For quick access, the Windows desktop is a great location to place files and shortcut icons to apps and programs. There may be special desktop icons, such as the Recycle Bin, Network, and Control Panel, depending on your computer’s default settings. If for some reason you find that some or all of the icons have disappeared, restoring them is easy.
If all the desktops are missing, simply right-click anywhere on the desktop, select View and check Show desktop icons. It’s as simple as that. If you want to hide all icons because you don’t want anything blocking your beautiful desktop background pictures, just disable the option.
If only some of the desktop icons are missing, it’s possible that the icons are overlapping each other. This may happen when you have too many icons on your desktop. To avoid, overlapping, right-click anywhere on the desktop, select View and enable Align icons to grid. You can also choose to enable Auto arrange icons so the icons automatically arrange themselves, starting at the left corner of the desktop.
If the special icons are missing, press Start, type desktop icons and select Show or hide common icons on the desktop when it appears in the results. In the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, check the icons that you want to appear on the desktop and then click Apply to save the changes. This dialog box is also where you can change the appearance of these special icons or restore them to their defaults.
It’s possible that some programs, especially malware, have hidden your desktop icons without your permission. To see them again, go to Folder Options in the Control Panel. In the Folder Options dialog box, go to the View tab and select Show hidden files, folders and drives radio box in the Advanced settings scroll box. Click Apply.
