Files Do Not Show Up On Desktop


thepipe

thepipe

Active member
Local time
10:09 AM
Posts
20
OS
Win 11
I just updated to Windows 11 yesterday and have run into a number of issues. One of these is ...

I saved a JPG file to the desktop, but when I viewed the desktop it wasn't there. When I opened the desktop folder in an Explorer window, I could see the file. I could also see it in a Explorer alternative I use - XYPlorer. If I right click on the desktop and choose Refresh, the file appears. I dragged the file into the trash, but its icon remained on the desktop. When I double clicked on it, Windows said it couldn't find the file.

This seems like a refresh bug in Windows 11. Users should not have to constantly invoke the refresh command in order to see files. Is anyone else experiencing this or does anyone have a permanent solution? I'm running the latest update to Windows 11 on a laptop with a single monitor.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Win 11i7 1065G7
OS
Win 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
LG Gram
CPU
i7 1065G7
Have you tried a different user account to see if the issue persists there? Your user profile could be corrupted. To test try creating a new local account or enable the hidden administrator account. If you do the latter, be sure to disable it when you are finished testing. Tutorial Here.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9168
Thanks for the reply. I created a new local user and the issue persists. I downloaded a JPG file and saved it to the desktop. The file did not appear until I right clicked on the desktop and selected Refresh.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Win 11i7 1065G7
OS
Win 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
LG Gram
CPU
i7 1065G7
FYI F5 will also do a refresh.

It's weird stuff like this that is why I always do a clean install rather than an upgrade.

If you have any third party apps or toolbars that affect the UI, try uninstalling them.

You also stated you had run into other issues as well but didn't say what they were. If this was me and I was troubleshooting this I would try a clean boot. With a clean boot, Windows starts with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is causing your issue. Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 11 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts Tutorial

If you have the problem in a clean boot, the next step would be to boot back into the OS in normal boot and from an administrative command prompt, type type SFC /scannow This will check for any corruption in the system files and attempt to repair them if any are found..

If the problem still persists, backup your files, bite the bullet and clean install the OS. In your particular case I would not suggest a reset. It's a real pain, I know, but we've all had to do it at one time or another. Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial

Good luck.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9168
glasskuter said:
FYI F5 will also do a refresh.

It's weird stuff like this that is why I always do a clean install rather than an upgrade.

If you have any third party apps or toolbars that affect the UI, try uninstalling them.

You also stated you had run into other issues as well but didn't say what they were. If this was me and I was troubleshooting this I would try a clean boot. With a clean boot, Windows starts with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is causing your issue. Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 11 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts Tutorial

If you have the problem in a clean boot, the next step would be to boot back into the OS in normal boot and from an administrative command prompt, type type SFC /scannow This will check for any corruption in the system files and attempt to repair them if any are found..

If the problem still persists, backup your files, bite the bullet and clean install the OS. In your particular case I would not suggest a reset. It's a real pain, I know, but we've all had to do it at one time or another. Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I was hoping to avoid the whole backup/clean install process, but it may be unavoidable. C'est la vie!
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Win 11i7 1065G7
OS
Win 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
LG Gram
CPU
i7 1065G7
thepipe said:
it may be unavoidable
Click to expand...
I just scanned the forum and saw where you had listed all the issues you've encountered with the upgrade in their respective categories in the forum. You really did get a crappy upgrade, didn't you. I know you've spent a lot of time dealing with it all. Even if you're able to work it all out (but I don't think you can) please take a word of advice. Don't avoid it.You don't know what other issues are lying in wait to haunt you at a later date. Accept that you got an 'upgrade gone wild' and start fresh. Don't waste any more of your time.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9168
If I can jump on this thread I have a desktop problem. Whenever I add an icon, such as a link to a folder to the desktop, it arranges it along with the existing icons in some kind of order, not sure if it's alpa or some other factor. When I move it to an area of the desktop where I'd rather have it, it immediately gets moved back. There should be some way to override it's insistence on organizing them its way so I can put them where I want them.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 1112th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900K 3.20 GHz65262 Megabytes Usable Installed MemoryNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell 8950
CPU
12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900K 3.20 GHz
Motherboard
0DYKKV A00
Memory
65262 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Sound Card
Multimedia Intel(R) Display Audio NVIDIA High Definition Audio NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device (Wave Extensible) (WDM) Realtek(R) Audio WsAudio_Device
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell
Mouse
Logitech
Internet Speed
D/L 120 mbps
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Malwarebytes
Right click on desktop-select View - Uncheck Auto Arrange Icons, Check Align Icons to Grid
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9168
Thank youl
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 1112th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900K 3.20 GHz65262 Megabytes Usable Installed MemoryNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell 8950
CPU
12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900K 3.20 GHz
Motherboard
0DYKKV A00
Memory
65262 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Sound Card
Multimedia Intel(R) Display Audio NVIDIA High Definition Audio NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device (Wave Extensible) (WDM) Realtek(R) Audio WsAudio_Device
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell
Mouse
Logitech
Internet Speed
D/L 120 mbps
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Malwarebytes

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Home 24H2 RPIntel I3-1010016 GBNvidia GT 1030
    OS
    Windows 11 Home 24H2 RP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel I3-10100
    Motherboard
    MSI H410M-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GT 1030
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 970 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Samsung QVO 870 SATA SSD 2 Tb
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Microsoft Office 2021 Plus

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeIntel i3-810016 GbNvidia GT 720
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel i3-8100
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z370 D3
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia GT 720
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Seagate 2 Tb HDD
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
thepipe said:
I just updated to Windows 11 yesterday and have run into a number of issues. One of these is ...

I saved a JPG file to the desktop, but when I viewed the desktop it wasn't there. When I opened the desktop folder in an Explorer window, I could see the file. I could also see it in a Explorer alternative I use - XYPlorer. If I right click on the desktop and choose Refresh, the file appears. I dragged the file into the trash, but its icon remained on the desktop. When I double clicked on it, Windows said it couldn't find the file.

This seems like a refresh bug in Windows 11. Users should not have to constantly invoke the refresh command in order to see files. Is anyone else experiencing this or does anyone have a permanent solution? I'm running the latest update to Windows 11 on a laptop with a single monitor.
Click to expand...
Regardless of issue, it is generally bad practice to store files other than shortcuts on the desktop. The desktop quickly gets cluttered with files and no structure to the files.

Some of my colleagues have many tens of files on desktop and it is just a complete mess e.g. phot files mixed wirh word, excel files etc.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
OS
Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS Zenbook 14
CPU
I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
Motherboard
Yep, Laptop has one.
Memory
16 GB soldered
Graphics Card(s)
Integrated Intel Iris XE
Sound Card
Realtek built in
Monitor(s) Displays
laptop OLED screen
Screen Resolution
2880x1800 touchscreen
Hard Drives
1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
PSU
Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
Case
Yep, got one
Cooling
Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
Keyboard
Built in UK keybd
Mouse
Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
Internet Speed
900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Defender
Other Info
TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

Macrium Reflect Home V8
Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
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