Windows 10: How do I Undo Accidental Taskbar/ Desktop Changes... When I Don't Even Know What I Changed?

Sometimes I accidentally change something on my computer and I don't know how to change it back because I don't even know what I changed.


An hour ago, I was working in Windows when a grey task box slid out from the right side of my computer. I don't know what I did to make that task box appear and I wasn't aware of pressing anything on the task box or changing any setting.


As far as I knew, I was just sitting there contemplating how to get that task box to disappear and stop taking up so much of my screen but I guess my cursor glazed over some setting change or my finger accidentally pressed some shortcut.


Instantly, a lot of things changed. My useful task bar that had tabs/ icons for the programs that I use and go back and forth between multiple times per minute as I research and write/ create disappeared from the bottom of my screen. In its place, were things I never used like an "ask cortana icon. My desktop also changed.


I have to go through multiple steps to find my programs and files that are open...


I want the task bar, deskstop, and settings that I had an hour ago. They were just right. What appeared in its place is a colossal frustration.


Unfortunately, I have spent most of the past hour trying to figure out how to put things back the way they were and keep dead ending because I don't even know what I changed well enough to enter the proper words in the search window.


Also things are going slower under the current settings.


Can anyone help?


Thank you.

:)

 

Name of program to change taskbars?

uxtheme.dll? I know you can use that to change themes, so it should allow you to change the taskbar theme, if thats what you want.

 

Cannot change desktop icon

Sometimes a desktop icon changes from what it was to a plain white folder. Might be something I did but not sure what.

To change it to the icon I want, I go:

1. Rt-click icon > Properties > Change icon
2. I select the icon I want from the thumbnails of icons.
3. Click OK
4. Click Apply

But the icon does not change. It just stays looking like a white folder.
HOWEVER, if I pin the icon to the taskbar, the icon on the taskbar does look like the icon I selected in step-2. So the change is registered with Win10 but the icon on the desktop just doesn't change.

Any ideas on how to fix this?

 

how to change desktop icons size? I dont know why changed.

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Quick, easy fix. Might be how you accidentally changed them.

Click on the Desktop, depress Crtl and use the mouse scroll wheel to make everything larger or smaller. Careful... small movement of the wheel.

Don