Both the Taskbar and the Windows Desktop are two elements that have been with us for many years and versions of the system. Not in vain we use these two sections almost constantly for various tasks in order to optimize the operation of Microsoft software.
Precisely for this reason, the new Taskbar that Windows 11 initially included has been criticized so much. Its functionality has been greatly limited from previous versions of the operating system, although it seems that Microsoft is backing down. Here we tend to add shortcuts to the programs that we normally use the most , and the running applications are automatically placed.
If we take into account that this bar is constantly in view, we will have access to all of it instantly and at all times. Something similar happens with the Desktop, something extremely useful that we also use at all times. On many occasions we create folders or add shortcuts to commonly used functions and content. This allows us to access the most common files and folders directly from the Desktop and we avoid having to navigate from the File Explorer.
In fact, sometimes we find that the Desktop is full of icons, which can turn it into chaos. But that is not the only use we make of the Desktop. And it is also that this is one of the first elements that we personalize when we start with Windows, for example, with a personal image. Here we add a photo of our partner, friends, family, pet, etc. The serious problem can occur when all of a sudden we find that all these icons and shortcuts disappear .
How to see the icons on the Windows Desktop again
After the initial scare when seeing how all these folders and shortcut icons have disappeared from the Desktop , we tried to find an explanation. At first we might think that this is due to an error that has just occurred in the operating system itself. However, the solution is most likely simpler than we imagine. More than a failure in Windows , this disappearance may be due to a change in the configuration of the system itself.
This is a change that we may have suddenly made ourselves by mistake, because some program has modified this function. So before we tip anyone off to try and fix the problem for us, we’re going to make this change that will likely help us. We must bear in mind that Windows has a customizable option that allows us to hide all the content of the desktop at once. This can be done for privacy-related tasks, for example, if another person is going to use our computer.
This does not delete anything, the only thing the function does is hide the icons and contents of this section of the system until we revert the function. To be able to see all these contents on the Desktop again, click with the right mouse button on it. Next, in the context menu that appears on the screen, we go to the menu option View / Show desktop icons . At that moment and automatically we will see how all those contents that had magically disappeared come back into view.