However, in spite of all these user interface tweaks, you might still occasionally come across some UI-related issues. One such issue is when the app’s icon appears blank and only its name will be visible. If you select that app, then it would be highlighted with a dotted square. The rest of the app’s functionalities would continue to work well and good, but still not having the app’s icon would still be a cause of concern.
This is because we usually tend to identify the app via its icon itself, and if that is missing, then we will have to check out its name. While that would only take an additional second, but over the due course of time, it would snowball to a much longer lost time. So to avoid all that from happening, this guide will make you aware of various methods to fix the blank app icon issue on your Windows 11 PC. Follow along.
How to Fix Blank App Icon in Windows 11
Do note that there’s no universal fix as such. You will have to try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and see which one works best in your favor. So with that in mind, let’s get started.
FIX 1: Restart PC
Most of these UI-related issues are more often than not rectified after restarting the system. So give your PC a proper reboot and then check if the issue is resolved or not.
FIX 2: Change its Icon
If the default app icon isn’t being displayed, then you could also assign one of the custom icons to it from the Windows collection. Here’s how:
FIX 3: Restart Windows Explorer
If the Explorer’s background services aren’t functioning along the expected lines, then its repercussions could be felt by various system components, including the UI front. So you could consider restarting the Explorer window, using the instructions given below:
FIX 4: Use DISM and SFC Commands
System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management are two command-line utility tools that scan for the corrupt Windows files and then replace them with their working counterpart. The major difference between the two is whereas the SFC replaces the corrupt files with the working ones from the cached directory on your PC, DISM does so by downloading the working files from the online Microsoft servers. And as of now, we would be making use of both these tools to fix the underlying issue. Follow along Once DISM finishes the scanning, it is recommended to reboot your PC. Once it boots up, check if it fixes the issue of the Windows 11 Settings menu not opening or working.
FIX 5: Delete Icon Cache Files
All the app’s icon cached data are stored inside the ‘IconCache’ database. If any of one of those app’s icon files gets corrupted, then there is every chance of that entire data file being corrupted (after all, a rotten apple spoils the whole basket). So your best course of action should be to delete this cache file and let the system recreate it from scratch. Here’s how it could be done:
FIX 6: Delete TrayNotify via Registry Editor
The TrayNotify Registry key houses the IconStreams and PastIconStream D-Word files. Both these files are responsible for efficient handling of the icons present on the Taskbar, Action Center, and the desktop icons set. In case any of these binary files get corrupted, then they might lead to issues with the icons disappearing or not appearing on in their designated location. So you should consider deleting both these files and then let the system recreate its fresh instance from scratch. Here’s how it could be done:
FIX 7: Reinstall the App
If none of the aforementioned methods managed to spell out success, then your last course of action should be to uninstall that app and then install its latest build. Here’s how it could be done: So with this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the blank app icon issue in Windows 11. We have listed seven different methods for the same. Do let us know in the comments which one worked out in your favor. Likewise, all your queries are welcomed in the comments section below.
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