 11 desktop.
FIX 2: Toggle Show Desktop icon
As you might be aware, Windows comes with a context menu shortcut to hide or display desktop icons. So you should consider disabling and then re-enabling this functionality and then check out the results.
FIX 3: Refresh Icon Cache
You could also try force refreshing the icon’s cache directory. This should be enough to resolve the minor UI bugs pertaining to icons. So refer to the below instruction steps to give it a try:
FIX 4: Rebuild Icon Cache
Windows stores most of the icon cache under the IconCache.db database files and the rest are stored under the Explorer folder on C Drive. Even if one of the icon cache files gets corrupted, then it could have negative consequences on the entire cache directory. So in such cases, you should delete these cache files and then let the system recreate them from scratch. Here’s how it could be done:
FIX 5: Using Registry Editor
If none of the aforementioned methods spelled out success, then you should consider recreating the icon files from scratch. And for that, we will be using Registry Editor. But rather than manually doing so for each of the icons, we will create a registry editor that will do all the work on your behalf. Here’s how: With this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the app icons and shortcuts missing issues on your Windows 11 desktop. We have listed five different methods for the same. Do let us know in the comments section which one worked out in your favor. Likewise, all your queries are welcomed in the comments below.
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