How to Fix Desktop Icons Missing Show Only Text in Windows 10

Isabella Shinn

Updated: January 11, 2024

If the desktop shortcuts without any icons show only text on your computer. You may still click the shortcut text to open Windows Explorer or your application. In this tutorial, we'll show you a simple way to fix the desktop icons missing problem in Windows 10.

To fix Desktop icons missing show only text, here's how:

Step 1: Go to Start and type regedit into the Search box. Press Enter to open Registry Editor.

Step 2: In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons

Step 3: Right-click on Shell Icons and select either Delete or Rename (rename it to whatever you want).

Step 4: Restart your computer. You'll find all your desktop icons are coming back.