Desktop Files Deleted After Restart? Here’s How to Fix the Issue

Some users report being bothered by the issue of missing desktop files after rebooting their PCs. For example, here is a user report from the Reddit forum:

All my desktop files have disappeared after turning pc on: I was doing my 3d work as usual, restarted pc after a while, and all of my desktop files are gone, my desktop is blank, I have default icons, but all my files are gone. Help!https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/mpw7cq/all_my_desktop_files_have_disappeared_after/

Have you also run into the same issue? If so, continue reading to get a full guide to solving the issue.

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Solution 1. Show Desktop Icons   

The first way you can try to fix the “desktop files deleted after restart” issue is to recheck the Show desktop icons option. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1. Right-click any blank area of the desktop, select View, and uncheck Show desktop icons.

Step 2. Then, recheck the Show desktop icons option and check if the desktop icons and files show up.

Step 3. If not, try multiple times to uncheck and recheck the option.

Solution 2. Set Icons to Show Up  

Also, you can try manually setting Windows icons to show up on your desktop. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1. Press the Win + I keys simultaneously to open the Settings window.

Step 2. Go to Personalization > Themes, and scroll down to click Desktop icon settings.

Step 3. In the Desktop Icon Settings window, check the box in front of the icons that you want to show on your desktop. Then, click Apply and OK sequentially to save the changes.

Step 4. Once done, go back to your desktop and check if your desktop files show again.

If this solution doesn’t work to fix the “all my desktop files have disappeared after turning pc on” issue, you can continue and try other solutions.

Solution 3. Switch User Account  

Sometimes, you will log into a temp profile after a computer restart and encounter the “desktop files deleted after restart” issue. In this case, you can try switching back to your user account to fix the issue. Here’s how to do that:

1. Press the Windows key, and click the Profile icon.
2. Select the other visible account on the list, and click to switch to it.
3. Sign in to your account with the correct password.
4. After that, your desktop files should be available again.

If the above steps don’t work for you to fix the “desktop files deleted after restart” issue, you can also try the following steps:

1. Go to the login screen.
2. Hold the Shift key and click Restart to into Safe Mode.
3. Reboot back out of Safe Mode.
4. After that, you may start normally and restore your user profile.

If you are unable to log in to your account, you can try creating a new admin profile, go to C:/This PC/Users/CorruptedUsername. Then, copy all the folders from the corrupted user and paste them into the new one. Once done, your desktop files should be available again.

Solution 4. Scan for Virus

If your computer is affected virus, you may encounter the “desktop files deleted after restart” issue as well. In this case, you can run a virus scan to fix the error:

1. Press the Win + S keys simultaneously to open the Search window.
2. Type “virus & threat protection” and press Enter.
3. Click Quick scan to start the virus scanning.
4. Once done, restart your PC and check if your desktop files are back.

Solution 5. Use MiniTool Partition Wizard

If none of the above ways can fix the “desktop files missing after reboot” issue, you can try using MiniTool Partition Wizard’s Data Recovery feature to recover the desktop files. What’s more, this feature-rich tool can also help you partition hard drive, check disks for errors, format SD card FAT32, and more. Here’s how to use the Data Recovery feature:

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1. Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard.
2. Launch it to enter the main interface.
3. Click the Data Recovery feature.
4. Move your cursor to Desktop and click Scan.
5. Wait for the scanning process to complete.
6. Once done, check the files that you want to recover.
7. Click Save to continue.
8. Then, choose a safe location to store the recovered files and click OK to confirm.

Wrapping Things Up

What should you do to fix the “desktop files missing after reboot” issue? After reading this post, you may already know the answer. This post provides some useful solutions to help you fix the issue.