How to Remove the Black Square behind the Folder Icons in Windows 11

Windows allows its users to view the files and folders in different sizes, one can opt to have Large Icons, Medium Icons, or extra-large icons depending on their needs. However, when the users opt to have Large or extra-large icons, they have noticed a black background around the folder.

This is a bug in Windows. It is seen because of some graphical glitch in the system due to corrupt Icon Cache or System Files in the system.

If you are encountering this issue and are not sure, how to fix it on your system, don’t worry. In this article, we have curated a list of working fixes to help you remove the black square displayed behind the Folder Icons.

Fix 1: Restore the Settings to default

1. Locate the folder with a black square behind the folder and right-click on it.

2. From the context menu, choose Properties.

 

 

3. Click on the Customize tab.

4. Under the Folder pictures section, click on Restore Default.

5. Click on Apply and then click on OK.

 

 

6. Check if this removes the black square behind the Folder icon. If not, try the next fix.

Fix 2: Delete the Icon Cache

1. Open the Run Dialog using Windows+R.

2. In the opening dialog, enter the below path and press Enter.

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local

 

 

NOTE: If you see an error here, stating there is no such folder, do the following.

i. Open Run dialog using Windows+R.

ii.  Enter the below command

control.exe folders

 

 

iii. In the appearing window, go to the View tab.

iv. Under Advanced settings click on Show hidden files, folders, or drives.

v. Click on Apply and then click on OK.

 

vi. Now, repeat step 2.

3. In this folder, check for the file named IconCache.

4. Once found, delete the file.

 

 

5. Now, open the Run Dialog again.

6. Enter the below location and press Enter.

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

 

 

7. In the opening window, delete all the files and folders.

 

 

Note: If you see a prompt saying the files are in use and cannot be deleted, select Do this for all current items and Try Again.

9. Restart your System.

Fix 3: Perform a Disk Cleanup

1. Open an Explorer window using Window+E

2. On the left-hand side menu, scroll down and click on This PC

3. From the right-hand side, Right-click on the drive (For example, Windows(C:) or Local Disk (C:))

4. From the context menu, choose Properties

 

 

 

 

5. In the Properties window, under the general tab, click on the Disk Cleanup button.

 

 

6. Under the Files to delete section, tick on all the options except for the files that are required.

7. Click on the Clean up system files button,

 

 

 

8. You will see a Dialog, Are you sure you want to permanently delete these files? Click on Delete Files.

9. You will notice that the Disk Clean-up Process has started.

10. Wait till the disk cleanup completes.

11. Once the disk cleanup is done completely, check the folders. The black background should now be removed.

That’s all.

We hope this has been informative. Kindly comment and let us know the fix that helped you resolve the issue.

Thank you for Reading.