 Hello everybody! In this video, I'm going to show you how to fix the problem with disappearing desktop icons, how to enable show-in system icons and how to add shortcuts manually if you fail to restore them back to the desktop. If you face such a problem, just take my advice. Hello friends! If you need to recover deleted data, view or restore removed browser history. Hetman Software products will help you. Follow the link in the description, download the necessary program for free, install it and analyze the disk. The utility will show you the data you can recover, so you will be able to view it or get it back. In our channel and blog, you will find solutions to any problem, from installing an operating system or configuring it to fixing possible bugs and errors or optimizing mobile gadgets. Our specialists will answer any questions you ask in your comments under the videos or articles. If you see an absolutely empty desktop, like in my case, don't panic. First of all, try creating something on the desktop, for example, a new folder. Right-click on the desktop, new folder. If the folder doesn't appear, right-click on the desktop, view, show desktop icons. As you can see, the icons are back. If the icons don't come back, go to settings, system, tablet mode. This option takes away all unnecessary elements. Drag the two sliders to on position and then to off position. In some cases, it can help. If you have a problem with disappearing icons on a Windows 10 laptop, you can try fixing it by switching the computer off by pressing the power button instead of the usual start power shutdown procedure. When you turn the laptop on again, the icons should be back to their proper places. If the problem appears when connecting or disconnecting the other monitor, you should change your display settings. Right-click on the empty space of your desktop and select Display Settings. Try to disconnect the other monitor or switch it on, change resolution or other settings. Try changing all possible settings and then set them back to default. It can help you fix the problem. You can watch one of our videos to learn more about setting up to monitors at the same time. Find the link in the description. Sometimes users can enable the tablet mode by mistake, which makes the desktop look different and all icons are not displayed. To disable the tablet mode, click on the notification icon and turn it off by clicking on this icon. If some system icons have disappeared, for example, the recycle bin, this PC or others, open Settings, Personalization, Themes, Desktop Icon Settings. In the window that opens, check the necessary boxes and click Apply. If you feel like customizing icons, click Change icon and select the one you like. Click OK, and the icons will appear on the desktop. In Windows 7, you can find these settings by right-clicking on the desktop, Personalization, Change Desktop Icons and check the ones you need. If icons are gone from the taskbar, for example, you no longer receive the time on the language panel, open Settings, Personalization, Taskbar, turn System Icons on or off, and check the ones you need, it will make them appear in the taskbar. A system file named Explorer is in charge of displaying shortcuts, folders and icons. Sometimes icons disappear from the notification area and desktop because this file works incorrectly. This job is to display the Windows shell. This floor problem can be fixed by restarting the file. To do it, right-click on the Start menu, run the Task Manager, find Windows Explorer in the Processes tab, right-click on it and select Restart. Also, try to run it by clicking on File, Run New Task, type Explorer.exe in the window that opens and click OK, or enter Explorer in the search field and press Enter. If you can't find it at all, you should either restore your operating system or copy the file from a properly working computer and paste it into a corresponding folder in your computer. The next step in restoring shortcuts will be cleaning the icon cache. To do it, follow the path C, Users, Username, AppData, Local. And if you don't see the AppData folder, the chances are that you have display hidden folders option disabled. To enable it, click View and check Hidden Elements. Now hidden folders will be displayed as well. Find a file iconCache.db and delete it, then restore the computer. They should become visible after they restart. Another way of solving this problem is by checking system files for integrity and restoring them. To do it, start the command prompt by typing cmd in the search field and running it as administrator, then typing the command cfc slash scan now and press Enter. After you run the command, the system check begins. All integrity issues that can be corrected will be fixed automatically, and if there were none of them, you will see the message saying Windows Resolve Protection didn't find any integrity violations. You can watch one of our videos to learn more about checking system files. Find the link in the description. If you face a desktop icon problem after installation of system updates, they should be removed. To do it, open Settings, Apps and Features, Programs and Features and select View installed updates in the window that opens. Select the updates we just think might have harmed your computer. Click Uninstall and confirm your decision. Changes will take effect after the system restart. You can watch one of our videos to learn more about removing or disabling updates. Find the link in the description. Icons may disappear because registered keys haven't been modified or damaged. To start it, press the key sequence Windows plus R in the window that opens type Reget it, then follow the path HK Local Machine, Software, Microsoft, Windows NT, Current Version, WinLogon, and check the following settings. Shell should have the value Explorer.exe and user-init C, Windows, System32, user-init .exe. Then follow this path, HK Local Machine, Software, Microsoft, Windows NT, Current Version, Image File Execution options. If you see a subkey Explorer.exe or I Explorer.exe here, delete it. The system will suggest a restart for the changes to take effect. If none of the methods helped you, then your computer might have been attacked by a virus. You can watch one of our videos to learn more about getting rid of them. Find the link in the description. Sometimes users make a mistake and assign wrong associations to files such as L, M, K shortcuts or dot-exe applications and then such files are opened with the wrong program. It can also happen after your computer is attacked by a virus. In such cases, you may need to restore file associations. In Windows 10 settings, there is an option to reset all file associations. You can find it by going to Settings, Apps, Default Apps, Reset to the Microsoft Recommended Defaults. Click Reset and the associations will be back to default. You can watch one of our videos to learn more about file associations. Find the link in the description. If the icons are gone and you can't have them back with all of the previous methods, you will have to add them manually. I have already shown you how to add system icons, but to restore application shortcuts, you'll have to create new elements, so right-click on the desktop, New, Shortcut. Now click Browse and show the path to the necessary application. Then click Next and finish. Alright, this shortcut is ready, now follow the same steps to create others. Finally, if all the tricks I have shown you still don't work, the only thing left to do is to reinstall or recover the operating system. You can see how to do it by watching special videos in our channel. You will find the links in the description.