The icon from the program shortcut has disappeared. Icons are not displayed on the desktop: troubleshooting instructions

Frequent users Windows are faced with the sudden disappearance of shortcuts from the desktop. Let's take a closer look at all the effective methods.

Reasons for missing labels

Built-in virtualization and persistent memory services are responsible for displaying application shortcuts (icons) on the desktop. If at least one of these components fails, problems appear with displaying the contents of the workspace.

Reasons for missing label:

The program has been removed – the most banal but common reason. If several people use one computer at once, misunderstandings may arise with the removal of programs. You could also accidentally delete the application's root folder on your hard drive or uninstall the software and forget about it;

Registry error. Errors in OS registry entries can lead to the disappearance of not only shortcuts, but also program data. The problem can be solved by manually changing the contents of entries;

Deactivating the function display desktop elements. As a result of a system update or personal settings, the option that is responsible for adding and visibility of shortcuts to the workspace may be disabled. Re-enabling the option will help fix the problem;

One-time failure in the conductor's work Windows;

Action of malware . can hide the contents of PC memory and replace program shortcuts with installation files containing malware.

The program has been uninstalled

If you notice thatshortcut disappeared from desktop, restore object is not always possible. Due to the deletion of a program, the file to launch it automatically disappears from the system. Before attempting to return a shortcut, make sure that the desired program is still installed on your computer:

Click on the system search field and enter “Install and remove”;

Open the found window. In earlier versions of Windows, you need to open the Control Panel using the Start menu and find the desired field in the window;

In the window that opens, check the list of applications and find if the required software is not in the list, it has been removed from the system. Re-installation is required, after which the shortcut will appear on the desktop again.

Method to restore shortcut No. 1 – Run command Explorer. EXE

Let's consider the simplest way,how to restore a shortcut. To do this, you need to start the built-in service, which activates the file manager. In the search enter the word “ Explorer " As a result, the system will find the required command. Run it:

After execution EXE -file, standard explorer will be restarted. If the reason for the missing shortcut was a one-time bug, the object will appear on the desktop again.

To open the Explorer command. EXE in older OS versions Windows, open the "My Computer" window . Then go to drive C, open the directory called " Windows " It contains the required executable file. Launching the application will allowrestore missing shortcuts.

Method 2 – Setting the display mode of desktop elements

A user of any version of Windows OS can customize the desktop: select the size of icons, define grid parameters, hide shortcuts and folders. You may have accidentally deactivated the shortcut display feature, causing them to disappear from the system.

Follow the instructions to find outhow to restore desktop shortcuts W indows using the settings panel:

Right-click on an empty area of ​​the desktop;

In the context menu that appears, select “View”;

Then check the box next to “Display desktop icons”.

Method 3 – Registry Editor

An effective way torecover deleted shortcut– manually edit the necessary registry entries.

Follow the instructions:

Open the Run window using a keyboard shortcut Win and R;

In a new window, enter the command Regedit and confirm the action;

As a result, it will open registry editor Open the directory on the left side of the windowLocal Machine-Software-Microsoft-Windows NT-Winlogon.A list of commands will appear on the right side of the window. Click on the object Shell and get it working.

After finishing working with the system registry, it is recommended to restart the computer. After restarting the operating system, all shortcuts will return to the desktop.

Method 4 – Personalization Settings

On Windows 8/10 A window appeared for setting up and personalizing the desktop. With its help, users can not only choose the design they like, but also set their own options for displaying workspace elements.

Follow the instructions to activate the display of folders and shortcuts in the system:

Right-click on the desktop image and click on “Personalization” in the context menu;

In the new window, find the field to search for options and enter the text “Display desktop elements” into it and click Enter ;

The System Explorer settings window will automatically open. In it, click on the “Restore default settings” button and save the changes;

Restart your computer.

If you turn on your computer and see a completely clean desktop, do not panic and immediately think about reinstalling the operating system.

Perhaps you have simply become the object of a prank on your comrades - then restoring your desktop will be a one-minute task. But it is also possible that this is the work of a virus. In this case, you will have to tinker a little, but it’s still fixable.

So, if you find yourself the target of a prank, then most likely the first option will suit you.

Option 1: Display desktop icons.

Right-click on an empty space on the desktop (I think it won’t be difficult to find an empty space). Select “Arrange icons” and check the box “Display desktop icons”

The result will not appear immediately, but with a delay of 3–10 seconds, it all depends on the performance of your computer. If that doesn't help, move on to option 2.

But before performing the steps described below, check your computer for viruses. Otherwise, you will correct errors, and after rebooting the system everything will remain as it was.

Option 2. Start the explorer.exe process manually.

One of the tasks of explorer.exe is to display the desktop.

1. Press the saving key combination “Ctrl”+”Alt”+”Delete”.

explorer.exe and click “OK”.

5. Reboot the computer.

If an error appears that the explorer.exe file was not found or the problem remains after a reboot, then we will try to restore the system, i.e. let's move on to option 3.

Option 3. System Restore.

1. Again press the same “Ctrl”+”Alt”+”Delete”.

2. In the “Windows Task Manager” window, go to the “Applications” tab and click the “New task...” button.

4. In the “Create a new task” window, in the “Open” field, type the command %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe and click “OK”.

The “System Restore” window appears:

If there are no control points, then most likely you have disabled the option to create control points and you will have to move on to the fourth option.

Option 4: Editing the registry.

If system restore did not help and you still do not see desktop shortcuts, you will have to launch the system registry editor.

1. Press the same “Ctrl”+”Alt”+”Delete”.

2. In the “Windows Task Manager” window, go to the “Applications” tab and click the “New task...” button.

regedit and click “OK”. The “Registry Editor” window appears:

4. Sequentially expand the registry keys up to the “Image File Execution Options” section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Image File Execution Options/

5. Expand the “Image File Execution Options” section and look for the “explorer.exe” and “iexplorer.exe” subsections. If any of the subsections are found, then it must be deleted.

6. Right-click on the subsection and in the menu that opens, select “Delete” and confirm the request.

9. Now let’s check the launch parameters of explorer.exe; to do this, expand the registry keys to the “Winlogon” section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon/

10. Left-click on the “Winlogon” section and in the right part of the registry editor window we find the “Shell” parameter.

11. Right-click on this parameter and select the “Change” menu item.

12. In the “Change string parameter” window, the value field should say explorer.exe and nothing else; if this is not the case, then correct it.

13. Click the “OK” button, close all windows and restart the computer.

If you can connect to the Internet, you can restore your desktop shortcuts in the following ways:

Option 5. Run the reg file.

2. In the “Windows Task Manager” window, go to the “Applications” tab and click the “New task...” button.

3. In the “Create a new task” window, in the “Open” field, type the command

2. We agree to make changes to the registry.

3. Reboot the computer.

Option 6. Running a vbs script.

1. Press “Ctrl”+”Alt”+”Delete”.

2. In the “Windows Task Manager” window, go to the “Applications” tab and click the “New task...” button.

3. In the “Create a new task” window, in the “Open” field, type the command C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE and click “OK”. The Internet Explorer browser will launch.

4. Enter the address of this page in the address bar and press “Enter”

2. Reboot the computer.

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Sometimes this happens when, when you go to the computer desktop, you suddenly see that all the icons are missing. Let's find out what this may be related to and what ways we can correct the situation.

Disappearance of desktop icons can happen for a variety of reasons. First of all, it is quite possible that the specified function has been manually deactivated using standard means. The problem may also be caused by a process failure. The possibility of a virus infection of the system should not be discounted.

Method 1: Recovering after physically deleting icons

First of all, let's consider such a banal option as physically deleting icons. This situation can happen, for example, if you are not the only person with access to this computer. Badges can be removed by an ill-wisher simply to annoy you, or simply by accident.

1. To check this, try creating a new shortcut. Right-click ( RMB) in place on the desktop. From the list, select "Create", then click "Label".



2. In the shortcut creation shell, click "Review…".



3. The File and Folder Browser tool will launch. Select any object in it. For our purposes, it doesn't matter which one. Click "OK".
4. Then press "Further".



5. In the next window, click "Ready".



6. If the shortcut appears, it means that all icons that previously existed have been physically removed. If the shortcut does not appear, this means that the problem should be looked for elsewhere. Then try to solve the problem using the methods discussed below.



7. But is it possible to recover deleted shortcuts? It’s not a fact that it will work out, but there is a chance. Call the shell "Run" typing Win+R. Enter:

   shell:RecycleBinFolder

   Click "OK".



8. A window opens "Baskets". If you see missing labels there, consider yourself lucky. The fact is that with standard deletion, files are not completely deleted, but are initially sent to "Basket". If, in addition to icons, in "Basket" there are other elements, then select the ones you need by clicking on them with the left mouse button ( LMB) and simultaneously holding down Ctrl. If in "Basket" If only the objects to be restored are located, then you can select all the contents by clicking Ctrl+A. After this, click RMB by allocation. Select from the menu "Restore".



9. The icons will return to the desktop.

But what if "Basket" was it empty? Unfortunately, this means that the objects have been completely deleted. Of course, you can try to perform recovery by using special utilities. But this will be akin to shooting sparrows from a cannon and will take a lot of time. It will be faster to create frequently used shortcuts manually again.

Method 2: Enable icon display in the standard way

The display of desktop icons can be disabled manually. This could be done by another user as a joke, by small children, or even by mistake by you. The easiest way to fix this situation is.

Method 3: Start the explorer.exe process

Icons on the desktop may also disappear due to the fact that the explorer.exe process is not running on the PC. The specified process is responsible for the work "Windows Explorer", that is, for the graphic display of almost all elements of the system, except for wallpaper, including desktop shortcuts. The main sign that the reason for the absence of icons lies precisely in the disabling of explorer.exe is that there will also be no icons on the monitor. "Task bar" and other controls.

Disabling this process can happen for many reasons: system failures, incorrect interaction with third-party software, virus penetration. We will look at how to reactivate explorer.exe so that the icons return to their original place.

Method 4: Fixing the system registry

If using the previous method it was not possible to activate explorer.exe or if after restarting the computer it disappeared again, then the problem of missing icons may be due to problems in the registry. Let's see how we can fix them.

Since manipulations with entries in the system registry will be described below, we strongly advise you to do so before moving on to specific actions.

1. To go to "Registry Editor" apply the combination Win+R to call the tool "Run". Enter:

   Click "OK" or Enter.



2. A shell called "Registry Editor", in which you will need to perform a series of manipulations. To navigate through registry sections, use the tree-shaped navigation menu, which is located on the left side of the editor window. If the list of registry keys is not visible, then click on the name "Computer". A list of the main registry keys will open. Go by name "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE". Next click "SOFTWARE".



3. A very large list of sections opens. You need to find the name in it "Microsoft" and click on it.



4. Again a long list of sections opens. Find in it "WindowsNT" and click on it. Next, go by name "CurrentVersion" And "Image File Execution Options".



5. A large list of subsections opens again. Look for subsections with the name "iexplorer.exe" or "explorer.exe". The point is that these subsections should not be here. If you find both or one of them, then these subsections should be deleted. To do this, click on the name RMB. From the drop-down list, select "Delete".



6. After this, a dialog box appears asking whether you really want to delete the selected subsection with all its contents. Click "Yes".



7. If only one of the above subsections is present in the registry, then for the changes to take effect, you can immediately restart the computer, having first saved all unsaved documents in open programs. If there is a second unwanted subsection in the list, then in this case, first delete it, and only then reboot.
8. If the actions taken did not help or you did not find the unwanted sections discussed above, then in this case you need to check another registry subsection - "Winlogon". It is in the section "CurrentVersion". We have already talked about how to get there above. So, select the name of the subsection "Winlogon". After this, go to the right main part of the window, where the string parameters of the selected section are located. Look for the string parameter "Shell". If you don’t find it, then with a high degree of probability we can say that this is the cause of the problem. Click on any free space on the right side of the shell RMB. In the list that appears, click "Create". In the additional list, select "String parameter".



9. In the generated object, instead of the name "New parameter..." drive in "Shell" and click Enter. Then you need to make a change in the properties of the string parameter. Double click on the name LMB.



10. The shell starts "Changing a string parameter". Enter in the field "Meaning" recording "explorer.exe". Then click Enter or "OK".



11. After that, in the list of registry key parameters "Winlogon" the string parameter should be displayed "Shell". In field "Meaning" will stand "explorer.exe". If everything is so, then you can restart your PC.

But there are cases when a string parameter exists in the right place, but the field "Meaning" empty or it corresponds to a name other than "explorer.exe". In this case, you need to perform the following actions.

Method 5: Antivirus scan

If these solutions to the problem did not help, then there is a possibility that your computer is infected with viruses. In this case, you need to scan the system with an antivirus utility. For example, you can use a program that has proven itself very well in such cases. It is recommended to perform the scan not from a theoretically infected computer, but from another machine. Or use a bootable flash drive for this purpose. This is due to the fact that when performing an operation from an already infected system, there is a high probability that the antivirus will not be able to detect the threat.

During the scanning procedure and if malicious code is detected, follow the recommendations that the anti-virus utility gives in the dialog box. After virus removal is complete, you may need to activate the explorer.exe process via "Task Manager" And "Registry Editor" in the ways discussed above.

Method 6: Rollback to a restore point or reinstall the OS

If none of the methods discussed above helped, then you can try to roll back to the last system restore point. An important condition is the presence of such a recovery point at the time when the icons were displayed normally on the desktop. If a restore point was not created during this period, then you will not be able to solve the problem this way.

If you still do not find a suitable restore point on your computer or rolling back to it does not help solve the problem, then in this case the most radical option to resolve the situation remains - reinstalling the operating system. But this step should be approached only when all other possibilities have been tested and have not given the expected result.

As you can see from this lesson, there are quite a few different reasons why desktop icons may disappear. Each reason, naturally, has its own way to solve the problem. For example, if the display of icons was disabled in the settings using standard methods, then no manipulations with processes in "Task Manager" They won't help you put the labels back in place. Therefore, first of all, you need to establish the cause of the problem, and only then start solving it. It is recommended to search for the causes and perform recovery manipulations in exactly the order presented in this article. You should not immediately reinstall the system or roll it back, because the solution can be very simple.

Some users are accustomed to keeping their desktop (just like the partitions on their hard drive) “clean,” structuring its contents, or even completely, indulging in the trend of minimalism, leaving up to 5-10 shortcuts in sight. Such organization in work is sometimes overshadowed by failures, after which it is discovered that all the shortcuts from the desktop have disappeared.

This can happen due to incorrect settings or system problems. In any case, there is no reason to panic in this. We will explain why the shortcuts disappeared and consider in detail the most effective options for getting out of the situation.

Displaying icons

1. While on the desktop, you need to right-click on an empty area, causing the context menu to appear. In the list, select the “View” section, and then click on the option "Show desktop icons".

1. After completing the actions, a “bird” should be displayed next to this option, and the shortcuts themselves should appear in their previous location.

Accidental deletion

The reasons why shortcuts on the desktop disappeared may be associated not with critical failures and disruptions in the operation of individual elements of the system, but with the banal carelessness of a person who mistakenly deleted the shortcut(s). You can check the latter quite easily, simply.

To do this, right-click on the workspace of the table, selecting the “Create” option in the drop-down menu, and then clicking on “Shortcut”.

The “New Shortcut” element should appear at the cursor location. In addition, a wizard for creating new shortcuts will open. It must indicate the location of the file to which we want to configure quick access.

But you don’t need to choose anything, we check! Just move the mouse around this window. If a shortcut appears on your desktop, but there are no usual shortcuts, then you have enabled the display of icons, which was discussed in the first paragraph, but you still deleted your icons. This could have been done through negligence, or someone was just playing a joke on you.

After you figure everything out, the window for creating a shortcut can be closed using the “Cancel” button. And immediately start creating new icons.

Showing hidden elements

It is also possible that all your shortcuts did not disappear, but only received hidden status. You can change everything back in the Explorer service.

1. Let's start the service. To do this, just press the key combination Win + E on your keyboard.
2. Go to the “Desktop” directory.
3. Click on the option “View”.
4. Selecting a section "Show or hide".
5. Put a tick on the parameter "Hidden Elements".

Launching Explorer

Few people know, but the system file explorer.exe is responsible for the appearance of all elements (shortcuts, taskbar, Start menu) on the desktop during OS loading. If its operation fails and it no longer appears in the list of active tasks, then everything from the desktop will disappear. You can fix this as follows:

1. First, let's call "Task Manager"(by pressing the key combination Alt + Ctrl + Del, or through the Taskbar).

1. In the menu, select the “File” section, and in it click on the option "Run new task".

1. In the task creation window, in the empty column, enter the name of the file explorer.exe.

By completing the above steps, you will initiate the correct appearance of elements on the desktop.

Replacing a damaged explorer.exe file

If during the diagnostics you find a malfunction of the executable application explorer.exe, we recommend replacing it with a working copy. You can download a working file on the Internet (either separately or as part of an installation theme for Windows 7, 8, 10), or you can move a copy of explorer.exe from a working system (the file location is indicated below).

1. If there is a new file, we will replace it. The damaged file is located in the C:/Windows/ folder. Having previously copied the new version (using the Ctrl + C command), paste it into the specified folder (Ctrl + V), replacing the value.

1. Now we need to restart the file. This can be done in the task manager (ALT + CTRL + DEL). Go to the “Details” tab and find “explorer.exe” in the list provided. Select it, and then select the “End task” option (the success of the process should be confirmed by the missing elements on the desktop).

1. Now let's run the replaced executable file (see points 2 and 3 of section "Starting Explorer").

System Restore

If you don’t know why the icons disappeared, and the methods described above did not produce results, viruses are most likely to blame and you need to restore the system.

Using the AVZ utility

For our task, the ideal assistant would be an antivirus utility that eliminates the consequences of spyware and AdWare software.

1. You can download the program on our website (via the link above), or on the developer’s website. Let's launch AVZ.
2. In the menu, select the “File” section, and in it we find the parameter "System Restore".

1. In the settings window, select parameters 1; 5; 8-11; 16; 17. And then click “Perform marked operations”.

1. The program will start working, upon completion (after restarting the system) you will find the required shortcuts in their places.

Return to checkpoint

If, in addition to missing shortcuts, your system experiences serious failures, we advise you to “roll back” your OS to the last stable save point. This will allow you to “go back in time” to the moment the unpleasant situation occurred, and prevent exposure to the malware that caused the problem. On our website you can find detailed materials describing how to carry out a similar procedure:

Changing registry settings

The last troubleshooting option discussed today involves editing parameters in the Windows registry. This process should be resorted to last, since the slightest mistakes made when changing the registry can affect the operation of the entire system so much that you will have to install a “clean” Windows.

1. First, we need to call the standard Run service. This can be done by simultaneously pressing the Win + R keys.
2. In the input column, insert the command regedit. Press the "OK" key.

1. In the registry editor that opens, follow the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – SOFTWARE – Microsoft – Windows NT – CurrentVersion – Winlogon.
2. In the “Winlogon” directory we are interested in two keys:

• Shell should be explorer.exe
• Userinit must contain the path to the userinit.exe file looking like this − C:\Windows\system32\userinit.exe.

If the values ​​in the above items are distinguishable, correct them.

1. Let's go along the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options.
2. On the left side of the window (navigation section) we look for subsections explorer.exe / iexplorer.exe. If there are any, delete them by applying RMB to the subsection and selecting the “Delete” option.

1. Restart your computer to save the changes.

Regardless of which method of solving the problem helped you, you need to make sure that you have eliminated the root cause of the problem. It is recommended to scan your PC for malware, since otherwise, after restarting the system, it is quite possible that you will again encounter a situation where icons have disappeared from the desktop again.

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The disappearance of shortcuts on the Windows 7 desktop is one of the signs of a computer being infected with malware, in which the system file responsible for the functioning of the graphical shell of the OS has become damaged or is not launched correctly. To correct this situation, you must either restore the damaged data or correctly specify the path to it in the registry.

Ways to restore desktop icons

In Windows 7, the program explorer.exe, located on drive C in the Windows folder, is responsible for visualizing the desktop. If you change its parameters, the executable file will be read incorrectly, which can lead to the loss of not only all icons on the desktop, but also the taskbar.

You can restore all shortcuts using both standard applications built into the OS and additional software. The choice of one method or another depends on the criticality of the damage and the availability on the computer of the data required for resuscitation.

Activating the icon display feature

If all the icons on the Windows 7 desktop have disappeared, but the taskbar works normally, this may indicate that the shortcut display function has been disabled. If this is indeed the case, then all the icons should be present in the “Desktop” or Desktop folder, which is located on the system disk.

To restart this function you must:

If there are no icons in the Desktop catalog, it means that they were removed from the system due to the operation of malware or rash user actions. In this case, the recovery method described above will not work.

Manually launching explorer.exe

If the disappearance of icons from the Windows 7 desktop is not associated with damage to the explorer.exe application, then you can launch it manually from the Start menu or Task Manager. In the first case, you need to go to “Start” and in the “Run” tab type explorer.exe.

If the taskbar has disappeared along with all the icons, then to launch the above file you need to:

If, when you try to enter the “Task Manager”, the system blocks your actions, which can be observed when the computer is infected with a virus, then you will not be able to restore icons using this method.

Using the Registry

The file responsible for displaying shortcuts and visualizing the desktop is activated through a specific registry branch. When a computer is infected, it may happen that instead of launching explorer.exe, a virus program is opened. To fix this problem and, accordingly, restore the missing icons, you need to do the following:

After exiting the registry and restarting the PC, all desktop icons should be restored.

Applications of additional software

If shortcuts have disappeared on your PC, and for some reason you can’t enter the registry or run the explorer.exe command, you can try to restore your desktop using special software.

Such a program is the universal antivirus program AVZ. Its positive quality is that it can not only detect and clean the system of viruses, but also restore Windows system files, unlock access to the Task Manager, revive desktop icons and much more.

The procedure for working with this utility will be as follows:

After completing these steps, all icons on the desktop should be restored.