A few reasons you don’t see app icons on your taskbar are that you’re using Windows’ tablet mode (which hides the taskbar), File Explorer is acting up, Windows’ icon cache has a problem, your core system files are corrupt, and more.
Disable Tablet Mode on Your PC
One reason you don’t see your taskbar and the taskbar icons is that you’ve enabled Windows’ tablet mode. This mode is designed for tablets running the Windows operating system, and the mode makes the taskbar disappear. In this case, you can turn off the tablet mode and bring your taskbar and your app icons back. Note that you only need to do this on Windows 10 as Windows 11 doesn’t have a tablet mode. If you don’t find the Tablet mode option in Action Center, head into Settings > System > Tablet > Change additional tablet settings and turn off the Tablet mode option. Your taskbar and its icons are now back in your PC’s bottom bar.
Restart Windows File Explorer
Another reason you don’t see your taskbar icons is that Windows’ File Explorer is experiencing issues. In this case, you can give the utility a reboot to potentially fix any minor issues. Once you’ve done that, your taskbar should start displaying all your app icons.
Enable Your App Icons in the Taskbar Settings
Windows allows you to choose the icons you’d like to display on your taskbar. If your taskbar is missing certain icons, you or someone else may have disabled those icons in the settings. It’s quick and easy to fix that, as all you need to do is access your taskbar settings and enable the toggles for the icons you wish to see on your taskbar. Your taskbar should now display your chosen icons.
Clear Windows’ Corrupt Icon Cache
Like many other items, Windows caches your icons, so the system can display those icons quickly. It’s possible this cache has gone corrupt, causing your taskbar not to display your icons. In this case, clear your icon cache, and your issue will be resolved. Deleting the cache doesn’t delete your files or apps. Windows will re-create this cache as you use your PC.
Update Your Display Adapter Drivers
Your display adapter is responsible for drawing content on your screen. It’s possible this adapter’s drivers are corrupt or outdated, causing the taskbar to not draw your app icons. In this case, update your adapter drivers to the latest version, and your issue will be fixed. You can use Windows’ built-in Device Manager utility to update your drivers.
Clean Up Junk Files on Your PC
If your taskbar not showing the icons issue persists, your PC may have accumulated a large number of junk files, with those files causing various issues. In this case, you can remove all those unnecessary files from your storage and resolve your issue. You can use Windows’ built-in Disk Cleanup utility to find and delete various kinds of junk files from your system.
Fix Corrupt Files on Your Windows PC
Your Windows’ system files may have gone corrupt, causing the taskbar not to display your icons. Corrupt core files can cause many other issues as well, and we highly recommend you fix those files as soon as possible. One easy way to fix all corrupt Windows files on your PC is by using the built-in SFC (System File Checker) tool. This tool automatically detects and fixes all corrupt files, allowing you to resolve your problems.
Use System Restore
If your Windows taskbar not showing icons issue remains unresolved, roll back your system to a restore point in the past to fix your issue. Doing so unchanges any changes you may have made to your PC, fixing the problems created by those changes.
Create and Use a New Windows Account
If your taskbar doesn’t display any icons despite following the above methods, your Windows account settings may have a problem. One way to verify that is to create and use a new account on your system. If the new account doesn’t have the taskbar issue, you can copy over all your data from your old account and begin using the new account.
Make Windows Taskbar Display All Your Favorite Icons
More often than not, it’s a minor glitch that causes the Windows taskbar not to display your app icons. You can fix that by using the various methods explained above. Once you’ve applied these fixes, your taskbar should display the default icons as well as any other icons you may have added to it.
