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Summary: This article discusses all macOS Catalina known issues with solutions. Issues like hardware or apps won't work after macOS Catalina update, Mac not turning on, and data loss are included.
Many people are indecisive to upgrade to macOS Catalina, the latest operating system by Apple. Thus, knowing possible macOS Catalina issues will help a lot before you install macOS 10.15. For example, you can't download/install macOS Catalina, apps won't work, iCloud is not available, or you have connectivity issues with yout WiFi or Bluetooth on macOS Catalina.
If your Windows 10 desktop icons are missing, there may be an issue with either your icon settings or your core Windows system. Issues like these often don’t have an apparent reason and that makes it difficult to troubleshoot them. However, for the desktop icons missing issue, there are a few standard fixes you can try and hopefully resolve the issue on your computer. #3 Easiest Way to Recover Missing Files after Mac Update. It is a common sense that the easiest and most efficient way to recover missing files after mac update is using a professional program. On macOS 10.15 Catalina or 10.14 Mojave, System Integrity Protection (SIP) prevents any app from reading startup drive.
Therefore, this post discusses some common macOS Catalina upgrade issues and how to fix these problems.
Now, let's check the table below and see if you can find a solution to your problem.
- Table of contents
- 1. Should I update My Mac to macOS 10.15 Catalina?
- 2. Can't install macOS Catalina on Mac
- 3. macOS Catalina runs into low disk space during installation
- 4. Can I install the macOS 10.15 alongside macOS Mojave?
- 5. Mac won't boot/turn on after installing macOS 10.15Hot
- 6. macOS Catalina update is stuck/frozen
- 7. Sidecar errors: Service Not Supported
- 8. Apps won't work in macOS Catalina
- 9. macOS Catalina keeps asking for Apple ID
- 10. Apps icons go missing in the Finder
- 11. WiFi/Bluetooth is not working on macOS Catalina
- 12. iCloud is not available after macOS update
- 13. External hard drives/mouse/keyboard is not working in macOS Catalina
- 14. macOS Catalina makes Mac slow/overheating
- 15. Files, documents, or folders get lost after update
- 16. External drive is read-only in macOS Catalina
Warning: This post will include multiple macOS Catalina problems, and some serious problems like 'Mac not booting after update' could cause data loss. Therefore, if you are facing some Mac booting issue after macOS update, it is highly recommended to recover the lost files from the unbootable Mac with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac first.
With more patchers are released and bugs are fixed, macOS 10.15 Catalina becomes better and better. But new macOS Catalina issues will never stop showing up. Thus, this article is worthy of reading as you'll know some common macOS Catalina upgrade issues, and how to address them.
1. Should I update My Mac to macOS 10.15 Catalina?
macOS Catalina is so tempting to upgrade, but you may still sit on the fence and wonder:
- Is macOS Catalina stable to use on My Mac?
- Is it worth updating to macOS Catalina?
- Will macOS Catalina damage or slow down My Mac?
More worries keep bothering you. Then, should you upgrade to macOS 10.15 Catalina on your Mac? To be honest, it's up to you as now macOS Catalina is getting less and less flaws.
If you want to try these new features mentioned in WWDC 2019, you can have a bash to install macOS Catalina. But keep one thing in mind, back up your Mac and everything before updating macOS.
If you are an conservative person who have get used to macOS Mojave or High Sierra, then just don't upgrade.
2. Can't install macOS Catalina on Mac
Normally, you can sign up to the Apple APP Store to download and install the macOS Catalina 10.15. But you could encounter problems while you are downloading or installing it.
How to fix:
If you are suffering from this problem, you probably need to check if you have enough space on the drive or volume for installation. The macOS Catalina update will take more than 4.9 GB in total.
Or you may not install to this volume because the Macintosh HD is not mounted when installing macOS Catalina, then you need to check your startup disk in Disk Utility.
Space is enough but the macOS installation couldn't be completed still? Well, you can boot your Mac into Safe Mode and reinstall macOS 10.15. This will isolate incompatible software when you update the sysem. Here is how to boot Mac in Safe Mode (also known as Single User mode).
- Restart your Mac and immediately hold the Shift button.
- When your Mac boot into Safe Mode, reinstall macOS 10.15 Catalina.
- Reboot your Mac.
Also, you may be unable to upgrade to macOS Catalina because of the error 'macOS Catalina could not be verified' below, even though you have cleared out your content caching and re-download for times.
How to fix:
- Click the Apple logo at the upper left and choose System Preferences.
- Find Date & Time and open it.
- Select Date & Time panel and Click the lock to make changes at lower left.
- Uncheck and then recheck the 'Set date and time automatically' option and then save changes by click the lock.
Then restart the computer and proceed to download the update once again through settings and software update. Hopefully, it will resolve the issue of the update not being verified.
3. macOS Catalina runs into low disk space during installation
Chances are that you still can't install macOS Catalina even in Safe Mode. Sometimes, even though you have pretty much no personal file on this Mac and space appears to be enough, you still could fail to install this system due to low disk space warning. As a matter of fact, it's just one of the macOS Catalina problems many users would face.
However, if you are disturbed by the low space problem, you received the low space warning from the system.
How to Fix:
You can fix the low space issue is to delete some local Time Machine snapshots which were made by the system previously. However, if you are not a specialist, you are not advised to do this deletion in case of losing data. Instead, if you have backups in Time Machine, you can just downgrade the macOS Catalina to another stable one like Mojave and then restore your lost files.
Some users see an additional Macintosh HD - Data volume in the Disk Utility of macOS Catalina and regard it as an unknown issue. Indeed, it's not. APFS drive in macOS Catalina will be divided into two volumes. One is called Macintosh HD which contains the system information and is protected with read-only mode, while the other one is Macintosh HD - Data volume where your apps and files are stored.
4. Can I install the macOS 10.15 alongside macOS Mojave?
You are torn if you don't know if macOS Catalina is better than Mojave or High Sierra. Maybe, you can make a compromise between them. That is to run macOS Catalina alongside your current macOS.
You can split your hard drive into two systems and install the Catalina on a separate partition. It is feasible because macOS Catalina will reside itself in a read-only volume, and you can do this with these steps:
Step 1: Open Finder and click Go at the upper left of your desktop.
Step 2: Go to Utilities and choose Disk Utility.
Step 3: Select the internal/startup hard disk and choose Partition at the top.
Step 4: Click Partition and click on the plus button +.
Step 5: Fill in a name, choose APFS format, and choose a size.
Icons Missing On Apps After Mac Hard Drive Updated Windows 10
Step 6: Click Apply to create a new partition.
Step 7: When you move forward to install macOS Catalina, choose this partition as the installation location.
To switch between your current macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina, you can access System Preferences by clicking the Apple logo at the upper left of the desktop and select Startup Disk. Then click the lock at the lower left corner to make changes, key in the password as the system asks. Finally, select your system and restart your Mac.
5. Mac won't boot/turn on after installing macOS Catalina
If you breeze in the newest macOS and install it to your lovely Mac computer, only to find that your Mac won't turn on or stuck on the loading bar after update, or even gets stuck on Mac grey or white screen.
What a nuisance! It has to be fixed instantly because you probably are in need of this Mac. But before you go further to fix the not booting Mac, you are strongly advised to recover lost data from this unbootable Mac with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to avoid losing anything important.
Learn why Mac black screen happens and how to fix black/blue/grey/white screen and turn on your MacBook Pro/Air without problem. Read more >>
After you get your files back, stay in calm and try the following solutions to fix this unbootable Mac.
Solution 1: Check Mac hard drive with Disk Utility in macOS Recovery mode
If your Mac can't boot past the Apple logo after installing macOS 10.15, you can check the startup disk in Disk Utility in case there is any disk error.
Step 1: Reboot your Mac and immediately hold Command + R to boot into macOS Recovery mode.
Step 2: Release theses keys when you see the loading bar.
Step 3: Select Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities menu.
Step 4: Select the startup disk or the macOS volume in the left sidebar of Disk Utility.
Step 5: Click First Aid at the top center and click Run to repair this disk.
Step 3: When it's finished, click on Done and restart your Mac as usual.
Solution 2: Uninstall macOS Catalina or downgrade it to macOS Mojave
Also, it is possible that your Mac is not compatible with macOS 10.15, or you are not satisfied with macOS Catalina's performance. In this case, you may want to uninstall macOS Catalina from your Mac.
Then how to uninstall macOS Catalina on Mac? Can you downgrade macOS Catalina to Mojave? You can check the overall solutions to Mac is not booting up after macOS update or follow these steps to uninstall macOS Catalina.
Step 1: Completely turn off your computer.
Step 2: Restart your Mac and hold Command + R instantly to boot Mac into macOS Recovery Mode.
Note: If your Mac can't boot into macOS Recovery mode with Command + R, you can hold Option + Command + R or Shift + Option + Command + R at startup. It will boot into macOS Recovery over the Internet, so make sure your Mac is connected to the Internet.
Step 3: Let go of the key combinations when you see the macOS Utilities menu.
Step 4: Choose Disk Utility and click Continue.
Step 5: Choose the Startup Disk (labeled Macintosh HD usually) and click Erase.
Step 6: Format it as APFS and click on Erase.
Step 7: Back to macOS Utilities menu and choose Reinstall macOS.
Step 8: Click Continue and then agree to any terms and conditions. When it is completed, your Mac will restart and get back to macOS Mojave.
Check 10 tested and tried solutions to fix a Mac computer, like a MacBook Pro/Air, an iMac or a Mac mini, that won't turn on or start up normally. Read more >>
6. macOS Catalina update is stuck/frozen
You may be wondering how long time macOS Catalina will take to install because this macOS update is frozen on your Mac for hours. Many people are confronted with the similar problem that the macOS Catalina is stuck on 'Setting Up Your Mac', Screen time, or other process. It annoying and frustrating, especially after you have run out of your patience by waiting for its completion.
How to fix:
Well, if you have waited it for a very long time but nothing has changed, you can try to backup your files and reboot your Mac by holding down the power button. Hopefully, this will make your Mac go back to normal condition.
7. Sidecar errors: Service Not Supported
Even though Sidecar is the most exciting feature for many users, the Sidecar is limited to work on some Macs/iPads. That's to say, Sidecar may be not working when you mirror macOS Catalina to iPadOS. If you're unable to connect to your iPad and receive 'Sidecar errors: Service Not Supported', you need to firstly check if your iPad is installed with iPad iOS 13, then check the following list to see if your device is compatible with macOS Catalina 10.15.
Macs that are compatible with macOS Catalina:
- MacBook Pro (Mid-2012 and newer)
- MacBook Air (Mid-2012 and newer)
- MacBook (early 2015 and later)
- iMac (late 2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017 or newer)
- Mac Pro (late 2013 or newer)
- Mac Mini (late 2012 or newer)
iPad models that support Sidecar
- 12.9-inch/11-inch/10.5-inch/9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (5/6th generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad mini 4
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- iPad Air 2
8. Apps won't work in macOS Catalina
It is possible that you install macOS Catalina on your Mac, only to find that some of your software like Microsoft Word 2011 won't run or even open in macOS 10.15 at all. Instead, you may receive a message like below to inform you that your app is not optimized for your Mac and needs to be updated.
Why? Actually, it is because macOS Catalina doesn't support 32-bit apps anymore. Apple has been phasing out 32-bit software for the last 10 years and macOS Mojave is the last one that supports 32-bit software.
How do I check if my app is 32-bit on Mac?
By default, macOS will tell you that the app is 'not optimized for your Mac' or something like that when you attempt to open a 32-bit app in macOS Catalina. However, if it doesn't give any warning but the software just won't open, you can also check your apps for 64-bit compatibility manually.
Step 1: Click on the Apple logo at the top left corner and select About This Mac.
Step 2: Click on the System Report….
Step 3: Scroll down the context menu in the sidebar until you see the Software section.
Step 4: Click on the Applications option under Software to show your applications on this Mac.
Step 5: Find the target app and you will see a section titled 64-Bit (Intel).
Next to this section is either Yes or No. 'Yes' means the app is 64-bit, and 'No' means the app is 32-bit and needs to be updated.
How to fix:
Well, you can't have your cake, and eat it. If you want to upgrade your operating system to macOS Catalina which is only compatible with 64-bit software for sure, you can't use your 32-bit apps. So, you have only three options in this case and the solution is totally up to your preference.
- Upgrade this software to a newer 64-bit version.
- If there is no 64-bit version available for this app, find an alternative one that does the same work but is compatible with macOS 10.15.
- Downgrade macOS Catalina to macOS Mojave.
Here is the overall tutorial to downgrade from macOS Catalina to macOS Mojave, or High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, etc. without data loss. Read more >>
9. macOS Catalina keeps asking for Apple ID
Some users also complain that after installing macOS Catalina, the Mac asks for updating the Apple ID settings. However, after you put in your password of Apple ID and your Mac password, the message may pop back up again and again after a few minutes.
How to fix:
You can solve this macOS Catalina bugs by saving your keychain to iCloud drive, and the following is the steps to do this.
- Click on System Settings.
- Choose Apple ID at the top and then choose iCloud in the context menu. It will show what is using the iCloud.
- Scroll down this menu and choose Keychain.
- Enter your Apple ID and your computer password a couple times as they are asked.
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10. Apps icons go missing in the Finder
In macOS Catalina 10.15, you might see some icons of your apps disappearing when clicking the Applications shortcut in the Finder sidebar, only third-party applications. This will happen if you used Migration Assistant to migrate your data to a Mac running macOS Catalina.
How to fix:
- Open the Finder on your Mac.
- Right-click on Finder at the upper left corner of your desktop, and then choose Preferences.
- In the Sidebar tab, select the Applications favorite, then remove the Applications shortcut from the sidebar that displays incorrect results.
This article will show you how to recover lost/missing/disappeared Documents Folder and other files on macOS Catalina and earlier with ease. Read more >>
11. WiFi/Bluetooth is not working on macOS Catalina
Can't access the Internet after installing macOS Catalina? WiFi/Blutooth is not working or not available? Check the following methods to fix such issues.
How to fix macOS Catalina WiFi not working issues:
Method 1: Simply click on WiFi in the menu bar and turn WiFi Off. And then wait for 10-15 seconds and reconnect to it. Try this for several times if it doesn't fix the WiFi problem after the first try.
Method 2: Restart your Mac in Safe Mode and see if you can access the Internect. If you can, it should be some incompatible apps or extensions that hinder the WiFi in normal work, and you could fix such WiFi not workign issue by uninstalling or updating your software and drivers.
Method 3: Create a new Network Location simply.
1. Click the Apple icon at the upper left, and then choose System Preferences.
2. Find Network and then create a new Network location which usually show as Automatic.
3. Choose Edit Locations, click on the + button to create a new location, and then click Done.
4. Re-join a known working WiFi network.
How to fix macOS Catalina Blutooth issues:
- Open Finder, click on Go in the top menu, and then click Go to Folder....
- Type in /Library/Preferences and click Go.
- Find the file com.apple.Bluetooth.plist, copy this file to another location and then delete the original one.
- Restart your Mac and reconnect to your Bluetooth devices.
12. iCloud is not available after macOS update
As you know, iCloud is extremely helpful to share folders between different devices. Sometimes, it can even restore some lost files after an update.
However, after macOS Catalina was released, you might see the message 'Couldn't connect to iCloud' when creating a new Pages, Numbers, or Keynote document in a shared folder. When confronted with this problem, you can simply close this document and then reopen it.
Furthermore, you could meet some other iCloud issues.
- iCloud Drive fails to automatically download all files after macOS Catalina update
- Multiple empty Application libraries within iCloud Drive after update
How to fix:
- Download the desired files from iCloud drive manually and individually.
- Safely remove the empty folders from iCloud.
- Restart your device and start everything from scratch.
13. External hard drives/mouse/keyboard is not working in macOS Catalina
It happens that Mac won't recognize your external hard drive after installing macOS 10.15 Catalina. What's worse, this issue also affects some accessories like keyboard, mouse and printer drivers, etc. Why?
For the most part, it is still the 32-bit driver that makes your external drives not working.
How to fix:
- Simply update these drivers in App Store
- Contact the developer in their support page to ask for a driver update.
The reasons for Mac not recognizing external hard drive are varied, so check this guide to fix 'Mac doesn't recognize external hard drive' issue easily. Read more >>
14. macOS Catalina makes Mac slow/overheating
As for a large number of exciting features are introduced in macOS 10.15 Catalina, some people complain that Catalina has slowed their screens down. What's worse, it makes their computers overheating, and even causes some battery problems.
It is annoying, especially for some game geeks and office workers who need a fluent computer eagerly. Thus, try the solutions below to calm you and your Mac down.
Solution 1: Uncheck Login Items as many as possible
Even though macOS is designed for better performance, too much unnecessary items at login will lower you Mac. What's worse, these login items could make your Mac stuck on loading bar when you boot your Mac. So, just disable it as the following steps.
Step 1: Click on the Apple logo at the top left corner and select System Preferences.
Step 2: Choose Users and Groups in the menu and click on your account in the left sidebar.
Step 3: Click Login Items in the right column to show a list of programs that automatically start up when you turn on your Mac.
Step 4: Select as much software as you can and click on the minus - button at the bottom of this window.
If this doesn't fix your problem when you reboot your Mac, try the next solution.
Solution 2: Reset System Management Controller (SMC)
Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) is a feasible solution if the macOS Catalina is not working normally, which helps to solve many power and hardware related issues. If you are suffering from one of these problems below, resetting SMC is particularly effective.
- Mac computer is overheating
- Power management and battery problems
- Video and external displays not working
- Mac doesn't respond when you press the power button
- General performance and functionality problems
How to reset SMC on Mac:
Step 1: Shut down the computer completely and make sure your Mac is connected with power.
Step 2: Using the built-in keyboard, press and hold the Shift + Control + Option + Power Button keys at the same time for about 10 seconds. If you have a MacBook Pro with Touch ID, the Touch ID button is also the power button.
Step 3: Release all the keys together and press the power button to start up your computer.
Step 4: The boot time after resetting a machine's SMC will be a bit longer than usual, that is normal. When the computer is booting up, you can customize your Mac settings according to your need again.
15. Files, documents, or folders get lost after update
You may lose files after macOS update. Some users' desktop becomes empty, and some other people find that they can't locate some photos in Photos library. It's a terrible feeling when you can't find important documents, photos, emails, etc. after macOS update. So, you'd better not risk your work Mac with the every new Apple operating system.
Lost important data after updating to macOS Catalina? Files on their MacBook or iMac are gone? Click this post to get solutions to recover them. Read more >>
But since you have lost files after macOS update, the most urgent thing probably is to recover these files. You can try these 3 solutions to get them back.
Solution 1: Recover files from iCloud
Actually, if you 're using iCloud Drive to sync Desktop & Documents folders, it is rather easy to restore documents, photos, etc.
Just visit www.icloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID to recover your files now.
Solution 2: Recover files from Time Machine backups
No data backup in iCloud? Don't worry, because you have another feasible way to recover lost/disappeared files.
Ta-ta, that is Time Machine. If you have backed up your Mac with Time Machine before update, it's easy to recover lost files then. Now, let's see how to recover files from Time Machine backups.
Step 1: Connect this Time Machine backup external hard drive to your Mac.
Step 2: Click on the Apple logo at the top left corner and select System Preferences.
Step 3: Find Time Machine, open it, and then check Show Time Machine in menu bar.
Step 4: Locate Time Machine at the upper right menu, click its icon and choose Enter Time Machine.
Step 5: Look through the Time Machine backup folders in the left sidebar and locate the target files according to time.
Step 6: Select files you want to recover and click Restore.
Solution 3: Recover lost data with Mac data recovery software
If you haven't backed up the lost/missing files with Time Machine, then you can look for a Mac data recovery tool to recover files from the Mac computer after macOS Catalina update.
You can use iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to recover lost data from Mac computers.
iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is user-friendly Mac data recovery software, which can recover photos, videos, music files, word files, emails, etc. from Mac computers. It is one of the most powerful APFS data recovery tools that can recover files from formatted, corrupted, unreadable, unmountable APFS partitions/drives. What's more, it also can retrieve deleted/lost files from emptied Trash and supports external hard drive data recovery, SD card data recovery, USB flash drive data recovery, etc.
Tutorial to recover lost data from macOS Catalina with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac
Step 1: Download iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on your Mac and launch it.
Step 2: Select the drive/volume you lost data from and click Next to scan for files on this drive.
Step 3: Select files you want to get back. You can preview the target files by double-clicking.
Step 4: Click Recover to get lost/missing files back.
16. External drive is read-only in macOS Catalina
Another problem many users are facing is that external drives are read-only in macOS Catalina. This could include hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, etc. As a result, you will be unable to write to, transfer, edit, delete files on the read-only drive in macOS Catalina. As a matter of fact, this problem results from the NTFS file system which Apple does not officially allow write support, and it not only occurs to macOS 10.15 Catalina but other Mac operating systems.
How to fix external drive read-only in macOS Catalina:
If your external drives are read-only in macOS and you're unable to write to NTFS drives, you can download an NTFS for Mac driver like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac. This tool can mount NTFS drives on Mac in read-write mode, granting you full access to NTFS drives in macOS so that you can create, save, copy, paste, delete and modify files on this drive.
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Best NTFS Driver for Mac - iBoysoft NTFS for Mac
- Mount NTFS volumes in read-write mode and unmount with single click
- Check and repair NTFS disk errors on Mac
- Erase data on NTFS disks easily
- Reformat exFAT/FAT32/HFS+ disk to NTFS on Mac
- Support macOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12 and OS X 10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8
Read also:
If you're faced with a macOS Catalina issue that is not covered in this article or you have other tested and trusted solutions, kindly update us via [email protected]
Summary :
If you are experiencing the “Windows 10 desktop icons missing/disappeared” issue and don’t know what causes this, you can check the 8 ways in this post to fix Windows 10 desktop icons missing problem and recover the possible lost data and files for free.
Quick Navigation :
Some of you may encounter “Windows 10 desktop icons missing” issue like below.
- Why did my icons disappear from my desktop Windows 10?
- How do I get my desktop icons back on Windows 10?
- Why did my desktop icons disappear?
- Why are my desktop icons not showing up?
If you start your Windows 10 computer and find all desktop icons in your Windows 10 computer are disappeared, and don’t know how to fix it, check these 8 ways below to restore desktop icons Windows 10 and show desktop Windows 10 icons. An ultimate data recovery guide is also attached to help you recover possible lost files on Windows 10 PC for free.
How to Fix Windows 10 Desktop Icons Missing/Disappeared
- Unhide All Desktop Icons Windows 10
- Check Desktop Icon Settings
- Turn off the Tablet Mode
- Run SFC Scannow
- Run CHKDSK
- Rebuild Icon Cache
- Reset this PC
- Perform a System Restore
Way 1. Turn on Show Desktop Icons to Unhide All Desktop Icons Windows 10
Windows 10 desktop icons missing issue may be caused by accidentally hiding desktop icons. You can restore desktop icons Windows 10 by enabling Show desktop icons.
Step 1. Right-click the empty space on Windows 10 computer screen and click View option.
Step 2. After you click View tab, you can see several options for managing desktop icons. Navigate and check if the option Show desktop icons are ticked, if not, make it ticked. Then check if you get all missing desktop icons back.
If you even can’t right-click the desktop, you can continue to check other ways below.
Way 2. Fix Windows Desktop Icons Missing by Checking Desktop Icon Settings
Your Windows 10 icons may be hidden, the second step you can take is to show desktop icons in Windows 10 through Settings.
Step 1. You can right-click the computer screen and click Personalize. If you can’t right-click the desktop screen, you can click Start -> Settings -> Personalization.
Step 2. Then choose Themes, and click Desktop icon settings.
Step 3. Then you can select which kinds of desktop icons you’d like to show on Windows computer, and click Apply and OK.
Check if Windows 10 desktop icons are shown now, it not, continue to try other ways.
Related: How to Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode to Fix Issues and Recover Data
Way 3. Turn off the Tablet Mode to Show Desktop Icons
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If you have a touch screen, the computer may have two screen modes: Desktop Mode and Tablet Mode. If your Windows 10 computer is in Tablet mode, the desktop icons may not be shown properly. You can turn off Tablet mode to see if “Windows 10 desktop icons disappeared” problem can be solved.
Step 1. You can click Start and Settings to open Windows 10 settings.
Step 2. Click System to open system settings window, and select Tablet mode in the left panel.
Step 3. Make sure the status of Table mode is Off, to turn off tablet mode.
Way 4. Run SFC Scannow to Fix Windows 10 Desktop Icons Missing Issue
SFC (File System Checker) is a Windows built-in command line tool mainly designed for helping users to scan and repair corrupted system files. If the Windows 10 icons missing issue is caused by system corruption, you can try SFC Scannow to show desktop Windows 10.
Step 1. Open Windows Command Prompt. You can press Windows logo and R keys on the keyboard at the same time. Then type cmd in the box, and hit Enter. When a window pops up asking you if you want to run it as Administrator, click Yes. You can also press Ctrl + Shift + Enter at the same time after typing cmd, to run Command Prompt as Administrator.
Step 2. Then in the Command Prompt window, you can type this command line: sfc /scannow, and hit Enter.
Wait patiently to let the SFC scan process finish. After that, you can check if the “desktop not showing in Windows 10” issue is fixed.
Recommended reading: How to Repair Windows 10 with Startup Repair, SFC Scannow, etc. (6 Ways)
How to Recover Missing Desktop Files in Windows 10
If you Windows 10 desktop icons are disappeared, some of files you stored in computer may also get lost. Don’t worry, you can easily recover lost data and files with the help of the professional best data recovery software.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a clean and free data recovery program, helping you to recover any deleted/lost files from computer hard drive, external hard drive, SSD, USB flash drive, SD card and more.
You can use this tool to recover lost data from almost any data loss situations, incl. system crash, virus attack, hard drive error, etc.
Free download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery on your Windows 10 computer, and follow the 3 simple steps below to recover lost data on PC.
Step 1 – Launch the Windows 10 File Recovery Software
Open MiniTool Power Data Recovery software to enter into its main UI. And click This PC in the left column. Then you can choose a PC drive or partition, and click Scan button to start scanning the chosen partition for lost and deleted files.
Step 2 – Preview and Find Lost Files
When the scan process is finished, you can browse, preview and find the lost files and folder in the scan result window.
You can click Find to search the lost file or folder by name, or click Filter to find the files by file extension, file size range, create date, etc. You can also click Show Lost Files icon to only show lost files in the scan result, to quickly find needed files.
Step 3 – Recover Lost Files and Folders in Windows 10 PC
Check all you needed files and click Save button to choose a destination folder to store the recovered lost files. Please remember to choose a different partition to save the recovered files to prevent data overwriting.
With this free file undelete software for Windows 10, you can easily restore lost desktop files or any other lost or deleted files in your Windows 10 computer.
Way 5. Run CHKDSK to Fix Windows 10 Desktop Icons Missing
Another Windows built-in command line utility CHKDSK can also help diagnose and fix some computer issues. It can verify the file system integrity of a partition and repair hard disk logical file system errors.
Since your Windows 10 desktop icons are disappeared, you can also try CHKDSK to see if it can get back lost Windows 10 icons.
Step 1. Press Windows + R key on the keyboard, type cmd, and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
Step 2. Then you can type this command line: chkdsk c: /f /r, and hit Enter. You can replace “c” with the drive letter of another partition or volume, to check and repair errors on other partitions or drives.
Way 6. Rebuild Icon Cache Windows 10
If nothing helps with the above methods, you can continue to try to rebuild icon cache in Windows 10 to fix Windows 10 desktop icons disappeared error. Check below for how to rebuild icon cache in Windows 10.
Step 1. Still, you should open Command Prompt window. You can press Windows and R key on the keyboard, type cmd, hit Enter and run command prompt as administrator.
Step 2. Then you can type the commands below to rebuild icon cache. Please hit Enter to execute the operation after typing each command line.
- taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe
- cd /d %userprofile%AppDataLocal
- attrib –h IconCache.db
- del IconCache.db
- start explorer.exe
Way 7. Reset this PC to Fix Windows 10 Icons Missing
You can also try to reset your Windows 10 PC to see if the Windows 10 desktop icons missing problem can be fixed.
Step 1. You can also click Start and click Settings. Then click Update & Security and choose Recovery option.
Step 2. Next you can click Get started under Reset this PC to carry out the resetting process.
Step 3. In the pop-up window, you can choose Keep my files and proceed to reinstall Windows while keeping all your personal files.
Also read: Create Windows 10 Repair Disk/Recovery Drive/System Image to Repair Win 10
Way 8. Perform a System Restore to Show Desktop Windows 10
You can also try to conduct a system restore to see if it can restore desktop icons in Windows 10.
Step 1. Click Start -> Settings -> Update & Security -> Recovery -> Restart now, to enter into Windows recovery environment.
Step 2. Next you can click Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> System Restore.
Step 3. Then you can click your computer account and enter the password, and select a restore point to restore your Windows 10 computer to a previous state.
If the 8 ways introduced in this post don’t help you fix Windows 10 desktop icons missing issue, then you may try the last draw: reinstall Windows 10.
As for how to reinstall Windows 10 without losing data and without CD, you can check the details in this post: How to Reinstall Windows 10 without CD/USB Easily (3 Skills)
Icons Disappeared from Taskbar Windows 10 Solved
If icons are missing from Taskbar in Windows 10, you can try to use SFC or DISM to fix this issue.
- At first, you can press Windows + R key on the keyboard, type cmd in the Run box, open and run command prompt as administrator. Then type sfc /scannow and hit Enter to let the File System Checker scan and fix Windows 10 issues.
- If SFC doesn’t fix “Icons disappeared from Taskbar Windows 10” issue, you can type this command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, and hit Enter.
After that, you can reboot your Windows 10 PC to see if Windows 10 taskbar icons invisible problem has been fixed. (Windows 10 Taskbar Not Working? 6 Fast Fixes)
Fix “Can’t Move Desktop Icons on Windows 10”
Still, if some of you encounter this issue: can’t move desktop icons on Windows 10, you may try these methods below to fix this problem.
- Press Esc key on the keyboard three times.
- Change icons arrangement configuration. You can right-click the blank space on desktop and click View -> uncheck Auto arrange icons.
- You can also change icon size after you right-click the desktop and click View
- You can follow the guide above to turn off Tablet mode
- You can also follow the guide above to go to Troubleshoot and perform a system restore, etc.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, you can try the 8 methods in this post to fix Windows 10 desktop icons missing problem. If you also suffer some data loss because of this error or any other errors on Windows 10 computer, you can also follow the data recovery guide in this post to easily recover lost data and files in Windows 10 with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
Still have issues about how to fix Windows 10 desktop icons missing problem or how to recover data from Windows 10? Please contact [email protected].