6 Effective Solutions to Fix Taskbar Icons Not Appearing on Windows 11
Resolve the issue of missing taskbar icons on Windows 11 effortlessly with these 6 effective fixes Get your icons back with simple steps and enjoy a seamless user experience
Some Noticeable Information
The taskbar may stop showing pinned apps due to broken icon cache, a temporary bug, or corrupted system files.
To resolve the issue with the taskbar, begin by restarting Windows Explorer. If this doesn't resolve the problem, you may attempt additional troubleshooting methods. These include deleting the Iris service, rebuilding the icon cache, uninstalling a recent Windows update, or performing a clean boot.
If the icons on the Windows 11 taskbar suddenly disappear, it is most likely due to issues such as a broken icon cache, a bug in a recent Windows update, corrupted system files, or interference from a third-party program.
If your Windows 11 taskbar icons have vanished, try the following steps to resolve the issue.
1. Restart Windows Explorer
To begin, first restart Windows Explorer. This action will cause the taskbar, desktop icons, and Start menu to momentarily vanish and then reappear within a few seconds.
The most expedient approach to restarting Windows Explorer is through the utilization of the Windows Task Manager. To accomplish this, simply press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager (alternatively, there are other methods to initiate the Task Manager on Windows.)
In the Task Manager, right-click "Windows Explorer" and select "Restart".
Once Windows Explorer restarts, check whether the taskbar icons are back. If not, continue with the guide.
2. Rebuild the Icon Cache
To optimize efficiency and conserve resources, Windows generates an icon cache, serving as a comprehensive compilation of icons for all installed applications on your computer. This compilation enables Windows to promptly exhibit an application's icon.
Nevertheless, there are instances when the icon cache becomes corrupted, resulting in incorrect or absent icons. To address this issue, it is necessary to restore the icon cache.
To do this, press Windows+E to open File Explorer. Then, click "View" in the top bar, hover "Show", and check the "Hidden items" option.
Now, navigate to the following location:
C:\Users\%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows
Right-click the "Explorer" folder and click "Open in Terminal".
In the Terminal window, type "dir" and hit Enter. This command will display the contents of the Explorer folder, which will include the icon cache and thumb cache files.
Now, launch Task Manager, right-click on "Windows Explorer", and select "End task" from the menu. This action will terminate the Windows Explorer process and cause the desktop to vanish. Afterwards, proceed to close the Task Manager, ensuring that no other applications are running in the background except for the Windows Terminal.
Return to Windows Terminal, type the following command, and press Enter. This command will delete all the icon cache files:
del iconcache*
After executing the command, restart your computer and check if the problem continues.
3. Delete the Iris Service
The Iris service, which is a component of Windows Spotlight, is responsible for managing features such as the daily Bing wallpaper and Microsoft advertisements. However, Microsoft has acknowledged that this service can occasionally lead to issues with the taskbar, including the specific problem you are currently facing.
To resolve the issue, try recreating the Iris service. Follow these steps:
1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type the following command and press Enter:
reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService /f && shutdown -r -t 0
This command will delete the Iris service and then restart your computer.
After your computer restarts, the taskbar icons should reappear and the Iris service will be recreated.
4. Run SFC and DISM Scan
If deleting the IRIS service did not resolve the issue, attempt to perform a System File Checker (SFC) scan. This is an integrated Windows tool designed to scan and restore any corrupted files. Follow these steps to run the SFC scan:
1. Open the "Command Prompt" as an administrator.
2. Type the command provided below into the Command Prompt window.
3. Press the Enter key to execute the command.
sfc /scannow
The scan may require a significant amount of time, particularly if it detects any damaged files on your computer.
If the SFC scan did not provide a resolution, you have the option to perform a Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) scan. To initiate this, execute the following commands sequentially within an elevated Command Prompt window:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
After the DISM scan is complete, restart your computer.
5. Perform a Clean Boot
To resolve the issue of missing taskbar icons, you can try performing a clean boot on your computer. Simply open the Start menu, enter "System Configuration" in the search field, and hit Enter.
Switch to the "Services" tab, and check the "Hide all Microsoft services" box. Then, click "Disable all".
Click the "Startup" tab, and click "Open Task Manager". Right-click all the startup applications in the Task Manager and click "Disable". After that, restart your device.
After restarting your computer, verify if the taskbar icons have reappeared. If they have, it means that one of the services or startup applications that you disabled was causing the problem.
To identify the responsible element, enable each service or application individually until the taskbar icons vanish once more. After pinpointing the culprit, consider uninstalling it or obtaining any applicable driver updates.
6. Uninstall a Recent Windows Update
If your taskbar icons have disappeared after downloading a Windows update, it is possible that the update has a bug which caused the issue. In such a case, the solution is to uninstall the update. To uninstall the update, you can open the Settings app and navigate to Windows Update, then click on Update history and select Uninstall updates.
Click on the "Uninstall" option located next to the latest update you have downloaded. Once the uninstallation process is finished, proceed to restart your computer. You will then observe that the taskbar icons have been restored.
If you have not updated Windows in a while, it can also cause this issue. To prevent any problems, make sure to download any available Windows updates.
To resolve the problem of pinned applications not appearing on the taskbar, follow these steps. Once the taskbar is functioning correctly, you can personalize it by changing its color and adjusting its size to your liking.
Editor's P/S
As a Gen Z fan, I am quite familiar with the issue of taskbar icons not appearing on Windows 11. It can be frustrating when you can't access your favorite apps quickly and easily. I have tried a few of the solutions mentioned in the article, such as restarting Windows Explorer and rebuilding the icon cache, and they have worked for me.
However, I think the best solution is to simply delete the Iris service. This has fixed the problem for me and I haven't had any issues since. I hope this helps other Gen Z fans who are experiencing the same issue.
