Windows is not perfect, sometimes problems arise where it is unclear where the problem originated. The taskbar icons that simply disappear and therefore become invisible is one of them.
It is often not clear why taskbar icons become invisible. This can happen suddenly or when starting up the computer. That doesn't mean that nothing can be done about it. In this guide, we'll go through some steps that can help you get your taskbar icons working again.
Taskbar icons invisible
Restart computer
To start, I recommend that you restart your computer. When you restart your computer, all running processes and programs are terminated and restarted. This means that any temporary software errors or problems that may affect the display of the icons will be 'cleared'.
In addition, the Windows icon cache is also refreshed during a restart. The icon cache is a temporary repository that keeps small images of your icons so they can be loaded quickly when you use your computer. If this cache becomes corrupted, it may result in invisible or incorrectly displayed icons. Restarting your computer will clear and rebuild this cache, which may resolve any display issues.
Click on the invisible icon
By clicking on an invisible icon, you force the system to activate the corresponding application or function. This can 'trigger' the operating system to review the current status of the icon and correct any display errors. It is comparable to 'waking up' one program that is temporarily unresponsive.
In addition, an icon's context menu, which appears when you right-click on it, can sometimes help restore the display. Opening this menu prompts a new visual feedback from the operating system, allowing it to realize that there is a display error and correct it.
Unpin and re-pin icon to taskbar
By unpinning an icon, you signal to the operating system that you are changing the current configuration of the taskbar. When you then re-pin the icon, the operating system must render and display the icon again. This process can correct any display errors that caused the icon to be invisible.
Additionally, as mentioned earlier, Windows caches icon images for faster loading times. Removing and adding icons again can trigger the icon cache to be updated, which can help correct display issues.
Right-click on the invisible icon in the taskbar. Click on “unpin from taskbar”. Open the Start menu, find the app in the list of apps. Right-click on it and click “pin to taskbar”.
Restart Explorer.exe process
The 'Explorer.exe' process manages much of the Windows graphical interface, including the desktop, the Windows Explorer and of course the taskbar. If a minor problem or error occurs in the display, restarting this process can often reset these problems.
Right-click on the taskbar. Click on "task management” in the menu. In the list of processes in the task manager, look for “Windows Explorer”. Right-click on it and click “Restart”.
Recreate icon cache
I've mentioned it before. Windows uses an icon cache when you open a file, folder, or program. Instead of loading the original icon file every time, which takes more time, get Windows the icon from the cache, which makes loading much faster.
To fix problems with icons you can recreate this icon cache. This is how it works.
Open a Command prompt as administrator. In the Command Prompt type:
cd %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
Press ENTER.
Now type the following command:
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe && del iconcache* && explorer.exe
Now restart your computer. Check to see if the problem is now resolved. If not, return to this article and repair the Windows system files.
I hope this helped you. Thank you for reading!