Fix Broken Shortcuts Windows 10
Icons are there to help us recognize an app and distinguish between different shortcuts and folders, so we can click on the one we need without wasting too much time reading the text instead. They make life simpler and help companies create brands. But some Windows 10 users see blank icons on their Windows 10 desktop. That is a strange error.
While it is not something major that will affect the functioning of your Windows 10 OS or any app that you are using, it can still be frustrating, especially when you want to launch an app or open a folder from your desktop. There are a few solutions I found that should help.
Let’s begin.
1. Update Apps and OS and Reboot
Broken shortcut fixer free download - Shortcut Virus Fixer, Hidden Fixer, CuperUtilities Shortcuts Fixer, and many more programs.
- Here's the solution which worked for me having an empty steam/games folder (the folder where the ICO files reside usually) after I reinstalled Steam. I'm using Windows 10. Go to Library - Games. Select the game you want to fix the blank shortcut icon for. Right click on the game, select Properties.
- Fix Shortcuts is a free utility that can help you fix or delete broken shortcuts on your computer. Features include scan and delete broken shortcuts, automatically fix all the broken shortcuts in.
- In this tutorial I'll be showing you how you can fix random blank or corrupted icons on your windows pc! If resetting the thumbnail cache by following along.
- Broken registry items does no harm. You don’t need to fix them. More importantly, you don’t need to pay for a service that offers you to fix broken registry items, which are essentially only unused registry items. But of course, we don’t want to rule out the possibility of any real issues in the registry items.
You know that’s the first thing we suggest. Open Settings and click on Update & Security.
Under Windows Update tab on the left, you will find any updates that are pending to be downloaded or installed on your PC. You can also check for updates manually.
Since this error is related to app icons, I would recommend updating apps to see if that resolves the missing or blank icons error. Open Windows Store, click on Download, and updates icon on the upper right. Mostly, you will see a number there if updates are found.
If not, I would suggest you check manually once. Click on Update all to begin.
When everything is updated, reboot your PC once and check if the icons reappear.
2. Uninstall Google Drive
Several users have reported that uninstalling Google Drive from their computer helped resolve the issue. If so, download a fresh copy of the app and try installing it again. If the problem persists, you will have to find an alternative or contact Google Drive support staff.
3. Reinstall Apps
Can you see icons for some apps and not for others. Maybe, the error is specific to some apps instead of being system wide? Updating apps didn’t work, did it? Try uninstalling the app and then reinstalling it from the Windows Store. You may also try installing it from the source site directly instead of using the Windows Store. It helped some users.
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Read More4. Icon Settings
Windows 10 comes with icon settings that you can tweak under Settings. These are for default desktop icons like Recycle bin and so on. Press Windows key+I to Open it and click on Personalization.
Under Themes, scroll to the bottom to select Desktop icon settings.
Select the item for which you are not seeing the icon and click on Change Icon here to replace it.
If that doesn’t work, try the Restore Default button on the same screen.
5. Change Icon Manually
In the case of apps, you can change the icon manually. To do so, right-click on the app and select Properties. You can also use the Alt+Enter shortcut when the app is selected. Under the Shortcut tab, click on Change Icon to begin.
If you have downloaded an icon pack from the web, you can browse to the folder and select that instead of going with the default options which are not so great, to be frank.
6. Update Display Adaptor Drivers
It is a long shot but still worth a try. Open the Device Manager and look for Display Adaptors. Update your graphics card drivers by right-clicking on it.
Fix Broken Desktop Shortcuts Windows 10
Select Update driver here and follow on-screen instructions.
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Read More7. DISM and SFC Scan
The DISM command will service the Windows image and repair irregularities with the system files. The SFC scan will scan for corrupt system files and try to repair it. Open the Command Prompt with admin rights and type these two commands one at a time.
You will find more info on this link.
8. Rebuild Icon Cache
It is probably the last thing you can do. Windows saves icon images as cache files to render them quickly when required, and without consuming too many resources. Over time, this cache memory could get corrupted or deleted. Sometimes, a recently installed third-party app may also interfere, as some users found with Google Drive.
To rebuild the icon cache, close all apps and windows. Everything. Open Command Prompt with admin rights from Windows Search.
Type this command to navigate to the directory where the icon cache is saved. You can copy and paste the commands. Press Ctrl+C to copy and right-click in Command Prompt to paste. Hit Enter when you see the command.
Now type this command to find out if the icon cache files are indeed in that location.
You should now see an output that should look like this.
- iconcache_1280.db
- iconcache_16.db
- iconcache_1920.db
- iconcache_256.db
- iconcache_2560.db
- iconcache_32.db
- iconcache_48.db
- iconcache_768.db
- iconcache_96.db
- iconcache_custom_stream.db
- iconcache_exif.db
- iconcache_idx.db
- iconcache_sr.db
- iconcache_wide.db
- iconcache_wide_alternate.db
Type this command to stop the File Explorer. Your desktop will stop responding and will go blank or black. That's cool.
Now, type this command to delete the icon cache files.
Now type this command to make sure that the files have been indeed deleted.
If you still see some database entries, then either some apps are still running (interfering) or you have not followed the steps correctly. Start from the beginning.
Finally, type this command to restart File Explorer.
Close the Command Prompt.
At this point, Windows 10 will reboot automatically, will recreate the icon cache files from scratch, and restart the File Explorer. That may take some time so be patient.
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#desktop
Click here to see our desktop articles pageIconic Icons
Some Icons are differently crafted and that's how most people recognize apps. That is another reason why icons are important. They help create brand recognition. While the missing or blank icons error is nothing to worry about, you should still try and resolve it to avoid future headaches.
Next up: Fancy using your Windows 10 computer in tablet mode? Click on the link below to learn how.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextBest 15 Tips and Tricks to Use Windows 10 in Tablet modeAlso See#windows 10 #troubleshooting
Did You Know
Fix Broken Desktop Shortcuts Windows 10
Cortana is integrated with Microsoft Edge.
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The efficiency of a computer user is dependent on how well the computer is organized and this involves the status of the shortcuts available in the system. This is because these shortcuts are instrumental in determining how fast the user is able to access the content of the files they link to.
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However, there is a risk of the shortcut being absolute, especially when the location of the file is changed by a different user.
Bad Shortcut Killer 2.0
Bad Shortcut Killer is a great software for fixing errors in shortcuts that do not work. With this tool, you will be able to scan and fix shortcuts that are broken or deleted or are no longer valid. The tool is great for ensuring that your start button is fast to load and tidy.
Wise Disk Cleaner
Wise Disk Cleaner offers a comprehensive solution for disk cleaning and fragmentation. In addition, the tool is also able to detect the broken and invalid shortcuts on your computer. After detecting it repairs the broken ones and eliminates the ones that are invalid. It is free and works on the windows platform.
Free System Cleaner
Free System Cleaner is a tool for the Windows platform that protects the integrity of the OS, boost performance and cleans up the system. In this process, this free software is able to fix the broken shortcuts while deleting the ones that are no longer valid.
Fix Shortcuts
Fix Shortcuts is a broken shortcut fixer software for the windows platform and supports all version from XP to Windows 10 and is compatible with both 32 and 64 bit systems. With this tool, the broken shortcuts can be fixed simply by a click and the damaged ones are deleted.
Other Platform
The use of broken shortcut fixes soft wares heavily depend on the individual platform as it involves a lot of internal working of the system. However, all the platforms have software in this category, thus it doesn’t matter which platform you ride, you have a chance to enjoy them.
Remo MORE – FREE for Android
Remo MORE is an Android App that assists users in managing their shortcuts for easy access to other Apps and documents. At the same time, the tool is an effective tracking system for kids and parents. You can identify their location when they are out of the home.
Broken Shortcut Fixer
Broken Shortcut Fixer is a tool that lets you be in control by managing your shortcuts. It features click “Scan Shortcuts” to repair the broken ones and delete the invalid shortcuts.
Most Popular Software – Free Shortcut Fix
Free Shortcut Fix is a comprehensive tool for the management of shortcuts on the Windows platform. With this program, you will be able to manage the desktop shortcuts, fix broken shortcuts and delete recent history. The tool will also allow you to view all the shortcuts in a form of a list.
What is Broken Shortcut Fixer Software?
A broken shortcut fixer software is a computer program that is dedicated to the optimization of the system by managing the shortcuts for the user. With these soft wares, a scan is done on the entire computer system and the shortcuts that are broken are detected and deleted. You can also see Duplicate File Remover Software
The tools also help in fixing the broken shortcuts while deleting the inappropriate and invalid ones. This makes the computer more efficient and avoids the scenario where the user attempts to launch broken or invalid shortcut which is rather disappointing and time wasting.
Shortcuts are an important part when it comes to speedy navigation on the computer. As a result, it is very important to be in a position to account for all the shortcuts and ensure that they are running at their best. With the above tools, this can be easily achieved.
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