PDF-Icon turned transparent after installing Windows 11

Question

PDF-Icon turned transparent after installing Windows 11

Jannik 0

Screenshot 2026-08-03 155617

Hello,

I set up a new laptop with Windows 11 and chose Microsoft Edge as the default app for opening PDF files. However, the icons are now transparent, and when I hover over them with the mouse, a white outline appears. I sent you a screenshot for better understanding. In another post I read that you can install Adobe Acrobat Reader, set it as the default program, restart the PC, and then switch back to Microsoft Edge. But after doing that, the icons became transparent again.

On my old laptop, PDFs still open with Microsoft Edge and the icons are fully colored. That device also runs Windows 11.

Could you help me with this?

Best regards, [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

0 comments

1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Clary-N 15,375 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.

Hi Jannik,

Thank you for the screenshot. I can see that the PDF file icon is displaying as a white outline instead of the normal Microsoft Edge PDF icon. Since PDF files are still opening correctly in Edge, the issue appears to be limited to the icon display rather than the file association itself.

To help narrow this down, could you please provide your Windows version (Win + R > winver > Enter) and let me know whether the issue affects all PDF files or only certain ones?

In the meantime, please try the following:

Verify the PDF file association

Right-click an affected PDF file and select Properties.
On the General tab, check the Opens with field.
Confirm that Microsoft Edge is listed.
If not, click Change, select Microsoft Edge, and apply the change.

Confirm the default PDF app in Windows

Open Settings > Apps > Default apps.
Search for .pdf or PDF.
Verify that Microsoft Edge is selected as the default application.
Even if Edge is already selected, try choosing another PDF app, save the change, then switch back to Microsoft Edge and restart the PC.

Repair Microsoft Edge

Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
Locate Microsoft Edge in the list.
Select the three-dot menu next to Edge and choose Modify (if available).
Follow the prompts to repair Edge. This reinstalls Edge components without affecting your browsing data.
Restart the PC afterward and check whether the PDF icons display normally.

Check whether the issue is limited to a specific view

Open a folder containing PDF files in File Explorer.
Select View and switch between Large icons, Medium icons, and Details view.
Note whether the transparent icon appears in all views or only in certain ones.
Also check whether the same behavior occurs both on the Desktop and inside File Explorer.

Test with a new local folder

Create a new folder on the Desktop.
Copy one or two affected PDF files into it.
Check whether the icons appear the same in the new location.

This information will help determine whether the issue is related to Microsoft Edge, Windows icon rendering or a profile-specific configuration issue.

Please let me know the results of these checks and whether the issue behaves differently in File Explorer versus on the Desktop. I'll be happy to look into this further with you.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Jannik 0 Reputation points

2026-08-04T11:20:03.5733333+00:00

Hello @Clary-N ,

thank you for your reply and for removing my personal data. I didn’t consider that this could cause issues. I'll send you my Windows version in a screenshot. Hopefully it helps you to understand the issue.

The problem with the transparent icons appears with every PDF file, and it also happens when I change the view or drag them onto my desktop. I also created a new folder and placed a few PDF files inside it, but the transparent icons remained. Before posting my question, I also checked whether Microsoft Edge is still set as the default app for opening PDF files, and it is.

When I tried your suggestion to select “Modify” in the Microsoft Edge settings, I wasn’t able to change anything. That was the only tip I couldn’t follow because I have no idea how to click on “Modify,” as the button is greyed out.

Best regards.
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Clary-N 15,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-05T04:14:35.8766667+00:00

Hi Jannik,

Thank you for the update and for providing the screenshot.

I can see that you're running Windows 11 Pro Version 25H2 (Build 26200.8875). I also appreciate the detailed feedback on the troubleshooting already completed. Since the issue affects all PDF files, occurs both in File Explorer and on the Desktop, remains present in a new folder, and Microsoft Edge is already set as the default PDF application, this helps narrow the issue down considerably.

Regarding the Modify option for Microsoft Edge being grayed out, that's normal on some Windows configurations, so there's no need to be concerned about that step.

At this point, I'd like to determine whether the issue is related to your Edge profile or your Windows user profile. As a first test, please open Microsoft Edge, select your profile picture in the upper-right corner and choose Set up a new profile. Once the new profile opens, check whether PDF files display the normal Edge icon. This won't affect your existing profile and can help identify whether the problem is tied to your current Edge settings.

You can also try resetting Edge's settings to their defaults by opening Edge Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their default values. This won't remove your favorites, passwords, or browsing history, but it will reset certain browser settings that may affect how PDF files are handled.

If the issue persists, I recommend creating a new Windows user account for testing. Go to Settings > Accounts > Other users > Add account, create a new local account, sign in to it and check whether PDF icons display correctly there. If they do, that would suggest the problem is specific to your current Windows profile rather than Edge or Windows itself.

Please let me know whether the PDF icons appear normally in either the new Edge profile or the new Windows account. The results of those tests should help us determine the next best step.
Jannik 0 Reputation points

2026-08-05T12:47:06.1733333+00:00

Hello ,

thank you very much for your reply. I created a new profile in Microsoft Edge, set it as the default, and restarted my laptop. After that, I checked in File Explorer, but unfortunately the PDF icons are still transparent. Even after resetting the settings of my Microsoft Edge profile, there was no improvement.

However, I noticed something else. I had to create a new Microsoft account for the new Windows user account. To do that, I need to confirm that I am human, but this doesn’t work in Microsoft Edge because a grey square appears instead of the verification. When I try the same thing in Firefox, everything works normally. Could this be related to my PDF issue?

I’ve attached screenshots again to show what I mean. Unfortunately, due to an error, I wasn’t able to finish setting up the new Windows account. I’ll try again on the side, but maybe the information I’ve already given helps you move forward.

Best regards
Clary-N 15,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-06T07:28:08.9+00:00

Hi Jannik,

Thank you for the update and for testing those steps.

Since the PDF icons remain transparent in a new Edge profile and after resetting Edge, the issue is less likely to be related to your Edge profile settings.

The verification page issue in Edge may not be directly related to the PDF icon problem, but it does suggest that something may be affecting Edge on your current Windows profile, especially since the same verification works correctly in Firefox.

If possible, I'd still like to see the result of the new Windows account test. You can create a local account for testing and do not need to sign in with a Microsoft account. If PDF icons display normally there, it would indicate that the issue is limited to your current Windows profile.

For the Edge verification issue, please also check whether it works in an InPrivate window (Ctrl + Shift + N) or after temporarily disabling all extensions via edge://extensions.

Please let me know the results and I'll be happy to help further.
Clary-N 15,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-07T09:24:35.19+00:00

Hi Jannik,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer?

I am glad to help if you have any other questions.
Jannik 0 Reputation points

2026-08-07T10:50:53.3033333+00:00

Hello @Clary-N ,

thank you very much for your reply. I looked up how to create a local Windows account and followed these steps: I entered netplwiz into the Command Prompt, clicked Add in the window that opened, and then selected Without a Microsoft account. After that, I was able to create a local account, restarted my laptop, and logged in with the new account. Next, I set up Microsoft Edge as a guest and set it as the default browser for opening PDFs. However, the icon was still transparent.

On my main account, I noticed something interesting that might help you narrow down the issue. When I set Firefox as the default browser for opening PDFs, the correct icon appears. So it really seems to be connected to Microsoft Edge.

I will check again shortly whether I can create a new Microsoft account in Edge using an InPrivate window, or whether I need to contact support for that.

One last thing that might be important to mention: I set up Microsoft Edge by synchronizing it with my old laptop. Could that be causing these problems?
Clary-N 15,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-13T08:46:43.5666667+00:00
Hi Jannik,

Thank you for testing that. Since the PDF icon remains transparent even in a new Windows account with a fresh Edge profile, this suggests the issue is not caused by your Windows profile or by synchronizing Edge from your old laptop. The fact that the correct icon appears when Firefox is set as the default PDF app points more toward an Edge-related icon or file association issue rather than a problem with the PDF files themselves.

Given all the troubleshooting you've already completed, you may want to consider an in-place repair upgrade of Windows. This reinstalls Windows while keeping your files, apps and settings intact and can repair underlying Windows components that may affect file associations and icon rendering.

To do this:

Download the latest Windows installation media from Microsoft's website.

Run Setup.exe from within Windows.

Choose Keep personal files and apps when prompted.

Complete the upgrade and restart the PC.

*Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so.

If you decide to try this, please let me know the outcome and I'll do my best to help further.
Clary-N 15,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-14T08:54:23.45+00:00

Hi Jannik,

Have you had a chance to check my answer yet?

Please do keep me updated.