If you are using Windows 10 or Windows 11, at least once you might be experiencing no icons on Taskbar in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Not only the app’s icons but also included network, battery, and sound icons too.
In this guide, we will explain how to fix the missing Taskbar icons issue on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Several methods are included for restoring Taskbar icons, including both basic and advanced ones. If you’re experiencing the same problem on Windows 10 and Windows 11, follow our guide to resolve it.
Fix No Icons on Taskbar Windows 10 and 11 Issue (2022)
In this tutorial, we have added Four easy methods to fix the Taskbar icons missing issue on Windows 10 as well as Windows 11. You can use these methods to fix the no icons on taskbar issue and it will definitely work for you.
Restart Windows Explorer
It’s best to restart Windows Explorer if there are no icons on taskbar before trying anything else. So let’s look at the steps.
1. First, press the Windows keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + Shift + Esc” to open the Task Manager.
2. Now under the “Processes” section, scroll down and look for “Windows Explorer“. Once you find it right-click on it and choose “Restart”.
For a moment, all open windows and the Taskbar will disappear, then everything will appear again almost immediately. Hopefully, the Taskbar icons will also appear and work this time.
You can restart your PC if you are still unable to see the Taskbar icons. Make sure to restart the system rather than shutting down the PC. The Taskbar icons should be restored after the reboot.
Delete the IconCache.db File
The ‘IconCache.db’ file handles all the icons on Windows 10 and 11. However, if the file is corrupted due to some unknown issues, you may end up with no icons on the Taskbar. So, if you delete this file, Windows will automatically regenerate the fresh copy of IconCache.db file. Now let’s see the steps to do it.
1. Open Run by pressing the “Windows + R” shortcut. Now, type %localappdata% in the text field and hit Enter.
2. Under the folder, first click on the View button then do check the Hidden Items. Now scroll down and look for the “IconCache.db” file. Right-click on the file and delete it from your computer.
3. Once you delete the file, restart your PC or laptop. The Taskbar icons should now appear on your computer.
Delete Windows Iris Service
Deleting the Windows Iris service is another method to fix taskbar icons not showing. In September 2021, Microsoft identified an issue with Iris Service. This service is responsible for no icons on the taskbar. The Iris service generally handles wallpapers for Windows Spotlight and lock screen suggestions. To fix the issue follow these steps.
1. Run CMD as Administrator (Open Search or Press the Windows Button, Now search for CMD, in the right pane, and click on Run as administrator.)
2. Now type or copy-paste this code reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService /f && shutdown -r -t 0 to CMD and hit Enter. “Before you run the command, make sure to save all your work because it will automatically restart your PC”.
Delete Taskbar Icons
Another way to fix taskbar icons not showing is by deleting taskbar icons. To do that you just need to execute a string of commands by batch file. So, to do that follow the steps.
1. Open Notepad on your PC or Laptop and paste the entire command below.
DEL /F /S /Q /A "%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar\*"
REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband /F
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exePaste the command to Notepad, then press CTRL + Shift + S. Then Select “All files” from the “Save as type” drop-down menu and give it a file name. For example, I named my file “fixtaskbar” and saved it as .bat format.
2. Now do right-click on the file (fixtaskbar.bat) and click on run it as administrator. It then terminates the Windows Explorer process and automatically restarts it.
This process helps to remove the icons from the Taskbar and deletes the relevant Registry entry. after that, the Taskbar icons should start appearing on your Windows 10 or 11 PC. If the issue persists, try restarting the PC.
