Solved Orphaned Taskbar Icon-Can't Remove


PvtJohnTowle

Well-known member
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Location
Sydney Australia
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.7627
This happened only after updating to 23H2 Version of Windows 11 on my Dell XPS13-9305

I do not get any right-click option to remove from taskbar. The name of the icon changes as well. Now it's Firefox.. I have a Firefox icon on taskbar already which is the correct appearance. I can't find this under personalization settings/taskbar

There is nothing in C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar that shows this icon, the ones there are showing normally.
 

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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.7627
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 9800X3D
    Motherboard
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 32GB (2×16GB) CL30 2 x 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 5080 Palit Gaming Pro
    Sound Card
    Steel Series Arctis 1 Gaming Head phones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ROG Strix 27″ QHD OLED XG27AQDMG & Phillips 272V8
    Screen Resolution
    2560 X1440 27 Inch 240 HZ Asus
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000X
    Case
    Corsair CC750D (CC-9011078) Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition Black Full Tower ATX Case
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow V4 X Razer™ Yellow Mechanical Switches
    Mouse
    Logitech G502X Plus
    Internet Speed
    HFC 2000/100
    Browser
    Opera GX
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2715
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS EVO 13.3" RNX9305C01AUSB
    CPU
    Intel i5-1135G7
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Other Info
    https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/dell-xps-evo-133-inches-win-11-laptop-rnx9305c01ausb
Hold down Shift key and right-click the icon and from context menu click Delete or Open file location options.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
Hold down Shift key and right-click the icon and from context menu click Delete or Open file location options.
That don't work buddy , thanks anyway
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.7627
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 9800X3D
    Motherboard
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 32GB (2×16GB) CL30 2 x 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 5080 Palit Gaming Pro
    Sound Card
    Steel Series Arctis 1 Gaming Head phones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ROG Strix 27″ QHD OLED XG27AQDMG & Phillips 272V8
    Screen Resolution
    2560 X1440 27 Inch 240 HZ Asus
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000X
    Case
    Corsair CC750D (CC-9011078) Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition Black Full Tower ATX Case
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow V4 X Razer™ Yellow Mechanical Switches
    Mouse
    Logitech G502X Plus
    Internet Speed
    HFC 2000/100
    Browser
    Opera GX
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2715
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS EVO 13.3" RNX9305C01AUSB
    CPU
    Intel i5-1135G7
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Other Info
    https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/dell-xps-evo-133-inches-win-11-laptop-rnx9305c01ausb
Try deleting icons cache to see problem resolves.
Open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges and execute the following commands one at a time and reboot your computer.

Code:
 taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
 
 del /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db
 
 del /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*"
 
 start explorer.exe
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
Try deleting icons cache to see problem resolves.
Open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges and execute the following commands one at a time and reboot your computer.

Code:
 taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
 
 del /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db
 
 del /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*"
 
 start explorer.exe
That did the trick thanks a lot, no more orphaned icon in the taskbar...
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.7627
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 9800X3D
    Motherboard
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 32GB (2×16GB) CL30 2 x 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 5080 Palit Gaming Pro
    Sound Card
    Steel Series Arctis 1 Gaming Head phones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ROG Strix 27″ QHD OLED XG27AQDMG & Phillips 272V8
    Screen Resolution
    2560 X1440 27 Inch 240 HZ Asus
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000X
    Case
    Corsair CC750D (CC-9011078) Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition Black Full Tower ATX Case
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow V4 X Razer™ Yellow Mechanical Switches
    Mouse
    Logitech G502X Plus
    Internet Speed
    HFC 2000/100
    Browser
    Opera GX
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2715
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS EVO 13.3" RNX9305C01AUSB
    CPU
    Intel i5-1135G7
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Other Info
    https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/dell-xps-evo-133-inches-win-11-laptop-rnx9305c01ausb
You are very welcome!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
I have this problem again. I tried the commands in the post by FreeBooter but they don't work , anyone else can help me? I don't know why this happens.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.7627
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 9800X3D
    Motherboard
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 32GB (2×16GB) CL30 2 x 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 5080 Palit Gaming Pro
    Sound Card
    Steel Series Arctis 1 Gaming Head phones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ROG Strix 27″ QHD OLED XG27AQDMG & Phillips 272V8
    Screen Resolution
    2560 X1440 27 Inch 240 HZ Asus
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000X
    Case
    Corsair CC750D (CC-9011078) Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition Black Full Tower ATX Case
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow V4 X Razer™ Yellow Mechanical Switches
    Mouse
    Logitech G502X Plus
    Internet Speed
    HFC 2000/100
    Browser
    Opera GX
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2715
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS EVO 13.3" RNX9305C01AUSB
    CPU
    Intel i5-1135G7
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Other Info
    https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/dell-xps-evo-133-inches-win-11-laptop-rnx9305c01ausb
C:\Users\*****\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

There is nothing in there that is not showing on the taskbar , there is nothing "orphaned" looking here.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.7627
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 9800X3D
    Motherboard
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 32GB (2×16GB) CL30 2 x 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 5080 Palit Gaming Pro
    Sound Card
    Steel Series Arctis 1 Gaming Head phones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ROG Strix 27″ QHD OLED XG27AQDMG & Phillips 272V8
    Screen Resolution
    2560 X1440 27 Inch 240 HZ Asus
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000X
    Case
    Corsair CC750D (CC-9011078) Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition Black Full Tower ATX Case
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow V4 X Razer™ Yellow Mechanical Switches
    Mouse
    Logitech G502X Plus
    Internet Speed
    HFC 2000/100
    Browser
    Opera GX
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2715
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS EVO 13.3" RNX9305C01AUSB
    CPU
    Intel i5-1135G7
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Other Info
    https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/dell-xps-evo-133-inches-win-11-laptop-rnx9305c01ausb
Are you by any chance running Start11 (or similar Start/Taskbar manager)? I had the same problem but was able to delete the blank icon after disabling Start11 running at startup for one session.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Quiet PC
Are you by any chance running Start11 (or similar Start/Taskbar manager)? I had the same problem but was able to delete the blank icon after disabling Start11 running at startup for one session.
Welcome to the forum, thanks for joining us.
That post is almost 2 years old BTW.
You would better spend your time filling out your system specs in your profile.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    All Branches but Release
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Nitro ANV15-51
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS 3200-4500 Mhz 8 cores x 2
    Motherboard
    Sportage_RBH
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphic / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    AMD/Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (15.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9 144Hz
    Hard Drives
    KINGSTON OM8SEP4512Q-AA 1TB
    Western Digital 256GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & 1GB Orange-fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly-Chrome Dev-Chrome Dev
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Beta
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus X751BP
    CPU
    AMD A9-9420
    Memory
    8 GB of DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 1 TB
C:\Users\*****\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

There is nothing in there that is not showing on the taskbar , there is nothing "orphaned" looking here.
The correct path is

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Explorer delete all iconcache*.* files. You might have to restart File Explorer for the changes to take effect.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8457)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8457)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
The correct path is

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Explorer delete all iconcache*.* files. You might have to restart File Explorer for the changes to take effect.
I don't have any folder name "Explorer" in this directory.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.7627
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 9800X3D
    Motherboard
    Gigababyte X870E Aorus Pro Rev 1.1
    Memory
    G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 32GB (2×16GB) CL30 2 x 16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 5080 Palit Gaming Pro
    Sound Card
    Steel Series Arctis 1 Gaming Head phones
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ROG Strix 27″ QHD OLED XG27AQDMG & Phillips 272V8
    Screen Resolution
    2560 X1440 27 Inch 240 HZ Asus
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000X
    Case
    Corsair CC750D (CC-9011078) Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition Black Full Tower ATX Case
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Razer BlackWidow V4 X Razer™ Yellow Mechanical Switches
    Mouse
    Logitech G502X Plus
    Internet Speed
    HFC 2000/100
    Browser
    Opera GX
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2715
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS EVO 13.3" RNX9305C01AUSB
    CPU
    Intel i5-1135G7
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Other Info
    https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/dell-xps-evo-133-inches-win-11-laptop-rnx9305c01ausb
Sorry, I was posting from mobile and I didn't remember the path correctly. Here it is copy-paste from Windows 11:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8457)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8457)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4

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