This tutorial will show you how to Fix Missing Taskbar Icons in Windows 11.
Issue: My Windows 11 machine was experiencing a memory dump issue, and I finally had time to replace the faulty memory module. After the memory replacement, the laptop is working as expected. However, I'm not sure why application icons like Chrome, Brave, OneNote, and Notepad++ are not showing in the taskbar.
I searched online and found expert blog sites and Microsoft suggesting to delete the icon cache database, make changes to the registry, or use the 'Reset this PC' option with 'Keep my files.' However, I'm hesitant to try these options, as resetting might require reinstalling software, and cleaning the registry could introduce new issues.
Solution: I'm sure the taskbar is more linked with the explorer.exe service. So, I decided to try a simple restart of the explorer.exe service from the Task Manager. Now, the application icons are showing perfectly!
Step 1: Launch the Task Manager. Press the Windows key, type "Task Manager" in the search bar, and click on the best match. [Refer to the screenshot]
Step 2: Once the Task Manager is open, type "Windows Explorer" in the search bar within Task Manager. Right-click on Windows Explorer and select "Restart." The taskbar will disappear briefly during the restart—don’t panic. After that, the application icons should appear perfectly! [Refer to the screenshot]
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― Aaron Swartz
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