One day, you log in to your computer and find all your taskbar icons disappearing without knowing why. Many Windows users might be familiar with that situation and struggle to fix Taskbar Icons Missing / Disappear In Windows 10.
From Taskbar Icons, you can access Start and search everything on the PC. It is not mentioned that you can easily launch a wide range of applications, including your favorite ones.
Therefore, due to its convenience, many users have become frustrated when seeing no taskbar icons on their PC screen, though there are some quick ways for you to fix it. Try to follow these simple methods we explained right below before wasting your money on computer services.
Method 1 – Restart The PC
It is a traditional way, but who knows that might work? Sometimes, your PC needs to be shut down and turned on again instead of a complicated fixing.
Method 2 – Show All Icons On Taskbar
Of course, you cannot see something you hide, so you need to be sure if you accidentally set hidden to taskbar icons are not. If yes, that may be the origin of no taskbar icons Windows 10. In this situation, fixing it is extremely simple.
Step 1: Right-click the Taskbar
Step 2: Select the last option Taskbar settings
Step 3: On the Settings screen, scroll down to the Notification areas section
Step 4: Next, click on “which icons appear on Taskbar”
Step 5: If the “Always show all icons in the notification areas” is set OFF, switch it to ON
When every step is done, restart your computer to see the difference.
Method 3 – Repin Applications
Unpinning and faulty repinning applications is another simple method you should try to restore your missing icons.
Step 1: Right-click the pinned icons and Choose Unpin from the Taskbar.
Step 2: Type the application name in the Search box.
Step 3: Right-click Best match result and Choose Pin to Taskbar.
Method 4 – Update the application
An application might go missing due to corruption or other issues. In this case, updating or reinstalling might solve the problem.
Step 1: Go to the App center to check if the application has any new updates. If yes, download the newest version of the app.
Step 2: In case your application is updated, Uninstall the application and reinstall it.
Note: It is advisable to remember to download the application from a reliable and safe website to avoid any unwanted threats to the PC. Unoriginal websites can contain dangerous viruses or malware, which will not fix your problem but, on the other hand, lead to much more serious problems.
Method 5 – Restart the Windows Explorer
The fact that Windows Explorer is not compatible with the PC might cause Taskbar icons missing in Windows 10. In this case, you need to restore and reload the missing icons or system tray on your PC by restarting it.
Step 1: Press together Shift + CTRL + Esc to launch Task Manager.
Or you can right-click your Taskbar and pick Task Manager instead.
Step 2: Find and Right-click Windows Explorer, then select End task.
Step 3: Open App History, Left click on File and select Run new task.
The Taskbar is the center of the world in Windows 10. That is because, from it, you can modify quick settings, ac
Step 4: Type explorer.exe in the box and Tick Create this task with administrative privileges.
Step 5: Select OK.
The explorer.exe or Windows Explorer will then reload, and you will see your Taskbar icons. In case you won’t, Go to Taskbar settings, Choose Turn system icons on or off, and Tick the box beside the taskbar icons missing.
If you cannot locate Windows Explorer, launch a random Folder or File on the PC, and you will notice Windows Explorer on the screen of the Task Manager.
Method 6 – Delete the IconCache
The IconCache database allows the system to display all the application icons on the screen so that you will not have to look them up every time. The more apps you have on the PC, the more the database grows, leading to potential corruption and disappearance of Taskbar icons since they might not correctly render.
Therefore, deleting the IconCache might tackle the problem. However, as it is hidden in a folder, you must do a few actions as follows.
Step 1: Press together Windows + R to launch Run Command on the PC.
Step 2: In Run, Type %appdata% and Press Enter.
The AppData folder will appear on the screen.
Step 3: In AppData, Double click on Local to access the folder.
Step 4: In the menu bar, click on View to check whether the Hidden items option is selected or not. If not, select the option to reveal the hidden items.
Step 5: In Local, Find IconCache or IconCache.db. Right-click it and select Delete.
Step 6: Close the File Explorer.
Step 7: Restart the PC.
Or you can follow this way.
Step 1: Launch File Explorer, then Choose File in the top left of the folder screen.
Step 2: Choose Options and Click on the View tab.
Step 3: Scroll down to the Advanced settings, tick Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
Step 4: Click Apply to apply the change and press OK.
Step 5: Press together Windows + R to launch Run Command on the PC.
Step 6: In Run, Type %appdata% and Press Enter.
The AppData folder will appear on the screen.
Step 7: In AppData, Double click on Local to access the folder.
Step 8: In Local, Find IconCache or IconCache.db. Right-click it and select Delete.
Step 9: Close the File Explorer.
Step 10: Restart the PC.
Once the PC is restarted, you might find your disappearing taskbar icons on the screen.
Method 7 – Run An Antivirus Program
For computer users, they know exactly how terrible a virus can cause to your PC, from a tiny error to much bigger cancers. Your windows 10 taskbar icons disappearing all of a sudden may have resulted from this dangerous threat as well. Fortunately, you can resolve this by running an antivirus scan.
Method 8 – Use Command Prompt
If those methods mentioned earlier do not work, you might need to try a more complicated method, with Command Prompt. Remember to use the administrator account before proceeding with the following steps.
The purpose of this method is to run a DISM scan and SFC scan on the PC. While we use DISM to see whether SFC is working properly or not, SFC will scan the device for any missing or corrupted system files.
Step 1: Launch Start, and in Search, Type cmd and Locate Command Prompt.
Step 2: Right-click the Command Prompt and select the first option.
Step 3: Enter the command: DISM/Online/Cleanup-image/Scanhealth and Press Enter. Now, wait until the scan is completed.
Step 4: Type the command: DISM/Online/Cleanup-image/Restorehealth and press Enter.
You can see the message that the process was completed after a couple of seconds.
Step 5: Restart the PC to apply the change.
Or you can access Command Prompt this way.
Step 1: Press together Windows + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Step 2: Click on Yes so that the app can make changes in the PC.
Step 3: In the Command Prompt screen, type: DISM/Online/Cleanup-image/Scanhealth and Press Enter. Now, wait until the scan is completed.
Step 4: Type the command: DISM/Online/Cleanup-image/Restorehealth and press Enter.
No more than a minute, there will be a message showing that the process was completed.
Step 5: Restart the PC to apply the change.
To run SFC scan:
Step 1: Launch Command Prompt as in the mentioned steps.
Step 2: Type the command SFC/scannow and press Enter.
Wait until the scan is completed.
Step 3: Close Command Prompt and Restart the PC.
Method 9 – Disable Controlled Folder access
Windows 10 features the Controlled Folder access to protect your data from being modified by potential threats such as viruses, ransomware, and malware. Sometimes, it is the culprit behind the Windows 10 taskbar icons disappeared. Then, what you need to do is simply turn off the access.
Step 1: Launch Start, and in Search, type Windows Security.
Step 2: Choose Virus & Threat protection.
Step 3: Locate Ransomware protection and Choose Manage ransomware protection.
Step 4: Switch off the Control folder access button to disable it.
Or you can do it in this way.
Step 1: Launch Start, Go to Settings and Locate Update & Security on the left.
Step 2: Choose Virus & Threat protection.
Step 3: Locate and switch off the Control folder access button.
Method 10 – Edit Windows Registry
Editing Registry helps users correct any corruption and errors or avoid any unwanted system activity. However, the process might cause harm to the device, particularly when you edit in a wrong entry. Thus, we recommend you to back up the Registry before following these steps.
Step 1: Launch Start and Select Run
Step 2: In the Run dialogue, Type Regedit to launch Registry Editor.
Step 3: Locate the TrayNotify folder by following the below address:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\LocalSettings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify.
Step 4: In the folder, Right-click IconStream and Delete its values.
Step 5: Right-click PastIconStream and Delete its values.
If it is not effective, you can try System Restore, protecting and repairing the PC’s software. It also saves system files and Windows Registry as a restore point so that you can use it in case of any install failure or data corruption.
The System Restore brings the PC system back to the working condition by returning the files and settings as in the restore point. To create the store point, follow these steps:
Step 1: Launch Start and Access Search in the Taskbar.
Step 2: Type Create a restore point and choose from the results.
Step 3: In System Properties, navigate to the System Protection tab.
Step 4: Click on Create to create a restore point.
Step 5: Write a description, then click on Select and OK.
Method 11: Reinstall Taskbar Applications
This method will help you re-register and reinstall all Windows apps built by default on your computer. You have two ways to perform this method:
Step 1: Click Windows 10 Search, search PowerShell
Step 2: Select Run as administrator after right-clicking on Windows PowerShell
Step 3: In the PowerShell window, copy and paste the following commands, press the Enter button to run it.
Get-AppxPackage-AllUsers|Foreach{Add-AppxPackage-DisableDevelopmentMode-Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
Or you can choose this way to get started:
Step 1: Right-click the Start button, then select Windows PowerShell (Admin)
Step 2: This step is the same as Step 3 of the first way: Copy the following commands in the PowerShell window, press the Enter button to run the command.
Get-AppxPackage-AllUsers|Foreach{Add-AppxPackage-DisableDevelopmentMode-Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
Then, press Enter and wait for a computer for a couple of minutes to complete the process. When this process is finished, restart your PC to see if the missing icons are back or not.
Method 12: Clear Temporary Files
Programs usually store temporary files on your computer’s hard drive. Unfortunately, these files begin to take up pretty much space when the time adds up, which might cause taskbar icons missing. Don’t worry as you can easily solve them.
Step 1: Right-click Start, choose Run – the third button from the bottom to open the Run Command window. Or you can press the combination Windows key + R from your keyboard.
Step 2: Type %tempt% in the Run Command window and click the OK button.
Step 3: Delete every file located in this folder to clear all temp files
After these steps, don’t forget to restart your computer before continuing to work with it.
Method 13: Turn off Tablet Mode
To create a touch-friendly interface for users, manufacturers have added the Tablet mode, whose function is to disappear all taskbar icons. So, first of all, you can check whether you are in Tablet mode or not. If you want everything backs to normal Desktop mode, you can fix it with some simple manipulation:
Step 1: Click the icon looking like a message icon in the bottom right of your screen.
Step 2: Check the Tablet Mode in the quick settings list. If its icon is highlighted in the picture below, click it once more to return it to normal desktop mode.
To avoid you may turn on the Tablet Mode by accident, you completely can disable this mode with the following steps:
Step 1: Open Settings windows by pressing Windows key + I together
Step 2: Choose the System icons
Step 3: From the left pane, scroll down and click on the Table section
Step 4: Then, select “Never use tablet mode” in the first statement “When I sign up”
After all, it would be best if you restart your PC and hope that your missing icons from the Taskbar are back.
Method 14: Use System Restore in Windows 10
If you have tried all the methods we mentioned above and still find them ineffective, you can restore your computer’s system to undo the latest changes that may be the root of your issue. Of course, this method can only be applied when Restore System points are available.
Step 1: Open This PC directly by double-clicking on its icons on the main screen, or you can also open it through File Explorer.
Step 2: On the left side, right-click these PC icons and select Properties. Your computer will open a new window of Settings.
Step 3: Scrolling down to the end of the page. When you see the Related settings section, select System Protection. It is the fourth out of six choices, right after BitLocker settings, Device Manager, and Remote desktop.
Step 4: When you are prompted, type the Admin Password to change to the following screen.
Step 5: Next, decide the Drive you want to restore, select it, and click on System Restore.
Step 6: Click the Next button on the next System Restore screen.
Step 7: When you are staying on this screen, check out the option “Show more restore points” and choose the Restore points you wish to use.
Step 8: Continue to click on the Next button.
Note: You should be aware of clicking “Scan for affected programs” after choosing the restore point so that you can view which apps may be removed after the restoring process.
Step 9: Then, click the Finish button to begin the process
Step 10: Now, you must see the pop-up showing the running System Restore process.
Step 11: The process finishes when there will be a pop-up demonstrating that your computer has been restored.
Because this process makes your computer return to the state it was in before the event in the Description field, you can see your computer working in the same condition as before.
Method 15 – Create And Use a New User Account
As we mentioned above, you can only run the System Restore system if Restore System Points are available. So, in the other case, is there any way that helps you fix the missing taskbar icons issue?
The answer is yes. And that is creating a new account and starting to use that instead. Let us show you how.
Step 1: Click the Start button on the bottom left of your screen and choose the Settings icons.
Step 2: Go for the Accounts section on the settings screen
Step 3: On the following screen, choose “Family & other users” on the left side, while on the right side, select “Add someone else to this PC.”
Step 4: Next, click on the link at the bottom of the pop-up “I don’t have this person’s sign-up information”
Step 5: Then, choose the third option, “Add a user without a Microsoft account”
Step 6: After step 5, there must be a familiar screen for Windows Account Creation. Type your Username, enter the Passwords twice to create a new user account, and click on the Next button.
Step 7: After clicking Next, you can see the new account you have just created on the Account screen. That also means you have successfully created a new local account.
Note: For this method, you have to log in as an Administrator to use the above steps.
Creating a new account deals with the problem you are struggling with and is extremely effective in preventing children from destroying your vital files or making significant changes to your account.
Method 16 – Update Your Computer
If you do not want to use Method 9 for fear of getting troublesome problems tracing roots from multiple accounts, we still have the last way for you. We suggest that you update your computer as there may be an error linking to your older version of Windows 10.
So, go to Update & Security in the Settings screen and check for any recent update yet. Microsoft releases security patches more than once a month, so be assured that you won’t have to wait long before any major issues are resolved.
The Bottom Line
We understand how astonished and frustrated you are when your taskbar icons one day disappear all of a sudden. That is why we hope that this article about Fix Taskbar Icons Missing / Disappear In Windows 10 might do you good.
