What to do if the desktop suddenly empty? Follow our guide to know why do the icons disappeared from desktop and how to recover all the folders, documents, and other data.
My desktop folder is empty, and my desktop is missing icons, but the content still exists somewhere. I woke up this morning to find that most of my desktop icons had disappeared. I checked my desktop folder, and it's empty. What? I went to Steam to create a new desktop icon for a game, but I got an error saying the desktop icon already exists. This makes no sense, so I did a system restore to yesterday. The system restore was successful; the icons that were still there returned to their original positions scattered about my desktop, and some of the others came back, but I'm still missing a ton of shortcuts.
I also had multiple background images saved in a folder on the desktop, but that folder is now gone. It won't let me change the background now. When I search for it in the taskbar, I can see the folder and all the images, but when I go to that folder's location, it says 'empty' even though I can open all the images in Paint from the taskbar. What the hell is going on and why?
- Question from Microsoft Community
Many Windows 10 and 11 users keep important files and folders on their desktops for easy access. You can create folders on your desktop to organize files like documents, videos, and photos, as well as shortcuts to applications. However, some users may find the icons disappeared from desktop suddenly. "Why did my desktop icons disappear?"
While these issues can be annoying, they are not permanent. In this post, we will share some solutions to help you recover lost data and restore your desktop.
Generally, if your PC is having issues, you can first try restarting it. This will close any stuck apps, free up RAM, and refresh the system. If the desktop icons are missing, turning the PC off and on again can help. If this method doesn't work, please try the following fixes.
Since many common methods may have limitations when your desktop screen blank, it's better to use a professional method first to avoid further data loss. On the other hand, when desktop icons missing, the data may be permanently deleted. Running professional data recovery software can help prevent the data from being overwritten.
AOMEI FastRecovery allows users to recover missing desktop files and folders efficiently. Its advanced scanning technology and powerful recovery algorithms make it easy to find lost data with just a few clicks, even if it has been permanently deleted.
Effective Recovery: Safely recover lost data on all Windows PCs and Servers.
Versatile Solutions: Recover data lost from system crashes, accidental deletions, and virus attacks.
High Success Rate: Achieve excellent recovery results to 99% on common drives like HDDs, SSDs, SD cards, and USB drives without compromising data integrity.
Wide Range of Formats: Recover over 1000 types of data, including documents, videos, images, audio files, emails, and compressed files. With AOMEI FastRecovery, you can regain access to your important files quickly and easily.
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 for finding 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.
Restarting File Explorer can fix a number of simple system-related problems and short-term bugs that leave the desktop with blank icons, such as Windows 10/11 desktop icons that don't show up right. Here are the steps you can take:
Step 1. First right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager. Then, switch to the Processes tab.
Step 2. Locate Windows Explorer/File Explorer and click Restart.
If your Windows computer's desktop icons not showing up right or you want to get back all of your lost desktop icons, clearing the icon cache is a good idea. In this way, the icon database will be rebuilt from scratch, and all the icons that were lost will be added back. To clear the icon cache, just do these easy steps:
Step 1. To do this, first launch File Explorer and then select "File".
Step 2. Select "Options" from the drop-down menu.
Note: For Windows 11 users, click on the three horizontal dots located at the far right and select "Options".
Step 3. Go to the "View" option tab and place a check mark on the "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" checkbox.
Step 4. Move to your C drive > Users > %Your in-use account% > AppData > Local.
Step 5. Locate and delete the icon cache file of the database file type.
Some PCs that can be touched may work well in tablet mode, but it could also break the PC and remove the icons from the screen, causing desktop suddenly empty, Here's what you need to do to turn off tablet mode.
Step 1. Click "Windows" and select "Settings", then click "System" in the Settings window.
Step 2. Click "Tablet", then select "Never use tablet mode" when I sign in.
Step 3. In the "Change additional table settings", turn off the "Tablet mode" and "Hide app icons on the taskbar" buttons.
If you have the settings for desktop icon visibility off, your desktop icons may go away and be covered. This can happen when someone makes a mistake or when they use or open a certain app. To see your desktop icons again, you'll need to change the settings for desktop icon display.
Step 1. Right-click on your desktop. Then, select View.
Step 2. Ensure Show desktop icons are ticked.
Note: If it isn't, click on it once to ensure it isn't causing issues displaying your desktop icons. You should immediately see your icons reappear.
If your desktop suddenly empty or the icons are white, it could be because your display driver is outdated. Updating the display driver will fix this issue. Updating the display driver restores the original icon settings and replaces any corrupted driver files causing the problem. If it still doesn’t resolve the issue with desktop icons not displaying correctly, try uninstalling and then reinstalling it.
This article shares what to do when desktop suddenly empty. If you find icons disappeared from desktop, it is suggested to first run AOMEI FastRecovery to save lost data to prevent further data loss. This software can also help to solve desktop folder missing from user profile, or recover files after Disk Cleanup.