Everything disappeared from the windows desktop. What to do if all files and documents from the Windows desktop are missing

If your work is closely related to a personal computer, then you probably already had a pretty good time learning its basic functions. However, no matter how experienced the user is, there is always the risk of colliding with something unknown. Especially when it comes to such a complex computing technology... In fact, there are a lot of problems. From the simplest ones, which are eliminated by pressing just one key, to real tragedies! In the latter situation, the equipment will most likely not be subject to restoration.

Reasons for missing desktop shortcuts and how to fix the problem

Today we will consider such an example, when all shortcuts of programs that you use suddenly disappeared from the desktop. And we are not talking about accidentally deleting some icons. Even the trash can symbol is missing. Let's say you loaded the operating system, and your gaze was presented with a completely empty desktop, on which only a splash screen flaunts. What to do in this case? What are the methods to fix this problem? Let's consider the situation in more detail.

You need to start by finding out the very reason for the loss. Depending on what happened, the actions will be different. At the moment, it is worth describing three main reasons, as a result of which the user is deprived of the pleasure of contemplating his desktop in the monitor the way he once designed it.

Two of them are pretty commonplace. In this case, it is very easy to return everything to its place. The operation to "rescue" the computer will take only a few minutes. But the last option is already much more serious. And you can spend much more time and effort on it. Let's start with a simpler one.

The first reason. Bad prank or deliberate sabotage?

Think about whether other users have access to your computer? If the answer is no, then feel free to consider the remaining two options. In the case of a positive, we read more carefully and learn the truth in its first instance.

Let's say someone, by pure chance (or deliberately in order to stop the execution of your immediate work), simply took and removed all the shortcuts. Believe me, this can be done. A similar trick will work even with the "basket" image. It is enough just to know a few simple manipulations.

To test this, try creating an element on your desktop. For example, a document, a folder, or the same notorious shortcut. To do this, right-click on the splash screen and select the appropriate item in the window. If this procedure is completed successfully and nothing becomes an obstacle, then everything is much easier than you think.

The shortcuts are restored using the function of the same name. Just click the same right mouse button on the folder or file you need and select “ Create shortcut". The same can be done with the above method described in the check. Done, problem fixed. You can safely continue to work and gloat over the perplexed glances of cunning spiteful critics.

However, the opposite situation can also arise, when the element, in fact, was created, but it did not appear on the desktop. Therefore, the reason lies elsewhere. Let's try a little "digging" in the settings.

The second reason. The ill-fated "tick".

This option is even quite simple and trivial. The fact is that the system has a special clause, agreeing with which, you give your permission to display all elements of the desktop. As a master Yes"In this case," check mark», Placed opposite the corresponding item in the menu. If you remove it (again, accidentally or deliberately), then the desktop will be visually empty.

However, in this case, all the labels will be in place and will become available again as soon as the mark is again affixed in its native place. This can be done as follows.

If you are an OS user Windows XP(this information can be found by looking at the Control Panel and selecting the System icon), then the algorithm should be as follows:
click on " empty
select the menu item " Arrange icons»;
check mark"Opposite the phrase" ";

In the case of the OS Windows 7 the procedure will be slightly different:
click on " empty»The desktop with the right mouse button;
select the menu item called " View»;
pay your attention to whether " check mark"Opposite the phrase" Display desktop icons»;
if there is no mark, then it must be returned.

If after carrying out such manipulations it turns out that “ check mark"Is in its proper place, and the desktop is still empty, then this is not the problem. Here we go to describe much more difficult option... However, nothing is impossible, as you yourself probably understand.

Third reason. Malicious programs.

So, after starting the computer, you found that not only the shortcuts were missing, but also the taskbar, as well as the menu “ Start"? In this case, be sure that a hidden "virus" is already in full swing on your PC. It is also called malicious software... If this happened, then first you still need to restore the usual look of the desktop, and only after that engage in the extermination of dangerous "invaders" who unceremoniously ruled the system.

To do this, you need to restore the process called. It is he who is responsible for correct display desktop and all that you lost overnight.

To solve the problem, use the following algorithm:
1) Manually bring the explorer.exe process back to life. To do this, do the following manipulations:
2) Launch the Task Manager using a special keyboard shortcut, also called "hot". For Windows XP is Ctrl + Alt + Delete". For Windows 7 - "Ctrl" + "Shift" + "Escape".
3) In the Dispatcher menu window that appears, select the item titled " File", and then - " New challenge (Execute…)».

Another window will open in front of you. In it, you will need to register the desired process () and click " Ok».

If, as a result of this sequence of actions, the desktop and all other elements are again displayed, as before, then, therefore, explorer.exe is still present in the bowels of your PC.

If this did not happen, then the file was damaged by a virus. To remedy this situation, you can use one of the following options:
replace it by copying it from another necessarily similar system;
install from the disk of your native OS.

The second step is preferable to avoid system crashes.
After that, do not forget to mandatory completely scan your computer for viruses in order to avoid the repetition of such an unpleasant situation. After all the above actions in the third reason, the system is best rebooted.

Have you lost folders from your desktop, and you do not know how to get them back? Then you've come to the right place. Sometimes this happens and the reason for such a loss is rather commonplace. It is a matter of one minute to bring them back, and for this we do not need any programs. Let's take a look at a few ways to get your folders back to the desktop, and let's start with the easiest.

Typically, desktop folders and files simply become invisible due to the fact that you changed the screen resolution, and the folders were at the edges of the desktop. In this case, they simply "went" off the screen.

In order to return them, you need to arrange the icons. This is done simply.

  • Right click on free space on the desktop and select in the drop-down context menu paragraph - View - Arrange icons automatically .


It happens that you accidentally dragged one folder into another and did not notice it. Then you need to look for it with the help Search... To do this, do the following:


  • VWindows 10 open up Conductor,


And just like in the previous example, enter in the upper right corner in the field Search the name of the missing folder.


What to do if all folders from the desktop are missing?

If almost all or all of the folders from the desktop have disappeared, then you are most likely logged in as a different user. In this case, you must either restart the computer or change the user (in Windows 7 this can be done without restarting).


If, after rebooting or changing the user, the folders did not return, then most likely there was a glitch, as a result of which a new user was created instead of yours, and yours became inactive.

Then we do the following:

  • Come on to my computer or open Conductor, and find the disk " WITH:».


We open it and look for the folder “ Users"(In Windows 10), or the folder" Users"(In Windows 7).

We open these folders and look for a folder with the name of the user under which you log into the system. I have this folder " Lyudmila". In Windows 7, a warning may pop up that you do not have permission to open this folder. Press the button " Proceed».

Open this folder and find the folder " Desktop».

This folder will contain all your desktop documents. You can drag this entire folder to the new desktop and work on.

If you do not remember the name of your profile or there is no such folder, then look at the folder “ General».

If you have just such a problem, then perhaps your HDD not quite "healthy", and it needs to be checked and treated with help.

Hope you find your missing folders and put them back in place.

Working with a computer is based mainly on interaction with the desktop, on which the most frequently used programs and folders are located. But what if the Windows 7 desktop is missing? Where to find the lost folder?

Launch the folder

Explorer.exe- the process responsible for displaying the desktop on Windows. If this process fails while working on the computer, the entire interface disappears and only a picture remains (sometimes a black screen altogether). The reasons for this behavior of the system can be both common problems and serious failures. In any case, the problem is solved quite simply.

Desktop is an ordinary folder, the work of which is initiated by the explorer.exe process. Therefore, the answer to the question of how to restore the Windows 7 desktop is obvious - you just need to start the process.

This method is relevant only if the folder and the path to it are not damaged, otherwise explorer.exe will not work correctly.


There are two ways to restore the work of the process:
  1. Through the task manager;
  2. Through command line.

The first way

For it, you need to call the task manager with the Ctrl + Alt + Delete combination and click on the "File" control panel:

We select "Create a new task" and drive explorer.exe into the window that appears. After this action, the desktop should appear. If this did not happen, then we use the second option.

Second way

To implement process recovery via the console, you must run a command line with administrator rights. To do this, press WIN + W and enter "Command line" in the search bar. Right-click the manipulator and select "Run as administrator":


Enter explorer.exe into the console without any commands. The program will automatically start the process, if successful, all desktop icons will reappear:


Recovery tool

If the above method did not help, or Windows boots up to the moment of a black screen, on which no action can be performed, then you will have to use the recovery tool to return the desktop:


In this case, you can choose to run Last Known Good Configuration. However, the method is not reliable if the computer is infected with a virus program.


We launch the device in safe mode and call the Task Manager again . We repeat the algorithm by starting a new process through a modal window. But in this case, we need the rstrui.exe command:


This command will run system utility restore, which will allow you to select a rollback point, which will return the state of the computer to the date and time the point was created.

You don't have to create rollback points yourself. Windows does this automatically as soon as the user installs programs affecting the system, updates drivers, etc.


The rstrui.exe process, similar to explorer.exe, can also be launched through Command line with administrator rights.

This method allows you to restore the desktop even when the explorer.exe file is damaged / deleted / changed.

After a rollback, be sure to check the system for malware, since there is a high probability that the problem lies precisely in them.

We work with the registry

Registry is a database of all parameters assigned to the system. This is where all viruses are first registered, changing values ​​and rewriting paths. Of course, you can load the last good configuration or roll back the system, but if the device starts up normally, but without a desktop, then it's faster to check everything yourself:



As a precaution, before manipulating the registry, it is recommended to do backup on a third-party media (flash drive or disk). So, if the values ​​are changed incorrectly, you can easily restore the previous copy and start all over again.

Ultimate computer cleanup

As soon as Windows has loaded, and the desktop has not disappeared, you can start cleaning up the system, which will finally get rid of this incident:
  • We load the antivirus with a new database onto an external medium;
  • We are looking for a file called explorer.exe on the Internet, download and upload it to the USB flash drive where the antivirus is located;
  • Using the latter, we check the computer and remove all suspicious utilities and files;
  • We are looking for explorer.exe on the computer (the search is carried out in the section where the operating system is installed) and change it to a file downloaded on the network (after checking it with an antivirus);
  • We reboot the device.

It is possible that Windows Remote Desktop does not work due to a graphics card failure. Do not forget to update your video and audio drivers after restarting.

Video instructions for restoring the desktop

The video shows the main recovery methods in case Remote Desktop does not work:


Restoring your desktop is not difficult and fast enough. The most difficult procedures will be finding the cause, ways of solving them and finally cleaning up the computer manually or with special utilities.

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Sooner or later, most users are faced with a situation where icons disappeared from the desktop on Windows 7.

And the question immediately arises, what to do? First, let's figure out why the icons were missing. Obviously, the answer is not straightforward. Factors that may cause your shortcuts, icons, and the Start bar to disappear are:

OS built-in tools will return icons!

In order to return the shortcuts and icons that have disappeared from the desktop, we will use the simplest, but sometimes effective method.

Activating the icon display function


Launch explorer.exe manually

This method can be used if the desktop disappeared from Windows explorer 7, and now about what to do step by step.



The situation will have to change and everything will return to its original positions. If it doesn't help, go ahead.

Editing the registry or how to get icons back

This method will help in all of the above situations, as well as if the recycle bin is missing from the Windows 7 desktop.

Method 1. If the Start panel is available


Method 2. If the "Start" panel disappeared

You need to restart your computer / laptop and boot into safe mode with command line support, for this:


Having reached the registry, we go through the tree to view and, if necessary, make changes to the executable file. As a reminder, the instructions are given with the assumption that everything disappeared from the desktop on a laptop with Windows 7 or a regular PC.


After a reboot is required and the system should restore everything, if it does not help, move on.

Third party software

All the instructions I did didn’t help, and the icons are still not displayed, we will fight against viruses and malware. If you have lost your watch and other gadgets from your desktop on Windows 7, the AVZ antivirus will come to the rescue.

We always recommend downloading installation packages from official resources, and this time is no exception. Follow the link to download the antivirus.

Antivirus does not require installation, it is absolutely free and Russified.

After successful download, unzip the files into a separate folder. Recall that the antivirus will help if the background (picture) of the desktop on Windows 7 disappears, icons and shortcuts, gadgets and the Start panel are gone.


For the changes to take effect after AVZ shutdown, a reboot is required. Are you still missing the desktop wallpaper on Windows 7 and the icons with the panel are not displayed? In this case, we recommend rolling back the OS to the last successful configuration or reinstalling operating system.

Error-free operation explorer "ah!

Have a great day!