Desktop icons replaced with generic folder icons after going to W11


CharlieDog

CharlieDog

Well-known member
Local time
8:31 AM
Posts
18
OS
Windows 11 Home Version 23H2
As the title says, my colorful, individualized desktop icons (mostly album artwork from my music cd's that had been copied into the laptop) were changed to a generic folder icon after switching to Windows 11. I've tried the obvious options, but so far I have not found the way to get my original icons back. When I click on the folder icons, the songs in the folder will still have the original artwork icons, however.

Any ideas or suggestions for settings to check would be greatly appreciated. TIA

Other than that loss, I haven't had any problems or concerns with Windows 11.
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Version 21H2 Build 22000.282

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home Version 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell OptiPlex 5060
    CPU
    Core i7-8700
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4-2666
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GeForce GTX 750 ti
    Hard Drives
    Silicon Power UD90 M.2 NVMe 1TB
    Mouse
    Several Logitech mice
    Internet Speed
    1 GB/S
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home Version 22H2 Build 222621.963
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Laptop14-cf1020od
    CPU
    i3-8145U
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2666
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue 250 GB M.2 SATA SSD
Rebuild Icon Cache

Go to search and type:- cmd

Next press the ctrl +shift+enter keys on your keyboard, a cmd prompt as Admin will open. Or Right click the CMD results and Run as Administrator
Copy and paste all the below bold cmds into the command prompt window, one at a time and press enter.

ie4uinit.exe -show

taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F (your desktop will go blank)

DEL /A /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db"

DEL /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*"

shutdown /p (your computer will shutdown completely, after this Restart your computer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit 22H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 77000 3.60
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GEForce RTX 2060 Super
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two 27" Dell 4K monitors
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    M.2 NVME SSD, 500 GB; Two 2TB Mechanical HDD's
    PSU
    850w PSU
    Case
    Cyberpower PC
    Cooling
    Water cooled
    Keyboard
    Backlit Cyberpower gamiong keyboard
    Mouse
    Backlit Cyberpower gaming mouse
    Internet Speed
    1 GB mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
Did you mean thumbnail preview on a folder? if so that is not available in win11
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
    Mouse
    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton
Just another example of something that was nice in W10 but lost in W11. Too bad.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home Version 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell OptiPlex 5060
    CPU
    Core i7-8700
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4-2666
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GeForce GTX 750 ti
    Hard Drives
    Silicon Power UD90 M.2 NVMe 1TB
    Mouse
    Several Logitech mice
    Internet Speed
    1 GB/S
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home Version 22H2 Build 222621.963
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Laptop14-cf1020od
    CPU
    i3-8145U
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2666
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue 250 GB M.2 SATA SSD
CharlieDog said:
Just another example of something that was nice in W10 but lost in W11. Too bad.
Click to expand...
That was a really useful feature for me, I have a lot of things in folders and it was so much quicker just to look at the picture on the folder and read the name. You could put this on the feedback hub
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
    Mouse
    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming F16 (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
    Mouse
    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton
When my icons are replaced with generic folder icons the one way that I can recover the icons is to use Firefox.

I would visit the website and Bookmark it. I would choose "Bookmark Toolbar" as location.

I would then drag the bookmark from the Toolbar to the desktop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    28 in Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    6 SSDs a mixture of 3 Nvme and 3 Sata.
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    40 MPS download and 3.5 MPS upload. The condo building is nor wired with Fibe yet
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
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