The Quickest Ways to Show Icons on Your Windows Desktop

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Easily recover, restore, and customize your desktop icons

Written by Stan Kats | Edited by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: January 25, 2026 Fact Checked

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Show All Desktop Icons

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Show System Icons

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Add Shortcut Icons

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Video

Are you missing icons from your Windows desktop? Whether your icons have suddenly disappeared or you're just not seeing the ones you need, there's an easy way to get your icons back. This wikiHow guide will teach you how to show icons on your desktop in Windows 11 and Windows 10, including system icons like Computer and Control Panel. We'll also show you how to add icons for any app, folder, or file to your desktop as a quick shortcut.

Quickly Show Icons on Your Windows Desktop

If you don't see icons on your desktop, right-click a blank area of the desktop, select View, and click Show desktop icons.
To choose which icons appear on the desktop, right-click the desktop and select Personalize. Go to Themes > Desktop icon settings and make your selections.
You can add icons for programs, websites, files, and folders to your desktop by creating desktop shortcuts.

Section 1 of 3:

Show All Desktop Icons

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If your desktop icons are missing, there's an easy fix. To show all desktop icons in Windows 11 and 10, just right-click a blank area of the desktop, select View, and then choose Show desktop icons.
- If this doesn't show all the desktop icons you were expecting, jump to Show System Icons on the Desktop to choose which icons will appear.
- You can also add other icons to your desktop, such as for folders, files, and even websites. Jump to Add Shortcut Icons to the Desktop to learn how.

Section 2 of 3:

Show System Icons on the Desktop

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If you want certain system icons to show on your desktop, such as This PC, Computer, your user folder, Recycle Bin, or Control Panel, you can add them here.^{[1]
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Your desktop theme settings will appear.
You'll find it in the right panel. This opens the Desktop Icon Settings dialog, where you can choose which icons show on your desktop, as well as customize your icons.
If this box is checked, choosing a different desktop theme might add, change, or remove icons from your desktop. Unchecking the box makes it possible to change your theme without affecting your icons.
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Choose icons to appear on the desktop and click OK. Check the boxes next to each icon you want to show on your desktop. When you click OK, the selected icons will show up on your Windows desktop.
- If you'd like, you can also replace the default icons with other options by selecting an icon and clicking Change Icon…

Section 3 of 3:

Add Shortcut Icons to the Desktop

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Show an app icon on your desktop If you want quick access to certain apps and programs, you can add their icons to your desktop. Here's how:^{[2]
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- Press Windows key + D to show your desktop.
- Click the Start menu and select All.
- Locate the app you want to add to your desktop.
- Click and drag the app's icon from the Start menu to your desktop.
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Show a folder or file icon on your desktop To add an icon for a specific file or folder to your desktop, follow these simple steps:
- Right-click the Start menu and select File Explorer.
- Navigate to the file or folder you want to add to the desktop.
- Right-click the file or folder and select Show more options (Windows 11 only) > Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).
- You can rename the shortcut on your desktop by right-clicking it, selecting Rename, typing a new name, and pressing Enter.
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Show a website icon on your desktop If you want to add a website shortcut to your desktop, you can do so from any web browser. Here's how:
- Press Windows key + D to show your desktop.
- In your web browser, go to the website you want to add to your desktop.
- Find the padlock icon to the left of the website's address at the top of your web browser.
- Click and drag the padlock icon to your desktop.