How to Recover Missing Desktop Icons and Files in Windows 10/11

"Windows 10/11 Desktop Files and Icons Disappeared"

"Last night, my brother was playing games on my computer. But this morning when I turned it on, the screen was blank. The desktop icons and all the files on them were gone. Where did those desktop icons and files go? I couldn't find them anywhere, including the Recycling Bin. Do you know how to recover lost desktop icons and files in Windows 10?"

By default, the Windows 10 desktop comes with icons such as Recycle Bin, This PC, Network, and Control Panel. Users tend to create shortcuts of frequently used apps there. At the same time, we are used to saving files like Word documents, Excel sheets, or PowerPoint presentations on the desktop for quick access.

While using your computer, you might lose desktop icons and files due to accidental deletion or incorrect settings. However, it's essential to get them back for easy access. In this article, we'll show you a straightforward method to restore desktop icons on Windows 10. Additionally, we highly recommend using the professional Data Recovery Wizard tool to help you recover desktop files in Windows 10.

How to Restore Missing Desktop Icons in Windows 10/11

Follow the steps below to easily restore all missing icons that were accidentally deleted previously.

1. Open "Settings" and click on "Personalization."

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

3. Check the icons you want to display on your desktop, like “This PC,” “User Files,” “Network,” “Recycle Bin,” and “Control Panel.”

4. Click “Apply,” and then click “OK.”

If you don't see any icons on your desktop, it's possible that you've hidden the desktop icons in Windows 10. You can quickly make them reappear by right-clicking on the desktop, selecting “View,” and then clicking “Show desktop icons.”

How to Recover Desktop Files in Windows 10/11

To recover missing or deleted desktop files in Windows 10, you'll need assistance from the tools Data Recovery Wizard. This tool allows you to restore over 200 file types from HDD, SSD, USB flash drives, pen drives, external hard drives, and more. Whether your desktop files are gone due to accidental deletion, hard drive formatting, virus attack, or partition loss, you can get them back quickly and easily.

The steps to recover deleted files from desktop are similar to that of retrieving deleted files from a USB flash drive. Refer to the detailed guide below.

Step 1: Run the tool Data Recovery Wizard. Under Select Location, choose Select Folder. Browse to where your lost folder was located and click OK to scan.

Select the folder to scan

Step 2: You can search for the target folder or use the "Filter" feature to look for a certain type of file within the folder.

Select the folder to recover

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