How To Refresh Desktop Icons Windows 7

If any of your icons aren't displaying, it ways you demand to refresh your icon enshroud. Icon cache is a database file (iconcache.db) that has a copy of each icon for faster access. Whenever Windows needs an icon, it draws from the cache rather than retrieving the icon images from the original application. It makes the programs load faster.

How to Access Icon Cache

Follow these steps to access iconcache.db:

1. Open File Explorer, click the ellipses (iii dots) on the top and then click Options from the bill of fare.
   
2. From the popup, switch to the View tab. There, select "Show hidden files, folders, or drives" and uncheck the box next to "Hide protected operating organisation files."
   
3. Click Apply and Ok to save the changes.
4. Now navigate to the following using File Explorer and you shall come across iconcache.db. Replace UserName with the your user account.
   C:\Users\<em>Username</em>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
   

At present that you know where the iconcache.db files are stored, you can go on to the next stage: refreshing the icon caches.

Refresh Icon Cache in Windows

If your icon cache is corrupted or Windows is not able to create the new image of the replaced icon, you need to rebuild or refresh the icon cache.

To refresh the icon cache, only delete the iconCache.db file and Windows will automatically get-go rebuilding the new cache. Follow these steps beneath:

1. Open up Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
2. Now navigate to the Explorer folder (storing the iconcache.db files) using the given command. Replace Username with your user account proper name:
   cd /d C:\Users\<em>Username</em>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
   
3. Now type in dir to confirm that you are in the correct directory.
   
4. Now run the following command to kill all explorer.exe processes. Before you lot do, make sure to save any open piece of work.
   taskkill /IM explorer.exe /f
   
5. The desktop and other explorer apps will now vanish, except for the Command Prompt. Run the post-obit command to delete all iconcache files in the directory.
   del iconcache*
   
6. At present open the Chore Manager by using the CTRL + Shift + Esc shortcut keys, and click File in the top-left corner. There, click Run new chore.
7. In the Create new task dialog box, enterexplorer.exe and hitting Enter.
   
8. Now that explorer is re-running, use the interface to sign out of your business relationship and then sign back in.

Once yous sign back in, you volition discover that any changes fabricated to the system icons will accept taken result.

Concluding Thoughts

Another quick way to refresh your system's icon cache is by using a single control the Control Prompt with administrative rights:

ie4uinit.exe -Prove

However, co-ordinate to various sources on the internet, this control seems to refresh the icon caches on Windows 10 and eleven. Nevertheless, after testing it out ourselves, it did not piece of work for usa. That said, some users have had success with this command, and seems to practice the trick.

If it does non piece of work for you, you tin can always try the method given in a higher place to refresh your icon cache.

Also run across:

Having done a MPhil in Calculator Sciences, I'm passionate nigh new IT technologies and eager to learn. I write most tech trends, new tools and software, and chop-chop emerging technologies.

Post navigation

Source: https://www.itechtics.com/refresh-icon-cache-without-restarting-windows/

Posted by: ellisbelve1990.blogspot.com

Share this post