If you find that one or more of your icons are not displaying correctly, or that your Icon Cache is corrupted, you might want to rebuild the Icon Cache. The Icon Cache or IconCache.db is a special database file that Windows utilizes to keep copies of each icon handy. When Windows needs to draw an icon, it uses the copy from the cache instead of retrieving the icon image from the original application file. This helps in making Windows draw the icons faster.
Rebuild The Icon Cache in Windows 7
In Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista, this IconCache.db file is located at:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\IconCache.db
Whereas, it is different in the older version of Windows i.e. Windows XP.
If you find your Windows displaying icons on the desktop in the wrong manner you can purge & rebuild the Icon Cache In Windows.
If you need to rebuild the Icon cache, Open File Explorer > Folder Options > Views to show Hidden System Files. Next, go to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local folder and delete the hidden IconCache.db file. Reboot. This action will purge and rebuild the icon cache.
There is also another way to do it, should the above method not work for you.
Kill Explorer.exe process. In Windows 7, click Start button > Hold down Ctrl+Shift & Right Click on an empty area in the Start Menu > Click “Exit Explorer”. In Windows 8, you may do so via the Task Manager.
Open the command prompt window, type each of the following, and after every command, hit the Enter button:
cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local attrib –h IconCache.db del IconCache.db start explorer
Your Windows Icon Cache would have been rebuilt.
You may also want to check out our freeware Icon Cache Rebuilder Tool to automate the entire process of repairing icon cache.
Windows 10 users may want to read – Rebuild Icon Cache, Clear Thumbnail cache in Windows 10.
Thanks Alot it fix my computer !!!!
That worked for me also! Thanks much!
Instead of doing all that, you can just do: ie4uinit.exe -ClearIconCache
doesnt work this little programm. The “REBUILD” Button is slightly grey and does not react. I could only click “Close” ….? strange
Try running the Icon Cache Rebuilder Tool as Administrator.
Thanks a lot. This was the one that works in a sea of advice and information on the subject.
Glad it helped you. :)
That’s nice!
Hello, I have a problem with Adobe reader icons. I use Windows Vista Home Premium. After installing and uninstalling Acrobat Pro 5.0 (I needed to consolidate several pdf files), the icons of pdf files don’t show the miniature first page of each document but a smaller white icon with the red adobe icon in the middle. I have tried rebuilding the Icon Cache but that didn’t work. Before restoring the system using windows restore (is that a risky process?) I thought I might ask for assistance here. Thank you very much!
the rebuild app is not working and i cant find my loccal folder in appdata. windows 8.1
In Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista, this IconCache.db file is located at:
C:UsersUsernameAppDataLocalIconCache.db. t there, I just checked up. You have to Show Hidden and System folders also via Folder options.
Not in 8.1 it’s not… you have lots of different ones in
C:UsersUsernameAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
MyWindows 7 Ultimate would not
recreate IconCache.db. I had a problem with icons, and I used one of many
tools that would delete the file. And when I rebooted my computer, all
of the desktop icons were missing and the start menu won’t open. Also,
the computer as it is is slower than usual.
I’ve looked all over or solutions, nothing fixes my problem. I’ve
restarted numerous times, changed color depth etc. I’ve looked – the
file is not in the directory, and numerous tools can’t find it aswel.
Window’s just doesn’t rebuild it.
I don’t have a backup, or a repair disc, but from I’ve seen it doesn’t help anyway in this case.
Just note that for whatever reason copying “attrib –h IconCache.db” copies an En-dash character instead of a minus for the -h. Bug in Firefox? Otherwise its works great, thanks.
Does the icon cache actually get re-built? It seems to me that users need to visit each folder of pictures in order to have windows re-add their icons to the cache?
The rebuild icon is greyed out and the program does not work for me. I have run it as administrator.
Thanks. It’s worked for me !
this did not work for me. I am missing both file icons(which are not shortcuts) and program icons (which would be shortcuts).
Test the answer/method Gopal Adhikari posted. Worked fast and great for me! :)
Try the method Gopal Adhikari posted. Worked fast and great for me! :)
I also tried this and it did not work.
any of those solutions worked for me…. finally my solution was:
1. edit the iconcache.db
2. check WHERE is supposed to be the office’s icon files (wordicon.exe, pptico.exe and xlicons.exe)
3. since that folder does not exist, I created it and copied those files from office14 folder
now it is working fine
I also had .PDF file with same issue and same solution for it.
I hope this can help anyone.
That happened to me too.
Thank you this is exactly what I was looking for! On Windows Vista’s desktop and in Windows Explorer, I had icons resizing themselves erratically. This was an instant fix; I did’nt even have to reboot!
Just right click on desktop –> Click Personalize –> Click Change desktop icons –> Restore default & OK
Worked, then did not work.
Downloaded, set up and went well.
Headed off at the pass by a Windows update (Win 7).
Then REBUILDER
Thanks! Deleting the iconcache.db file seems to have worked for me under Windows 10 as well.
thank you
Thank you! This is the best and easiest-to-understand solution I have found for this problem.
I tried this and it the “rebuild” is still greyed out…
When I open up Illustrator, it gives me the blank page icon, but when I open a saved file it opens up fine, also, my desktop icon is fine. It’s just when I open it up, on the task bar, the icon disappears, any advice?
On Win7, just use “ie4uinit.exe -ClearIconCache” (included in Windows). This refreshes the icon cache instantly without needing to reboot nor kill explorer.exe
You can use this app to refresh Desktop, Start Menu and Taskbar icons without restart Explorer : https://github.com/crazy-max/IconsRefresh
I like that it’s simple.
ie4uinit.exe -ClearIconCache
I am getting an extra Google Chrome icon and I cannot seem to get rid of it.
awesome… fixed instantly after restart !!!! Thank You
Thanks you , worked <3
You don’t need to reboot in the first method by the way. After you’ve deleted the file, just go into task manager, end the “explorer.exe” process, then click File -> New Task (Run…) and type in explorer.exe and hit OK.
Note: When using the Command Line method on Win7Pro, after I clicked “Exit Explorer” it was by no means clear how to open a command prompt window (the screen was totally black, and my keyboard lacks a Windows key [for Win-R]). But Ctrl-Alt-Del offers the Task Manager, in which one can select File | Run
Oh, and it didn’t work for me anyway.
To avoid having downloaded file (not program) shortcuts
display as blank white rectangles, you MUST set a browser as a default browser.
Afterward, all downloaded files will display an icon of the default browser regardless
of which browser was originally used to download the file.
Setting a default browser does not prevent use of more than
one browser. It simply means that if you want to use a browser other than the
default browser, you will need to open
the selected browser when you want to browse the Internet.
If you want to open any file which has been downloaded,
simply select which browser you want to open that file if you want to use a
browser other than the default browser.
I’m going to make this issue even more complex— i get the network drives are disconnected pop up along with the icons missing, when I try to search for iconcache.db it returns not available or not found
What would be the reasons the icon cache doesn’t rebuild itself? Mine doesn’t and even when I switch over to the administrator account the icons aren’t visible.
I even am missing thumbnails and file folder icons as well. So far I’ve tired everything and nothing works.
This started when my computer downloaded and attempted to install a windows 10 update, but I’m running windows 8.1pro.
I’ve spend 8 hours a day working on this for three days now and no solution has proved viable.
I’m not in a position to wipe my system clean. Too many documents and files.More than a terabyte worth to be honest.
I’m going to try the icon cache rebuild tool and let you know how it works.
same here