How To Fix Taskbar Icons Missing In Windows 11

At the same time, some users said that their entire taskbar disappeared after installing the newer version of Windows. You may also be going through the same annoying situation but don’t worry. Here in this article, we have explained all the working ways to get back missing Taskbar icons in Windows 11.

What Causes Windows 11 Taskbar Glitch?

The exact cause of the Windows 11 taskbar glitch is unclear since different users reported different reasons. Yet, below are some causes for Windows 11 Taskbar glitch.

Recent Windows Update Error Iris Service Glitch Use of Dual Screen Incorrect Time and Date Issues With Microsoft Windows Store & Framework Language Pack Removal Glitch Corrupted System Files Outdated Display Drivers Cache Issues Incorrect Taskbar Settings

Fix Taskbar Icons Missing/Not Showing in Windows 11

Microsoft regularly releases new updates, and it is essential to install those updates to keep your system up-to-date. If you haven’t updated your PC in a really long time and facing the missing Taskbar icons issues, then you should install pending Windows 11 updates. Many Windows users resolved the issue by rebooting their Windows 11 PCs, and you can try this too. In case this doesn’t resolve the issue, you can start applying the below-mentioned solutions to get back the missing Taskbar icons in Windows 11.

1. Try Using A Single Monitor

Many Windows 11 users encountered the issue because of using two different monitors simultaneously. Fortunately, the problem was resolved immediately after disconnecting the second monitor. if you have a dual monitor setup you can try disconnecting the second monitor. If disconnecting the second monitor resolves the issue, then you should stop using the second monitor until you find a lasting solution.

2. Repin the App Again

It is likely possible that you have mistakenly unpinned the missing icons, and that’s why they aren’t showing in the Taskbar now. You can try repinning your preferable icons again and see if they start appearing in the Taskbar. You can quickly pin the icons in the taskbar with a single click.  

1. Press the Windows key. 
2. In the Search Bar, type the app name you want to pin in the Taskbar.
3. Click on the Pin to taskbar option to pin that particular application in the Taskbar.  Voila! You’ll now see that the icons are now visible in the taskbar. Click on the icon to launch the program and check if it’s working. 

3. Check Date and Time

Date and time play a vital role in the proper functioning of the taskbar. It is possible that your system’s date and time are wrong, preventing the taskbar from working properly. In that case, you need to make sure that the date and time of your system are set correctly. You can verify your machine’s time and date configuration from the Time & language settings. 

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings app. 
2. Head to the Time & language settings from the left navigation panel.  
3. Then, select Date & time. 
4. Now, ensure that Select time automatically and Select timezone automatically options are toggled on. 
5. Lastly, click on the Sync now button to sync time and date with Microsoft servers. 

4. Disable Automatically Hide the Taskbar Option

Windows comes with a personalization option that automatically hides the taskbar without letting you know about it. If this feature is enabled on your Windows 11 PC, it will automatically hide the Taskbar. You need to ensure the Automatic hide the Taskbar feature is disabled on your PC. Follow the steps to check the same. 

1. Right-click on the Desktop and select Personalize from the context menu. 
2. In the Personalize settings, head to the Taskbar section.
3. Scroll down and look for the Taskbar behaviors option and expand it.
4. Make sure that Automatically hide the taskbar checkbox is unchecked.

5. Log Out From Your PC and Log In Again

Logging out and Logging in again is one of the easiest fixes to bring back the missing taskbar icons. Several Windows 11 users have reported logging out from their Windows 11 PC and then login in again after a few minutes fixed the missing Taskbar icons for them. They also added that you should use the same Outlook account throughout the entire process. 

1. Click on the Start icon. 
2. Click on your Profile at the bottom of the pop-up. 
3. After that, click on the Sign out option.  Once you log out, use the same Outlook account to log in to your Windows PC again. Lastly, check whether the missing taskbar icons are back again or not. 

6. Restart the Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is an essential Windows program that helps you access all the files stored in your storage drives in one place. Many programs use Windows Explorer for smoother functioning, and the taskbar is no excpetion. In some cases, it is found that improper functioning of the Windows Explorer program can cause the issue. A set of users tried restarting the Windows Explorer program, and it brought back the missing Taskbar icons. Below are the steps to restart Windows Explorer in Windows 11.

1. Press the Windows key and type Task Manager in the Search Bar. 
2. Click on the Run as administrator option to run the Task Manager with admin privileges. 
3. Search for Windows Explorer in the Process section. 
4. Right-click on Windows Explorer and select Restart.  Once done, see if the disappeared taskbar or missing icons are properly visible and functioning. 

7. Delete IRIS Service

According to a blog by Microsoft, the leading cause of the issue is the IrisService Registry key. However, the officials haven’t reported the exact reason behind the IrisService Registry key causing the problem. The issue is related to IrisService Reg. key, and deleting this file will possibly resolve the issue. You need to create a CMD task that automatically deletes the IRIS service. Follow the steps to do so.

1. Press the Windows key and type Task Manager. 
2. Select Run as administrator to open Task Manager with admin rights. 
3. Click on the Run new task option.
4. Type cmd in the field. 
5. Check the Create this task with administrative privileges. 
6. Click on the OK button. 
7. Copy and paste the mentioned command in the Command Prompt and press the Enter key: 
8. Reboot the PC to let the system execute the created command. 

8. Delete IconStreams File & PastIconStreams Using Registry Editor

Like any other program or application, the taskbar also creates caches to function properly every time you try to use it. In many situations, it is found that deleting the cache resolves the problem immediately. You can also try clearing the taskbar cache. However, you need to remove the IconStreams and PastIconStreams cache from the Registry File Editor. However you can easily do so with the help of below steps.

1. Press the Windows key. 
2. Type Registry Editor and click Run as administrator to open the Registry Editor with administrative rights. 
3. Press Ctrl + F. 
4. Type iconstreams in the Search Bar to find iconstreams quickly in the Registry Editor. Then, press Find Next. 
5. Right-click on iconstreams and select Delete. 
6. Now, search for the pasticonstreams file and delete it. 
7. Reboot the PC and see if the issue is fixed or not. 

9. Tweak TaskbarSd Settings

All of the taskbar-related settings are stored in the Registry Editor. Some Windows users noted that they encountered this issue because of incorrect TaskbarSd settings. It could likely be the same in your case. In that case, the first and foremost step is to ensure that your TaskbarSd settings are correct. You also need to make a few essential changes. Follow the below-mentioned steps to tweak the TaskbarSd settings without any errors. 

1. Press the Windows key and type Task Manager in the Search Bar. 
2. Click on the Run as administrator option to use Task Manager with admin privileges. 
3. Click on the Run new task option present in the menu. 
4. Type regedit in the field and press the Enter key. 
5. Move to the below-mentioned location: 
6. Double-click the TaskbarSd key and enter 1 in the Value data field. 
7. Then, click on the OK button. 
8. Now, open Command Prompt as administrator. 
9. Copy and paste the mentioned command and press the Enter key: 

10. Re-register Task Bar

One of the most common solutions to fix the taskbar icons missing issue in Windows 11 is by re-registering the entire taskbar and its essential files. You can re-register the taskbar by simply executing a command in the Terminal app.

1. Press the Windows key.
2. Type Windows PowerShell in the Search Bar and click on Run as administrator to open the Windows PowerShell with admin rights. 
3. Execute the given command in the Terminal app: 
4. Once done, restart the PC and check the status of the issue. 

11. Fix Microsoft Store-Related Errors Using Microsoft Troubleshooter

One of the causes of this issue is the errors in your Microsoft Store app. There is a possibility that Microsoft Store has some bugs and errors causing missing Taskbar icons. You can search and fix all the errors using the Windows Microsoft Store troubleshooter.

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings app. 
2. Search Find and fix problems with Windows Store apps in the search bar and select tap on it.
3. Click on Advanced. 
4. Check the Apply repairs automatically checkbox then, click Next. 
5. You will see the issues in the final window. 
6. At last, click Close to close the troubleshooter. 

12. Uninstall Recent Windows Updates

Several Windows users faced the missing taskbar or icons glitch after updating the PC to the newer version. If this is the same with your case, one of the ways to get out of this is to uninstall recent Windows updates. Uninstalling Windows Updates will remove all the recently installed updates and roll back to the previous version. You can easily do this by following the below steps. 

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
2. Move to the Windows Update settings from the left-navigation menu.
3. Select Update history to get the history of all installed updates. 
4. Scroll down and click Uninstall updates. 
5. On the next screen, you will also see the recently installed updates. Click the Uninstall button right next to the recent update. 
6. Click on the Uninstall button to continue uninstalling the updates. 
7. Wait till the uninstallation process ends and reboot the PC.

13. Use Disk Cleanup Tool

Taskbar icons are also a type of file. It is possible that some of the icon files have been damaged. As a result, they have gone missing from the Taskbar. Cleaning files related to the taskbar can fix the issue. In that case, you can use the built-in Disk Cleanup tool. The tool lets you clean and frees up space on your hard disk. Follow the below steps to use the Disk Cleanup tool. 

1. Press the Windows key and type Disk Cleanup in the Search Bar. 
2. Click on the Run as administrator option to run the Disk Cleanup tool with administrative privileges. 
3. On the next screen, select the drive where you have installed Windows 11. 
4. Click on OK to proceed ahead.
5. Check the Recycle Bin and Thumbnails checkboxes. 
6. In the end, click the Clean up system files.  Once the process is completed, check whether the issue has been resolved. 

14. Run DISM and SFC Scan

DISM and SFC scans are one of the most working solutions that fix almost all Windows-related problems. Sometimes application files get corrupted and start malfunctioning. This could be the same with the taskbar. It is likely that your taskbar-related files may be corrupted due to any reason. You can run DISM, and SFC scans to fix all the corrupted system files. Follow the below-mentioned process to run DISM and SFC scans on your Windows 11 PC. 

Run DISM Scan 

1. Press Windows + X to get a list of options. 
2. Select Terminal (Admin) from the WinX menu. 
3. Copy and paste the below command in the Terminal and press the Enter key.
4. Wait until the scan completes and display a completion message. 
5. At the end, Reboot the PC.

Run SFC Scan

1. Re-open the Terminal app and type: SFC /scannow
2. Wait a few minutes to let the scan complete.
3. Once the scan completes, restart the PC. 

15. Reset the PC

None of the above fixes work for you? You can try resetting the PC while keeping all your data intact. All your Windows settings will return to their default state during this process. It might help you get back the missing Taskbar icons. Below are the steps to reset a Windows 11 PC.

1. Press the Windows Key. 
2. Search Reset this PC. 
3. Click on the Reset PC button under the Recovery options section.
4. Select Keep My Files. You’re done. You can now check whether your taskbar or missing icons are now properly visible.

16. Clean Install Windows 11

If none of the above-mentioned solutions works, then as a last resort, you can try reinstalling Windows 11 on your system. We are sure it will fix the taskbar icons missing issue. Follow the below steps to install Windows 11 using the ISO file. 

1. Download Windows 11 ISO File.
2. Select Windows 11 from the drop-down menu under the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO).
3. Download and save the Windows 11 ISO File on your computer. 
4. Head to the Downloads section of your PC, find the Windows 11 ISO file, and right-click on it. 
5. Select Mount from the given options. 
6. Then, select the Virtual drive from the left sidebar. 
7. Double click on the Setup File. 
8. On the next screen, click Next. 
9. Then, select Not Right Now and click the Next button. 
10. Click the Accept button and then Change what to keep.
11. Select Nothing to delete all the files, applications, and data. 
12. Then, click Next, and then click Install.
13. Keep following the on-screen instructions to continue installing Windows 11.

How Do I Restore My Taskbar Icons? 

Right-click on the Desktop and select Properties. Then, click on the Desktop tab. After that, click on the click Customize desktop. Now, click on the General option, and at last, click on the icons you want to add to the desktop.

How Do I Fix Taskbar Icons Not Working?

One of the solutions to the taskbar icons not working issue is restarting the Windows Explorer of your Windows 11 PC. Restarting Windows Explorer will forcibly shut down all the programs, applications, and related tasks. You can restart Windows Explorer from the Task Manager. 

Why Is My Taskbar Not Showing Pinned Apps? 

There could be several causes for the taskbar not showing pinned apps, such as incorrect time and date, cache issues, incorrect TaskbarSd settings, etc. In many cases, it is also found that improper functioning of Windows Explorer causes the problem. 

How Do I Show All Icons in Taskbar?

Right-click on the Desktop and select Personalize from the menu. Then, head to the Taskbar in the Personalize settings. Scroll down and search for the Other system tray icons option. Click the Other system tray icons option to expand the settings. Toggle on all the icons you want to show in the taskbar tray. 

How Do I Make Hidden Icons Visible?

Press Window + I to open the Settings app on your Windows 11. Open the Personalize settings from the left sidebar. Then, search for the Taskbar items section. Now, toggle off the icon you don’t want to show in the taskbar. 

Final Words

Taskbar makes the work a lot easier by letting you open your favorite applications with a click. However, the inaccessibility of the taskbar can ruin the whole user experience. We have discussed some tried and tested solutions to eliminate the taskbar icons missing issue in Windows 11. You can try the above-mentioned solutions to overcome this issue. By the way, don’t forget to mention which fix worked well for you?