Windows 10: Most desktop web icons now just blank after a restart

Restarted Windows 11 and now most internet desktop icons don't have associated designs' now just blanks

:)

 

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

 

ALL icons missing/blank (desktop, taskbar, explorer)

Hi dalchina,

Thanks for your response.

I tried the steps suggested in your links but neither have worked :/

 

Most desktop web icons now just blank after a restart

Hello,

Hi there! I'm Benjie, I’m sorry to hear you're having trouble. I know that can be frustrating.

What I could suggest you do is,

Rebuild the Icon Cache:

1. Close all open applications.
   
2. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
   
3. Type in the following path and press Enter: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
   
4. In the Explorer folder, look for files named "iconcache.db" and "iconcache_pri.db" (they might be hidden).
   
5. Delete those files.
   
6. Restart your computer. Windows will rebuild the icon cache automatically on startup, and your icons should return to normal.
   

Alternative Solutions:

• Restart File Explorer
  

Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), find "Windows Explorer" in the Processes tab, right-click and select "Restart."

If you're using tablet mode, it can sometimes hide desktop icons. To disable it:

• Open the Settings app.
  
• Go to System > Tablet.
  
• Under Tablet mode, turn off the toggle switch for When I sign in, automatically switch to tablet mode.
  

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.