This is a not uncommon problem. How it happens I can’t say, but how to get them back is easy.
Before I show you how to restore the shortcut icons, here is how to make them disappear:
- Right-click on an empty spot on your desktop.
- In the small menu move the pointer to View…
- Move the pointer horizontally to the additional menu.
- Move the pointer down to Show desktop icons. This item is checked when the icons are displayed. Click it so it will be unchecked.
The icons will immediately disappear.
To restore the desktop shortcuts just follow the same procedure.
- Right-click on the desktop.
- In the small menu move the pointer to View…
- Move the pointer horizontally to the additional menu.
- Move the pointer down to Show desktop icons. This item is unchecked when the icons are not displayed. Click it so it will be checked.
The desktop shortcut icons will be restored.
My own icons have never pulled the disappearing act, and I did not know about this. I am indebted to my friend AlexO for this solution.
.:.
© 2012 Ludwig Keck
Ask Ludwig 
Thanks all is now back to normal. One wrong click and poof gone! M
Since this is for Photos as well. I have a Galaxy Samsung camera, it never ceases to amaze me. Great!
Thank you very much. I followed the instructions and my desktop icons are back.
great skill and knowledge
Thank you so much. I was so stressed. Really grateful.
Glad it helped!
Thank you Ludwig, my desktop icons are now back, very easy indeed,thank you once again, Peter
Thank you. Glad this was of help, Peter.
Thanks got them back very easy
This did not work for me. Windows 10 has taken over the desk top and I can’t right click on it. Any body know how to close the Windows 10 desk top?
Windows 10 has shown me also that it can come up with problems that I have never seen before. I just rebooted a computer for the third time today. I do hope that your problems will disappear after just one reboot.
I recently lost all my icons on my Android cant figure out how to get them back oh by the way that happened after doing a back upon my ph
Sorry Terry, my expertise does not extend to Android phones.
Excellent thanks a span, I was out of sorts.
Didn’t work for me. Still don’t have any icons. When I r. click icons on desk top there wasn’t any thing about icons. I have windows 10. It is a pain in the a–
Sorry about your troubles, Dick. Windows 10 is very similar in many respects to Windows 7. This is also true for the desktop operations. Right-click at a space on the desktop where there is nothing else. A menu pops up. Move the pointer to the top item, “View”. An additional menu pops up on the side. The bottom item in that added menu is “Show desktop icons”. if there is no check mark in front of it, click it. The menus will close. If no shortcut icons appear on you desktop, then you have not set up any shortcuts. Get in touch with me via the link at the top of the sidebar if you need a hand.
But the menu didn’t pop up.
Restart your computer and try again.
It still didn’t work for me. a menu appears saying , select all-print-inspect elements and view source
Dick, you are right-clicking on an place in your browser, not on your desktop. Close (or minimize) the browser and get any other open window out of the way. Then right-click on an open space on the desktop.
I lost all my icons on my face page can you restore my face page back to the way it was????///
If the method suggested here does not work for you, then I am afraid I cannot help.
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I have office 16 and this fix didn’t work for me. Do you have any other suggestions?
Vera, please send a direct message to me. I will try and dig deeper.
Thank you so much. I had tried to research this but only got easy help when I saw your answer. You are awesome!!!
Only some of the icons are missing. This procedure doesn’t fix this for me. Any suggestions?
You stumped me, Linda. Can you tell me what some of the missing icons were? Maybe I might figure something out.
According to my father, as it is his computer, what’s missing are actually short-cut icons. These were to programs on his computer. For example, he installed H&R Block, and that shortcut is missing. We can go back through his programs list and have short cuts remade. However, I believe there was an icon to his bank that is missing as well, can’t be positive.
Those shortcut icons that have gone missing were likely removed by Windows in a periodic maintenance operation. Icons that gave not been used for a long time (three months) may be removed in this way. For shortcuts to websites, like a bank, I suggest adding the site to Favorites in the browser or the Favorites Bar.
Nothing happens when I right click on empty desktop no menu, the old icons briefly appear for like 2 nano seconds and then the tiles take over we can’t find the recycle bin anywhere
First, I would suggest the “usual” fix-attempt: Restart. That should , at least, get you to where right-click brings up the menu.
Turns out that is all it took 3 reboots and everything is back thks
Ah, the glory of Windows! Glad to hear that it’s working again.
No just dont work ! Windows 7 has wiped out my start menu icons as desktop as well on installed Ansys SpaceClaim Application !!! Seems to me a good prof that MS wanting only MS app to run on damn OS and nothing elese !!! It is walking as duck sounds like duck appears like duck then is a duck aka MS !!! And now im forced manualy seek those proframs to make hardlinks again !!! Stupidity of MS is newer ending !!!
Your information is not worth two cents. I couldn’t get my icons back
So sorry, Delmar, that my solution didn’t work for you. Hope you have found one that works
i right clicked over the fading icon(only one) and in the popup i clicked refresh. boom –
fixed.