Windows 7 – How to Fix Broken Taskbar Icons

iconstaskbarwindows 7

I have a program pinned to the taskbar. After I upgraded the program (I think) the icon broke. What I get now is what you see below; that ugly default application icon thing.

Broken icon

If I unpin it, I get the correct icon. If I then right-click on it, the icon breaks again. If I pin it again, still the broken icon. Unpin again and back to good icon. Very annoying. How can I fix this?

Best Answer

Based on @dash17291's answer, here is a slightly faster procedure (no reboot) that worked for me:

  1. Open Windows Explorer, go to %userprofile%\AppData\Local, delete IconCache.db. (This file is hidden, so it you don't see it, you will need to adjust your Windows Explorer settings to show hidden files.)

  2. Open Task Manager, go to Processes tab, highlight explorer.exe, and click End Process. Your desktop will "disappear."

  3. Still in Task Manger, select File > New Task (Run...), type explorer.exe, and click OK. Your desktop should reappear, with the previously missing icons.

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