Windows 10: Issue with Persistent Blank Space Among Desktop Icons

Hello Microsoft Community,I'm encountering a perplexing problem with my desktop icons. Regardless of how I sort the items, a persistent blank space always remains on the desktop. This issue has been persistent, and I'm uncertain about its origin.To provide clarity, I've attached a screenshot where I've marked the area where the blank space appears. Interestingly, while there are 48 shortcuts on my desktop, only 19 items are visible within the desktop folder in the file manager.I'm reaching out to the community in hopes of finding a solution or insight into this issue. Any assistance you can pr

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Freely moving desktop icons in windows 10

Hi,

I suggest you to try the steps below and check if it helps.

• Right click on the blank space on desktop.
• Click on View.
• Uncheck Align icons to grid.

Hope this helps. Please get back to us if you need any other assistance.

Thank you.

 

Desktop chrome shortcut icons turned into blank papers!!!

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

It's possible that the antivirus app you installed, RAV endpoint protection, caused the issue with your Chrome shortcut icons turning into blank papers. Antivirus apps can sometimes interfere with the functioning of other programs, including changing the appearance of icons.

To resolve this issue, you can try the following steps:

1. Restart your computer: Sometimes, a simple restart can fix minor issues with icons.
   
2. Rebuild the icon cache: The icon cache is a database that stores the icons for all the files and programs on your computer. If the cache becomes corrupted, it can cause issues with icons. To rebuild the icon cache, follow these steps:
   
   • Open File Explorer and navigate to the following folder: C:\Users[Your Username]\AppData\Local
     
   • Locate the "IconCache.db" file and delete it (you may need to enable the option to show hidden files and folders in File Explorer settings).
     
   • Restart your computer.
     
3. Reset Chrome shortcuts: If the issue persists only with Chrome shortcuts, you can try resetting them by following these steps:
   
   • Right-click on the blank paper icon and select "Properties."
     
   • In the Properties window, click on the "Shortcut" tab.
     
   • Click on the "Change Icon" button.
     
   • In the "Change Icon" window, click on the "Restore Defaults" button.
     
   • Click "OK" to save the changes.
     

Please note that these steps are general suggestions, and it's always a good idea to back up your important files before making any changes to your system.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

Icons on the desktop

Hi,

There are several reasons for your desktop icons not to stay put such as changes in registry, system cache, or an enabled
Auto arrange icon setting. To rectify your issue with keeping your icons arranged, we suggest that you right-click on any blank space on your desktop, click
View, then make sure that the check mark for Auto arrange icon is removed.

If the issue persist even after performing the steps above, you can rebuild your icon cache. This method solves most issues with incorrectly displayed icons. Here are the steps to do so:

• Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the
  Run box.
• Type %userprofile%, then hit Enter.
• Go to the AppData folder, then open the Local
  folder.
• Select the IconCache file, then click Delete.

If you're having challenges finding the IconCache file, you have to make sure that your hidden items are visible. Below are the steps:

• Type hidden in Cortana, the Windows search bar or your task bar.
• Select Show hidden files and folders from the result.
• Go to View tab.
• Enable the Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
• Hit Apply, then click OK.

Update us if the steps above helped you in resolving your concern.

Thank you.