Deleting thumbnail cache turns Windows Apps like Calculator, Settings and Microsoft Store into Blank Icons

Question

Deleting thumbnail cache turns Windows Apps like Calculator, Settings and Microsoft Store into Blank Icons

Me when the 20

User's image as the title stated, this happened after i deleted thumbnail cache from the storage interface in settings. I've tried things like, deleting iconcache from explorer, running DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, restarting computer. Nothing works.

Help me find a solution pls, thx.

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Answer accepted by question author

TaoLi 111.3K Independent Advisor

Thanks for confirming. Since rebuilding the icon cache and re-registering the apps did not work, please continue with these steps:

Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.

Go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\IconHandler

Double-click (Default) and make sure the value is:

{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

Then go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

Make sure (Default) is:

Shortcut

Open:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\InProcServer32

Make sure (Default) is:

C:\Windows\System32\windows.storage.dll

These are the values Microsoft documents for blank shortcut icons.

Restart the PC after correcting any wrong value.

If all three values are already correct, create a new Windows user account and sign into it to test the icons. Microsoft provides the account steps here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-signin/manage-user-accounts-in-windows

If the icons are also blank in the new account, I would stop changing caches or registry entries and perform an in-place repair installation of Windows 10:

https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10

Download/create Windows 10 installation media, open the USB/ISO from inside Windows, run setup.exe, choose Change what to keep > Keep personal files and apps > Install. This reinstalls Windows system components without removing your installed programs or personal files.

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2 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

TaoLi 111.3K Independent Advisor

Since clearing IconCache.db and DISM did not help, this is likely the Windows AppX registration/icon data rather than the normal icon cache.

Open PowerShell normally ( Administrator) and run:


Get-AppxPackage | ForEach-Object {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Restart Windows afterward. Microsoft specifically recommends re-registering built-in/Store apps when their registration is damaged.

If the icons are still blank, test with a new Windows user account. If they display correctly there, the issue is limited to the current user profile rather than Windows itself.

Me when the 20 Reputation points

2026-08-15T10:01:53.1533333+00:00

i have tried that, still shows up as blank

Answer 2

This symptom matches a broken icon cache or an IconHandler registration problem for shortcuts and app icons.

Since deleting IconCache.db and running DISM did not help, use this order:

Clear the icon cache again using the documented method.
- Save open work.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- In Processes, right-click Windows Explorer > End task.
- In Task Manager, select File > Run new task.
- Type cmd.exe and create the task with administrative privileges.
- Run:
```
     CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
     DEL IconCache.db /a
```
- In Task Manager, select File > Run new task.
- Type explorer.exe and press Enter.

Re-register Shell Experience Host.

Open Windows PowerShell as administrator.

Run:

     Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like "*ShellExperienceHost*"} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Restart Windows.

Check the IconHandler registry values.
- Warning: registry changes can cause serious problems if done incorrectly. Back up the registry first.
- Open Registry Editor.
- Go to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\IconHandler
  - Verify (Default) is {00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}.
- Go to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
  - Verify (Default) is Shortcut.
- Go to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\InProcServer32
  - Verify (Default) is C:\Windows\System32\windows.storage.dll.
If icons are still wrong, use an administrator account to delete the affected user profile’s IconCache.db.
- This is recommended because the cache file can be overwritten with corrupted icon data during logoff if deleted from the same account.

For the scenario shown, Step 2 is especially relevant because built-in apps such as Calculator, Settings, and Microsoft Store are affected.

References: