Why is my Windows 10 desktop not loading?

4. Disable the second monitor

If youve used a dual monitor setup before, its possible that Desktop icons are set to appear on the second monitor. So, make sure to disable the second monitor if youre not using it, and the icons may appear.

5. Make sure the Show Desktop icons featureis enabled

Although it may sound banal, its quite possible you overlooked this. So, just to be sure, check if your Desktop icons are set to appear once again. Heres how to do that:

1. Right-click on the empty area on your desktop.
2. Choose View and you should see the Show Desktop icons option.
3. Try checking and unchecking Show Desktop icons option a few times but remember to leave this option checked.

6. Turn off Start Full Screen

Some users also reported that using the Start Menu in the Full-Screen mode can somehow hide the Desktop icons.

So, if nothing from above resolved the problem, lets try turning off the Start Menu Full-screen mode, as well. To turn off this option, go to Settings > Personalization > Start > toggle off Use Start full screen.

7. Rebuild icon cache

One of the most common tweaks when resolving the missing icons problem is rebuilding the icons cache. So, were going to try that, as well. Heres how to rebuild the icons cache in Windows 10:

1. Go to Start > type file explorer > double click on the first result
2. In the new File Explorer window, go to View and check Hidden Items in order to display hidden files and folders
3. Navigate to C:Users[User Name]AppDataLocal > scroll all the way down
4. Right-click on IconCache.db > click on Delete > Yes.
5. Go to Recycle Bin > empty it
6. Restart your computer.