Windows 10: Desktop Icons Have Disappeared

If you look at your Action Centre settings and uncheck Tablet Mode the original Desktop with its icons returns. When you let your cursor slip bottom right corner a click brings up the Action Centre and a lazy click to close it may just clip the Tablet Mode box. I've made this error a couple of times.

 

Eureka! This is the solution that just worked instantly for me! Thank you, Meatball Paul! I have been plagued by this recurring problem for six months since switching to Windows 10. I went through so many other "solutions" to no avail until this oh-so-simple fix. Just Great. Thanks again.

 

YAY!!! you're the man/woman whatever the case may be. This worked for me. thank you!!!!

 

This isn't really the same issue but a long the same lines. Is there a way to stop hiding the desktop icons when "showing the desktop"? by either clicking the little button to the right of the date/time in the task bar or (my personal favorite) WIN+D

I used to use WIN + D to show the desktop and access icons (short cuts to apps and/or files) on previous windows versions, now the icons also disappear (along with open apps) when pressing WIN + D.

WIN + M is a possible alternative to minimize all windows, (and WIN + SHFT + M to restore) but less desirable to me. If you press WIN + M twice in a row, the WIN + SHFT + M no longer restores

 

guys go to the windows action center and check if your windows is on tablet mode, if so then disable it.

 

A quick run down of my situation:
I take my work laptop home with me everyday, which means I have to disconnect the two additional monitors I have at work. I've always had issues with icons moving around and completely rearranging themselves since I got Windows 10 and its usually when I'm connecting or disconnecting one of my monitors. The strange thing is that the icons vanished when I was at home and wasn't connecting or disconnecting anything to the laptop.

Anyway, I tried toggling the desktop icons on and off several times and it didn't do anything for me. What did work was turning on the "auto arrange icons" feature. As soon as I clicked that the icons were back, not where they're supposed to be but they were back.


Hope this helps someone

 

I really appreciated it! It solved my problem.

 

I have had missing icons, but with the filename still there, since a Win10 upgrade in January 2017. Very frustrating, and finally solved by a reinstall of Win10. But now, after an unsolicited upgrade on 17 March 2017, the icons have gone again. Cannot get them back by the methods described here, but my 'settings', 'system', 'tablet mode', does NOT have a button that says 'to make windows more touch friendly.' Win10Home 64bit. Am I missing something?
These Windows upgrades are extremely frustrating and time-consuming. I don't want to have to reinstall Win10, but am stuck at present.

 

Issue: Desktop has no shortcuts or icons, Recycle Bin not excepted.

Notes/Troubleshooting Steps:

Nothing in Error Logs
Tablet mode toggled off/on
"Display Desktop Icons" toggled off/on
Logged off/Logged on
Rebooted

Solution:
Connect and disconnect HDMI.

Possible alternative:
As per quoted text, select "Auto Arrange Icons"

As @flurib seemed to be about to say, I find that this is related to the device "believing" it is still connected to an external display. It may occur when the lid of a laptop is closed and a video output is unplugged, or when the computer is in a sleep state and a video output is unplugged. Plugging and unplugging my HDMI video output while the laptop lid was open affirmed this, as the icons reappeared as if an external display was connected and designated as the primary desktop.

Alternative Solution Reference:

 

I had this same experience today 4/25/17. I was nowhere near any settings but all of a sudden I noticed my icons were gone and instead the "tiles" that one normally only sees when clicking the "windows" icon at the very lower left of the screen display were the only thing on my desktop. After reading through this thread, I tried to right-click on the desktop but nothing came up. I went into settings and put the term "tablet mode" into the search box. I then was directed to "tablet mode" under "system" in settings. Clicking on tablet mode I found I could reset it to "desktop mode". Then I restarted the computer and voila my icons were all back. I still have no idea how it got changed to tablet mode.

I still have a mystery in that when I click on the windows symbol in the lower left and then on "applications" there are certain applications not listed such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Powerpoint. No, they are not under Microsoft Office which only offers an "opportunity" to purchase Windows 360. Yet the programs are obviously in the computer since I can go to File Explorer and click on a file previously created in any of these programs and they then open. But without the icons on the desktop I have no other option to open these programs directly. Any ideas?

 

Right click anywhere on desktop, choose New/Folder, and everything is back *Smile