Taskbar icons / apps keep resetting to the "default" icon when pinning to taskbar

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Update 22/11/2022:

I think I may have found a fix for this which is deleting the "Iris service". No.9 on this link: https://www.makeuseof.com/windows-11-taskbar-missing-pinned-icons/

Having tried this, my icons are back again (as in the correct ones) but will monitor this to see if they disappear again.

But, so far, this fix has worked for me.

You may also notice that this update is on the same day I posted this. Turns out I found another idea while looking for lists of all of the ideas I'd previously tried.

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Hi all,

I've been having this issue for ages (can't remember exactly when but it has been a while (maybe a year) and I've been trying to resolve it for ages by trawling the internet and the different ideas people come up with) but fed up now so figured I'd create my own post / question.

I bought a brand new laptop (Asus ROG Strix G733QSA) for the first time in about 8 / 9 years. It came with Windows 10 installed on it with a free upgrade to Windows 11; I upgraded to Windows 11.

At first, it was fine, all my apps pinned to the task bar had their icons and their correct icons.

At some point, after an update (I really don't know which one), the icons started behaving funny and losing their icon and "reverting" to a default icon.

At some point, after another update, the icons appeared to return to what they should be for each app but again, at some point (I can't remember what events led to this), they went to default icons.

I have tried the following:

The wired thing is that if I open an app that is on my taskbar and unpin it, the proper icon appears (see youtube video above) but as soon as I re-pin it, the proper icon disappears and the default one comes back again!?

The last thing I want to do is to reinstall Windows because it's a pain and may not even fix it if another update comes along and creates the same issue again.

One thing I have noticed though is that all of my Microsoft apps seem to retain their icons (and for some reason Discord) but no other apps do.

Truthfully, I'm not happy with this laptop and haven't really been since the day I bought it which sucks but I find it hard to believe that it's hardware causing this issue.

Has anyone else experienced this and then found a way to fix it?

Hello James,

 

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

 

According to your latest update, you fixed the problem through the "Delete the Iris Service" , right? I'm glad the problem has been resolved.

Most of the solutions you have tried are recorded by us, but I will record this effective solution and provide it to other customers who encounter similar problems later. Thank you for your sharing.

 

Have a nice day.

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

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Hi Mitchell,

Having turned my computer off and on again a few times (as in turned it off as I wasn't using it anymore and then turned it on again to use it again another day), the issue is only half resolved.

After turning the computer back on again, the icons seem to reset themselves back to default and then I need to open each app, unpin them and then re-pin them to get the icon to return to what it should be.

So the "solution" I tried only half fixes the problem; I can at least have the correct icons now but it still requires an unpin and re-pin every time I turn my computer on again.

Still on the hunt for a proper solution!

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Hi James,

 

Thank you for your additional clarification on this issue. I think you were right earlier that the problem is generally not hardware related.

If the problem persists after you have implemented more scenarios, I suspect it may be related to the account profile. I suggest you create a local administrator account and log in to the system with this account. Please confirm whether the same problem occurs under this account.

If everything works perfectly at this point, it confirms my suspicions, but if the problem persists, I recommend you download the Windows11 image file and overwrite it to fix your system (don't worry, this step is not a reinstall).

 

Visit Download Windows 11 (microsoft.com) and click "Download Now" to download MCT (Media Creation Tool), then download and run the program, select "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD or ISO file) for another PC” , and then choose Language, Version, Architecture (if you are not sure about these, choose "Use the recommended options for this PC"), then select "ISO file" in the "Select Media to Use" interface, and then a windows ISO file will be downloaded to your disk (about 4-5GB in size, it is recommended that you choose a non-system disk).

After the download is complete, double-click the ISO file, double-click to run "setup.exe" in the open file explorer, and select "Change how Windows Installer downloads updates" > "Download updates, drivers and optional features", Select "Keep personal files and apps" after accepting the terms of the agreement, then click "Next" > "Install". Then the system will reboot a few times, and then enter the welcome screen.

Disclaimer: Please back up all your important data before performing it.

I hope the above method can provide you with some help.

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

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Hi Mitchell,

I've tried creating a new account and it appears to work (I've turned my laptop off as I usually do, turned it on as I usually do and my pinned apps are still on the taskbar with their correct icons).

Am I going to have to create a new user account to replace my current one?

Kind regards,

James

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Hi James,

 

Creating a new account is a great solution, but sometimes it's not easy for users to give up their old account.

Therefore, as I replied before, I have provided you with a scheme of using ISO image file to repair the system. I recommend you to try it. This method can usually completely repair the problem.

 

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

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Hi James,

 

I haven't received the message from you yet. If there is anything more I can do for you or anything is unclear, please do not hesitate to let me know. 

 

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

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Hi Mitchell,

Apologies for the delayed update, I wanted to give it a few days / turn off's and turn on's before getting back to you.

I tried the method you mentioned (only difference is that I created "Windows 11 Installation Media" on a memory stick) and it didn't fix the issue; it has actually made it slightly worse because I can't un-pin and then re-pin the apps to get the icons back anymore.

Any suggestions?

Would it make any difference if I approached this with the ISO image on a hard drive that isn't the main Windows partition?

Kind regards,

James

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Hi James,

 

Based on your description, it seems that you did not follow all the steps I gave you. My advice to you is to download the ISO image file to the local, this operation does not use the external storage media, but your operation seems to directly create the USB installation media?

I expect to be able to help you, so I suggest you follow the exact steps I've given you. If fixing the system using the image file fails, you can reinstall the system using the Windows 11 media installation media you created. Reinstalling the system is my last resort advice.

 

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

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Hi James,

 

I haven't received the message from you yet. If there is anything more I can do for you or anything is unclear, please do not hesitate to let me know. 

 

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

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Hi Mitchell,

Apologies, I've been incredibly unwell.

I've just tried the method you mentioned with saving the ISO file locally (but not on a system disk) and it hasn't made any difference. The icons are still incorrect and un-pinning them and then re-pinning them doesn't do anything either.

Kind regards,

James

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Last updated May 9, 2024 Views 7,917 Applies to: