Restore Missing Desktop Icons in Windows Vista
If you've removed your recycle bin icon, or you previously added the some of the "special" icons like Computer, User or Control Panel to the desktop and they are now missing, you might want to know how to add them back.
Go to Control Panel \ Personalize (or right-click on the desktop and select Personalize)
Click the Change Desktop Icons link on the left hand side.
Now you can just re-check the checkboxes for whichever icons you want back on the desktop.
The Geek is the founder of How-To Geek and a geek enthusiast. When he's not coming up with great how-to articles, he's probably writing at his personal blog. This article was written on 02/9/07 and tagged with: Windows Vista, Desktop Customization
Thanks a ton for the reference on restoring the icons. I installed a non-compliant application that wiped a good portion of them out.
Thank you so much for the info how to restore ICONS, that was usefull info, THANKS AGAIN
thanks a zillion for the clear directions on restoring the icons. it was neat. thanks!
Good info, i deleted mine for a month before i looked here, had it back in 2 seconds.
Thank you very much, you have no idea how much you helped me out, I thought my aunt was going to kill me because I had accidently deleted the recycle bin from her brand new computer……
extremly helpful very valuble and helpful site
clear and descriptive
Thanks soooooooooooooo much I have been going mad trying to find the RECYCLE BIN icon to restore it to my desktop.
Thanks again!.
hey do you how to activate and put up the shortcut for IE as it was for XP, with advanced functions like that of going to properties of IE through it and all.
COOL!! I deleted my recycle bin twice. I used system restore to get it back. This is much easier. I knew there had to be a simpler way. Thanks!
Thank you… Thank you… Thank you.
Need help. Although this has nothing to do wid d tip u provided. Somehow my desktop shortcut icons and desktop files have got deleted mysteriously. Its a hp vista. Plzzzzz help me recover my files. Can u tell me wat could have caused tht?
this arrticle was a lifesaver for me,i lost the recycle bin icon (i still dont know why it dissappeared) and now i have it back thanks to you.
Muchas gracias por la info. Muy util!!!
Many thanks for info on how to restore recycle bin - much appreciated
It ain't helping. Logging into my other accounts will show the desktop icons, but my main account still has the icons missing from my desktop, no matter if i check/uncheck them in the "Personalize>Change desktop icons>" setting. Help?
Try going to start > type command prompt in the search box > And then
Type regsvr /u shell32.dll
The icons should start working fine after that.
THANKS!
omg u saved my life.. i almost feel like reinstalling os
thanks a lot dude!
I need help. I need restore the icon of Internet Explorer (not shortcut)
Thanks soooooooooooooo much I have been going mad trying to find the RECYCLE BIN icon to restore it to my desktop.
Thanks again!.
Thanks had been looking for my recycle bin for weeks…. any idea on how to get Windows mail back? it disappeared and I have to go to search>mail> open any message> help> open windows mail…
I need to configur a Microsoft Exchange type email account, and it requires the use of the Mail icon in the Control Panel. Except that on all of these stupi HP Pav notebooks it doesn't appear, and nobody at HP has a clue about it.
Any ideas? I have ran out of aptions doing what I knew or could think of. thank you guys in advance. I am in a real pickel here, as I am beginning to travel tomorrow, and I need my notebook to access that particular email acount from the read.
My recycle bin icon picture is still missing along with going through the start menu all of my programs pictures for the icons are missing. crazy weird. any help with this. hopefully i was able to discribe it correctly.
Thanks.
Well my recycle bin icon picture is missing…but my buddy told me that it is the folder's displays? that are missing. I so hate vista…
hi recently has windows xp on my pc and have now updated to windows vsta ultimate but i have no start menu or desktop icons its driving me crazy can anyone please please help ive been trying for days lol!!
Thanks a lot for this useful info. I restored the icon back…
cool, but my windows vista icons arnt displaying properly still. there is a small black box covering each one on the bottom left side
thank you so much!
oh my gosh
i freaked out for a minute because i thought i too had deleted my bin
you are a lifesaver
and thank you for being straight to the point about figuring out what to do
usually info sites take you on about 7 or 8 or 9 links
before you can actually find the info that you need
thank you again so very much
hey your way did not work i am still missing my entire background…and i cannot use my "right click" all the icons are missing as well as my toolbar and start button….help?
My desktop icons are all missing. I tried your suggestion above. I tried:
"C:\Windows\system32\rundll32.exe" Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,@Web
from Run.
Nothing works. Help
can you help me to restore my missing desk top icon.i am running windows xp.
wow. this is exactly what I was looking for.
thank you for making the world a little bit brighter by being not only helpful (apparently for no personal gain either - way to go!!!) but also doing it in a clear and easy to follow way. you just made my day, computer geek!
@lisa:
Thanks for the compliments! We try hard to be as helpful as possible.
Thanks a bunch, you the man
Thanks, I would have been searching for hours!
I believe this site is the greatest idea since the wheel!!!!!!!!
Thanks a million! I'm not sure how I deleted it in the first place, but now it's back!
any idea how it should work, when my computer doesn't show up if I check or uncheck box, no changes at all ! Help plz to restore, it disturbs me in a lot of ways when i go to browse folders from some programs i can't see My computer icon, no matter WHAT, i can send you a screenshot if you colud help me?
Thanks in advance
If you see no desktop icons at all, try right-clicking on the desktop, then selecting View, and making sure Show Desktop Icons is checked.
Yes, this is a deeply stupid option.
Yes, it's doubly stupid to bury it in a submenu.
hi im anton my computers icons go missing a few minutes after i log into my main profile on the computer there is no start, no icons, the only way i can log off or shut down the computer is to press ctrl alt delete……pliz i need help.
Thank u so very much. I lost my desktop months ago and had no idea how to find it until i found this. And it worked. Thanks again.
Thanks lots for the simple fix . I lost my recycle bin (dont know how) and didnt know how to get it back.
Losing the bin wasnt a real pain but each time I deleted something the files were just sitting in the invisible bin.
Now the bin is back I am able to delete the 4000+ files in it which were wasting disk space .
My Internet Explorer was deleted from my desktop and anywhere else it was at. I cant find it on Start or when I search My Computer or all the programs on the computer. When I tried to re-download it from the website, a message showed up saying that I already had Internet Explorer7 so it wouldn't let me download it again. What can I do to get it back? Now, there's Internet Explorer ( No add-ons) but i searched the add ons and they were all enabled. What can I do? Thanks!
my icon for yahoo is missing from my desk top how do i get it back on there someone please help
A friend of mine has just got a Laptop with Vista Premium installed,he had a little play?? and now the Desktop Icons have gone very large, the screen resolution is correct at 1440X900, the DPI is OK, the icons in any application are OK it,s just the Desktop Icons??. Any Ideas please.
Pat, for the large Icons right click on the desktop, go to VIEW and here you can set the Icons the size you like
Thx for tip its realy useful for alot of people like me who accidently delited recycle bin and are new to vista
Thank you so much for the info how to restore my recycle bin, i dont know where dat thing went, it was driving me crazy, that was usefull informantion, THANKS.
My email was not working correctly. I reinstalled Outlook 2007 and now I cannot get the Mail icon in Control Panel to open. Outlook says I need to setup a profile. How do I get the Mail icon back?
I get to those steps, but when i get to the personalization part I hit the Cahnge desktop Icon and I get this message Your system administrator has disabled launching of the Display Settings Control Panel. Can you help me in how to enable this please???????????????
big help Thanks
Thanks Mr (G) ,I need lots of help.Cant belive I found you,newbee and dont know anything, hope what I read works.I will be back.
I wasnt able to try what you sead, newbee is perpelxed,Cant even get out of here without unpluging.
thank you so much for your help,i could't find recycle bin in my vista,so you help me,thank you for your help.Fani
If you cannot see your 'mail' icon, you likely have 64bit vista ultimate…or other 64 bit and I am truly sorry and feel your pain
If so, Under the X64 version of Vista, you need to first look under an icon called
32 bit control panel items. There's the mail icon.
Nothing but trouble connecting to anything, vpn, etc with 64 bit.
Quote:
flabdablet
If you see no desktop icons at all, try right-clicking on the desktop, then selecting View, and making sure Show Desktop Icons is checked.
Yes, this is a deeply stupid option.
Yes, it's doubly stupid to bury it in a submenu.
Thanks man. I knew right away that it must be some new dumb arss option. Of course I couldn't find that sucker. Thanks!
Rebecca, you lifesaver! Took me a minute or two to find it, since it's called 'View 32-bit Control Panel Items', but that did the trick! Can't believe such basic things are hidden away like that…
I removed everything about YAHOO and now I want it back. I don't know how to get to the control panel to restore it and the icon
just got this computer and don' know how to use it
Thanks for the easy to follow instructions!
hi,i hope u can help me,my icons in my desktop are missing and no right click in my mouse,i hope u can help me on how to restore my missing icons immediately.thank you.
Missing the system icon for network activity on the lower right taskbar in Vista. The selection box for that icon is grayed out on the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties", "Notification" tab.