8 Ways to Fix Apps on Desktop Disappeared

Searching for "all apps on desktop disappeared" or "desktop icon missing" on Google or other search engines reveals that a significant number of Windows users are experiencing this issue, regardless of whether they are running Windows.

What could be the reason for Windows program disappeared from desktop? How can you recover vanished desktop icons? Continue reading to learn effortless methods for retrieving your vanished desktop icons.

How to recover apps on desktop disappeared

The disappearance of desktop icons can be attributed to a variety of factors; consequently, there are numerous approaches to regaining access to them. However, before you attempt any difficult ways, we strongly suggest that you restart your computer first. This will prevent desktop icons from not being displayed since the machine is not completely loaded.

Way 1. Set show desktop icons

The most typical reason for "my desktop icons are gone" is that the desktop icons are hidden. In this case, you can simply resolve it by displaying desktop icons in following steps.

Step 1. Right-click blank on the desktop, and select View from the pop-up menu.

Step 2. Make sure there is a check mark next to the Show desktop icons option. If not, click Show desktop icons to restore the visibility of all desktop icons that were previously hidden on Windows.

Way 2. Disable tablet mode

Laptop often has two screen modes: desktop and tablet. When your computer is in tablet mode, desktop icons and files may disappear. You can switch off tablet mode and see if the desktop icons appear normally.

Step 1. Click Windows Start and select Settings, then tap on System.

Step 2. Choose Tablet mode from the menu on the left, and turn off the tablet mode by selecting Use desktop mode.

Way 3. Reopen Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is the operating system's core component that governs desktop startup and other tasks. Sometimes Windows Explorer malfunctions, causing your desktop to become blank. The remedy is to restart Windows Explorer.

Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to enter Task Manager.

Step 2. Right-click Windows Explorer under Process, and hit End task.

Step 3. On the File menu, click Run New Task. Then, run the explorer.exe command and click OK to relaunch Windows Explorer.

Way 4. Update Windows system

If your Windows system has been updated, for example, if you are using Windows 7, 8, or 10, and the most recent version is Windows 11, your Windows 10 apps may have disappeared from your desktop due to a vulnerability patch included in the system update.

Please upgrade your Windows system to the most recent version by going to Start > Settings > upgrade & Security > Windows Update and selecting Check for updates. If there are any accessible updates, install them.

Way 5. Modify settings of the desktop icons.

Upon discovering that certain desktop icons have vanished on Windows, such as the Recycle Bin or This PC, it is possible to effortlessly restore them by reviewing the desktop icon settings.

Step 1. Press Windows + I to launch Windows settings, and choose Personalization.

Step 2. Choose Themes, hit Desktop icons settings.

Step 3. Tick the check boxes of the apps on desktop disappeared, then click Apply.

Way 6. Utilize a system file verifier to repair Windows OS

Occasionally, system files may be corrupted or deleted due to pathogen invasion or error, resulting in the disappearance of desktop icons. Scan your computer for corrupted system files and have them automatically repaired with System File Checker.

Step 1. Search for “command prompt” in the Windows search box and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. Input the following command, and click Enter.

sfc /scannow

Way 7. Rebuild desktop icon cache

The icons that are displayed on the desktop are maintained by the Windows system through cache files. Problems such as the absence of Windows desktop icons may arise when the cached data is not in alignment with the icons on the desktop. The desktop icon cache data can be rebuilt to restore desktop icons on Windows.

Step 1. Run the Command Prompt as administrator likewise.

Step 2. Type the following five lines of commands and press Enter after each.

taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe

cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local

attrib -h IconCache.db

del IconCache.db

start explorer.exe

Step 3. Reboot your computer, and check whether or not your desktop icons reappeared.

Way 8. Recover missing desktop icons using data recovery tool

If apps on desktop disappeared is caused by data loss, then third-party software can be employed to retrieve absent desktop icons. AOMEI FastRecovery is a renowned data recovery software that enables the recovery of deleted or lost data from a variety of storage devices, including computer hard drives, external drives, USB flash drives, and SD cards.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first to find your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering ends.

To sum up

When you encounter the "apps on desktop disappeared" issue, it is important to be aware that numerous methods are available to restore them. Regardless of whether you have lost desktop symbols or desktop files, AOMEI FastRecovery can recover the lost data from your computer.