Forum Discussion
No icons on explorer, desktop, taskbar and everywhere
Hi everyone, I really need your help. I've searched all over the internet and tried every possible tutorial and command I could find: deleted the iconcache.db, ran sfc / scannow, and followed sev...
Hi warch,
Since you’ve already deleted the icon cache and run sfc /scannow, the usual fixes won’t help. A few advanced steps that often resolve missing system icons without reinstalling Windows:
- Check for profile corruption – create a new local admin account and see if icons appear there.
- Inspect the registry – look under:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons
for unusual or corrupted entries, back up the key, and remove suspicious ones.
- Disable third-party shell/theme software – custom docks, theme engines, or context menu tools can hide icons.
These steps usually restore icons without resetting Windows.