How to fix missing or blank taskbar icons in Windows 10 and 11

Restart the Windows Explorer process

Restarting the Windows Explorer process will refresh the user interface and may fix issues like missing or blank taskbar icons without closing your other running programs or affecting your data.

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Escape) keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open Task Manager (or right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager).
2. Find the Windows Explorer process.
3. Right-click Windows Explorer and choose Restart.

Your desktop icons, taskbar, start menu, notification area, and system tray will disappear for a short moment while the process restarts.

Clear icon cache

1. Open File Explorer.
2. On Windows 11, click View in the top toolbar > hover over Show > click Hidden items. On Windows 10, click the View tab in the top toolbar and check the box next to Hidden items.
   
3. Go to (C:) > Users > YourUserName > AppData > Local.
4. Delete the IconCache.db file.
5. Restart your computer.

Don't worry, Windows will rebuild the IconCache.db file automatically.

Update Windows

A bug in the Windows operating system might be causing the missing or blank taskbar icons issue. Installing the latest update may fix it.

• If you're using Windows 11, go to Settings > Windows Update. On Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
• On the right side of the Settings window, click Check for updates, then download and install any available updates.

Repair System Files (DISM & SFC)

System File Checker (SFC) is a built-in Windows tool that checks system files and repairs them if required.

To run System File Checker:

1. Right-click the Windows Start menu button.
2. Click Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Type (or copy and paste) the following command:

   
   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
   
   

4. Press Enter.
5. Wait for the verification to reach 100%. This process may take some time. It may appear stuck at around 60% for a few minutes. Do not close the window.
6. Once DISM is finished, type:

   
   sfc /scannow
   
   

7. Press Enter.
8. Wait for the scan to complete. This process may take some time. SFC will show you whether it found corrupt system files and successfully repaired them.
9. Restart your computer.

Note: DISM provides the files required to repair your corrupted system files; therefore, Microsoft recommends running DISM prior to running the System File Checker (sfc /scannow).

If the System File Checker tool is unable to fix corrupt files, visit my fix 'SFC unable to fix corrupt files' page.

Uninstall a recent Windows update

If the taskbar icons disappeared or turned into blank white paper boxes after a recent Windows update, you can uninstall the update to try to get the icons back again.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click Windows Update.
3. Click Update history.
4. Click Uninstall updates in the “Related settings” section.
5. Click Uninstall next to the update you want to remove.
6. Once the update is uninstalled, restart your computer.

If uninstalling a recent update fixed your problem, wait a week or so before installing the update again. Quality updates get released on patch Tuesday, and sometimes these updates cause problems. And if Microsoft releases a bad update and the update causes a lot of problems, they usually pull back the update two or three days after the release day. And by the weekend, when your computer searches for updates, it's either fixed or already been pulled.

Delete the Iris service

The Iris service handles wallpapers for Windows Spotlight, lock screen suggestions, etc. However, according to Microsoft, this service can also cause various problems with the taskbar, including missing icons.

This solution will delete the Iris service, restart your PC, and then recreate the Iris service.

1. Right-click the Windows Start menu button.
2. Click Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Type (or copy and paste) the following command:

   
   reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService /f && shutdown -r -t 0
   
   

4. Press Enter.

This command will delete the Iris service, restart your computer, and then recreate the Iris service.

Update graphics drivers

Outdated graphics drivers can cause problems with Windows graphical user interface elements, including taskbar icons. Updating these drivers can fix problems with user interface elements.

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard simultaneously to open the Run dialog.
2. Type devmgmt.msc.
3. Press Enter or click OK.
4. Expand Display adapters.
5. Right-click your graphics card.
6. Select Update driver.
7. In the next window, select Search automatically for drivers.
8. If Device Manager says that you already installed the best drivers, click Search for updated drivers on Windows Update.
9. Close the window if your driver was updated successfully.
10. If you have more than one display adapter, repeat the above steps for every display adapter.