Entire desktop is grey, no taskbar, settings window is blank, how to fix?

Try these in order:

1. Check whether Windows is rendering the desktop shell to the wrong display mode:
   • Press Windows + P
   • Press P again to cycle modes
   • Press Enter This can bring the taskbar and desktop back if Windows is stuck on an invalid projection mode.
2. Reset the graphics driver:
   • Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B Expected result: a beep or brief screen flicker.
3. Try the security screen path:
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + Del
   • If the screen appears, open Task Manager
   • Find Windows Explorer and select Restart
   • If Windows Explorer is not listed, use File > Run new task, type explorer.exe, and press Enter
4. If the desktop is still grey and Settings is still blank, use Windows Recovery to repair or roll back:
   • Hold the power button for about 10 seconds to shut down
   • Repeat the shutdown/start cycle 2–3 times until Windows enters Recovery Mode
   • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options
   • First try Startup Settings and boot to Safe Mode with Networking by pressing F5
   • In Safe Mode, open Device Manager > Display adapters and Update driver for the graphics adapter
   • If the problem started after an update, use Roll back driver instead
5. If the issue began recently, from Troubleshoot > Advanced Options try:
   • System Restore to a point before the problem started
   • If the problem followed an update, Uninstall Updates and remove the latest quality update
6. If the problem is specifically blank icons or missing shell visuals after the desktop returns enough to work, clear the icon cache:
   • Open Task Manager
   • End Windows Explorer
   • Use File > Run new task and start cmd.exe with administrative privileges
   • Run:

          CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
          DEL IconCache.db /a
     

   • Then use File > Run new task and start explorer.exe
7. If shortcuts and shell elements are still broken, re-register ShellExperienceHost from an elevated PowerShell window:

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

   Then restart the PC.

Notes:

• A forced shutdown can interrupt unsaved work.
• Driver rollback, update removal, and System Restore can change recent system state, so use them only if the earlier keyboard and Explorer steps do not help.

References:

• Troubleshooting blank screens in Windows
• Troubleshooting black or blank screens in Windows
• Troubleshoot screen flickering in Windows
• Application shortcuts on the desktop, Start menu, and taskbar show blank icons
• My Taskbar is missing - Microsoft Q&A
• Unable to access Settings, Taskbar and Start Menu - Microsoft Q&A