Fixed: How to Recover Files When Windows 10 Desktop Icons Are Missing
"This Morning, when I started my Windows 10, I had no icons on the desktop. Now, my only access to the computer is through the Start Button. What can I do to get my desktop icon back? There are a lot of important files and folders on my desktop. They also have gone with desktop icons! Please help me!"
When facing a situation where desktop icons are missing or lost desktop files in Windows 10, remain calm and follow the solutions below to recover them. To start, check if the icons are hidden by looking for a "Show desktop icons" option in the taskbar or by pressing the Windows key + D. If they are hidden, unhide them.
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Fix 1. Enable the Icons Visibility | Try every USB port available. Click the "Start" menu and search for "Settings" and then click on "Update & Security". From there, click on "Recovery" and then "Restart now" under "Advanced startup". This will take you to the Windows Recovery Environment. From there, you can try to start your computer in Safe Mode, which can help you troubleshoot the issue.Full steps |
| Fix 2. Show All Desktop Icons | On the desktop, right-To show desktop icons, click your mouse and select "view" from the menu. Then, check for the "Show desktop icons" option in the dropdown list.Full steps |
| Fix 3. Disable the Tablet Mode | Open the "Settings" again and click on "System" to open the system settings. In the system settings, click on "Display" to open the display settings. In the display settings, click on the "Graphics" tab to open the graphics settings. In the graphics settings, click on the "Driver" tab to open the driver settings.Full steps |
| Fix 4. Recover Missing Desktop Files | Run Deep Data Recovery, select location to scan lost folder...Full steps |
Quick Fixes for "Desktop Icons Are Missing in Windows 10"
There three possible ways in tall on this page, you can try them one by one to check which one can help you get the missing Windows 10 desktop icons back.
Step 1. Enabling the Desktop Icons Visibility
- Click the "Start" menu and Search for "Settings".
- To change the theme in Windows 10, go to Settings, then click on "Personalization", and from there select the "Themes" tab from the left pane.
- To enable the visibility of desktop icons, click on "Desktop icon settings" to open the settings.
- Select the icons you want to show on the desktop and click "Apply" and "OK" buttons afterwards.
Step 2. Show All Windows Desktop Icons
- On the desktop, right-click your mouse and select "view".
- To show desktop icons, go to the View tab and check the box that says "Show desktop icons" at the bottom. If it's unchecked, click on it to mark it as checked.
- Then, you will get your missing icons back at once.
Step 3. Disable the Tablet Mode
Windows 10 has two built-Windows 10 has two types of modes: Desktop and Tablet. If Tablet mode is enabled, the Windows 10 desktop icon will be missing.
- To access the system settings, open the "Settings" app and click on the "System" option. This will allow you to make changes to your system settings.
- To resolve the issue of desktop icons being hidden, go to the left pane of the Settings window, click on "Tablet mode", and toggle it off. This should allow your desktop icons to become visible again. Once done, close the Settings window and verify if your desktop icons are now visible.
How to Recover All Missing Desktop Files
Files can easily get lost when desktop icons disappear, and other issues like hard drive formatting, OS crashes, viruses, or storage media corruption can also lead to data loss. However, with an effective file recovery tool, you don't have to worry. Qiling data recovery software is particularly useful in difficult circumstances, allowing you to recover deleted, formatted, or inaccessible data in various data loss cases.
Step 1. Launch Deep Data Recovery in Windows 11/10/8/7. Choose file types and click "Next" to begin the recovery process.
Step 2. Choose the place where you lost data. Then, click "Scan".
Step 3. After scanning, use the file format filter on the left or upper right corner to find the files you need, and then click the "Preview" button or double-click a file to view its content.
Step 4. To recover lost data, select the file that was lost, check the box next to it, and click the "Recover" button to restore the data to a secure location.
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