Fix Invisible Icons Pinned On Taskbar in Windows 10 / 11

The option to pin the most used apps to your Windows 10 taskbar turns out to be extremely useful. This is especially good for those who do not want to save too many shortcuts on their desktop, but yet want quick access to their favorite apps. This saves a lot of time that you would otherwise spend on searching the app.

However, there’s a flip side to this too. Apparently, the pinned apps can sometimes go invisible mysteriously causing a lot of confusion. While the app may open, the taskbar icons are not seen o the taskbar despite the fact there’s a dark reserved space for the icon. So, how do we fix this issue?

Let’s see how.

Method 1 – Restart File explorer in Task manager

1: Press CTRL + SHIFT + Esc keys together from keyboard

2: Now, Locate Windows explorer, right click and choose restart.



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Method 2: Using Registry editor

1: Search Registry editor in windows search box and click on registry editor

Registry Editor Min

2: Now, Go to the path given below

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify

3: Delete IconStreams from right side.

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4: Restart computer

5: Now, again go to the same location and this time delete pasticonstreams

6: Restart computer

Method 3: Using The Settings App

 

Step 1: Click on the Start button on your desktop and select Settings from the context menu, located above the Power option.

 

Desktop Windows Icon Settings

 

Step 2: In the Settings window, click on Apps.

 

Settings Apps

 

Step 3: In the Apps window, click n the Default Apps window on the left side. Then on the right side of the pane, scroll down and under the Reset to the Microsoft recommended defaults section, click on Reset. This will reset all the applications to default.

 

Apps Default Apps Reset To The Microsoft Recommended Default Reset

 

This should resolve your missing pinned icons problem, however, if it doesn’t, you can try the 2nd method.

Method 4: By Creating A .Bat File

This method will remove all Pinned items from the taskbar. You will have to pin them again.

Step 1: Copy the below mentioned code and paste it into a notepad:

DEL /F /S /Q /A "%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar\*"

REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe

start explorer.exe

 

Copy Code Paste In Notepad

 

Step 2: Now, save this file as a .bat file on your desired location and select Save as type field as All Files. You can save it with any name, but make sure to add .bat in the end. For instance, we named it as clearpinned.bat and saved it on Desktop. Click on Save to save the file.

 

Save As Name The File Add .bat All Files Save

 

Step 3: Now, double-click on the saved .bat file to run the code. This will get your pinned icons back.

 

Run The .bat File To Get The Pinned Icons Back

 

All your Pinned Icons will be removed . Now, Pin the items again on taskbar based on your choice.



Method 5 – Delete iconcache file and reboot pc

1: Make sure the files are not hidden on your computer. If you don’t know how to unhide files , Read : How to unhide files on Windows PC.

2: Now, open file explorer.

3: Go to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

4: Delete every iconcache files.

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5: Restart PC.

Method  6 – Uninstall Google Drive app

If you have Google drive app installed on your computer, Uninstall it. Many users have stated that uninstalling Google drive app from your PC have fixed this issue

Method  7 – Disabled Tablet mode

If you have tablet mode enabled, disable it.

Read: How to Turn On / Off the Tablet Mode on Windows 10