Resolved: Issue with Invisible Files on Windows 10/8/7 Desktop

Quick Navigation: How to Fix the Issue of Invisible Files on the Desktop

This article offers you 5 effective ways to fix the issue of invisible files on desktop. Scroll down to see the solutions to the problem on Windows 11/10/8/7.

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Files and folders on the Windows 10 desktop are not visible

"I have many files and folders saved on my desktop, but some of them are not showing up on the actual desktop (there's still space). They are only visible in the Windows Explorer. Has anyone experienced the same issue?"

"I saved a modified PDF and Excel file on my Windows 10 desktop. But when I returned to the desktop, they were nowhere to be found. What's worse, I couldn't locate the saved files anywhere else on my computer hard drive. How can I retrieve the missing files?"

Usually, the issue of a file not being visible on the desktop can be narrowed down to two scenarios:

1. The files are still intact and accessible through the Windows Explorer, located on Drive C (where your Desktop is by default). You have not lost them. 2. The saved files are nowhere to be found, neither at the designated location nor anywhere on the computer's hard drive. They are completely missing.

To address this issue, you should first understand why the saved file is not appearing on the desktop and then attempt relevant solutions to recover the invisible file.

Reasons for Desktop Files Not Displaying

Given that the symptoms are not unique, the causes and sources of the problem can be varied. They include:

• Saved files missing
• Files and folders hidden
• Incorrect save path
• Logged in with the wrong user account
• Hard drive file system errors

Perhaps some of you still have no idea how to fix the problem from the above reasons. Stay calm. Now, just follow the solutions below to get your lost Windows 10/8/7 desktop files back.

5 Solutions to the Problem of Invisible Files on Desktop

In this article, we've gathered some tested and practical solutions to help you find missing files on your Windows 10, 8, or 7 desktop. Read on to learn how to recover your saved files and folders.

# 1. Recover Lost, Missing, Deleted, or Invisible Desktop Files

We highly recommend this one before trying anything else. It lets you search for invisible files and recover lost files, too.

"Your Best Choice - Tool Data Recovery Wizard"

The reliable Data Recovery Wizard tool thoroughly scans the selected device to find all lost, invisible, or missing files saved on Windows hard drives, computer desktops, and even external storage devices.

You can choose this data recovery software to scan your C drive and look for the missing desktop files:

Step 1: Run tools Data Recovery Wizard. Under "Select Location", choose "Select Folder". Browse to the location where you lost your folder, and then click "OK" to scan.

Step 2: You can search for the target folder, or use the "Filter" feature to look for specific file types within the folder.

Step 3: You can preview the recovered folders. Then, click “Recover” and select a new secure location on your computer to save the retrieved data.

# 2. Manually Search for Lost Files and Folders

When you upgrade to Windows, sometimes the files saved on the desktop might go missing. In most cases, they're just moved to a different path.

If you're using Windows 10, you can manually search for hidden files or folders by following these steps:

Step 1: Open the Windows File Explorer by double-clicking on “This PC”.

Step 2: Open the folder where Windows stores desktop files by following one of these paths:

The Chinese translation of the given text is:
• C:\Users\Public
• C:\Users\UserName\Documents
Please note that "UserName" should be replaced with the actual user's name.

Step 3: Open the listed folders to look for your missing file, or search for the invisible file directly in the search bar on the right.

If a search on your computer doesn't turn up the hidden saved file, try the following for assistance.

# 3. Show Hidden Files

If you have hidden files on your Windows computer, you won't be able to see or access any of your saved files. You can show them by doing the following:

Step 1: Open Windows Explorer > Go to View > Options > Folder Options > Click on the View tab.

Step 2: Check the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” option (uncheck “Hide protected operating system files” if that's also checked), and then click “OK” to save your changes.

Step 3: Close the Folder Options window and return to the desktop. Your saved documents and files should now be visible.

# 4. Switch User Accounts to Find a Missing File on the Desktop

If you have multiple user accounts and log in to the wrong one, files saved on the desktop might disappear.

Step 1: Click the Windows icon, then click your user name at the top.

Step 2. Tap on another visible account in the list to switch to that account.

Step 3 Type the password for another user account to log in.

After that, your files and folders should be accessible again.

# 5. Check for Hard Drive Errors

When the system hard drive contains file system errors or bad sectors, your computer may fail to access and display files and folders saved on the desktop properly. To resolve this issue, you can try either of these two quick methods to check and fix hard drive errors yourself: 1. **Run Disk Utility (Windows):** - Press `Win + X` and choose `Command Prompt (Admin)` or `PowerShell (Admin)` to open an elevated command prompt. - Type `chkdsk /f /r C:` and press Enter. (Replace `C:` with your system drive letter if it's different.) - The system will prompt you to schedule the check for the next restart. Confirm by typing `Y` and pressing Enter. - Restart your computer, and Windows will automatically scan and fix any detected issues. 2. **Use First Aid (macOS):** - Open `Finder`, then click on `Applications > Utilities`. - Launch `Disk Utility`. - Select your startup disk from the left panel, then click on the `First Aid` tab. - Click on the `Run` button to start the scan. If any issues are found, Disk Utility will attempt to repair them. If these methods don't resolve the problem, consider using more advanced tools like `fsck` on Linux or professional data recovery software. In some cases, you might need professional assistance to diagnose and repair the hardware issue.

Method 1: Repair File System Errors using SFC CMD

Step 1: Type cmd in the Windows 10 search box.

Right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator."

Step 2: Type sfc /scannow in the Command Prompt window, and then press Enter.

Wait for the process to finish.

Run the SFC command

Method 2: Run the Disk Error Check from File Explorer

Step 1: Open "My Computer/This PC", right-click on drive C where the hidden desktop files are stored, and select "Properties".

Step 2: Under Tools, click on Error Checking and select the option to scan for existing errors on the drive.

- On Windows 7, click “Check for updates now” to continue. - On Windows 10/8.1/8, click “Check” to start the process.

Check and fix errors on the existing disk.

Step 3: Have the program scan and fix any hard drive errors it finds.

In Windows 7, select “Automatically fix file system errors” and “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors,” then click “Start.”

On Windows 10/8.1/8, click “Scan Drive” to begin the scan.

After the scan and repair process is complete, you can return to your desktop and see if the file has been recovered.

Additional methods to fix missing or disappeared desktop icons

Sometimes, when desktop icons are missing on a Windows computer, users may also be unable to access their saved files. Here are some additional solutions you can try to restore missing Windows icons on your own.

Fix 1: Show Desktop Icons

Step 1: Right-click on the desktop, choose “View,” and then uncheck “Show desktop icons.” Important! This is not the end.

Step 2: Check and uncheck the box several times.

Sometimes, after a refresh or two, the hidden desktop files appear.

If that doesn't work, try the other options in View > Auto Arrange Icons:

Step 1. Right-click on the desktop and select "View."

Step 2: Check or uncheck "Automatically arrange icons."

That will make all your files and folders appear on the left, where you can drag them around as you like.

Solution 2: Manually Check and Set Windows Icon Display

This will reset the desktop icons, and your saved files should appear.

Step 1: Open Settings and click Personalization.

Step 2: Click on “Themes,” and then click on “Desktop icon settings.”

Step 3: Check the icons you want on your desktop, such as “This PC,” “User Files,” “Network,” “Recycle Bin,” and “Control Panel.”

Click “Apply,” then “OK.”

After that, you can view the desktop icons and check the saved file again. If the saved file on desktop is still missing, go back to Method 1, and run the Data Recovery Wizard to immediately scan and recover all lost files.