Icon Cache - Rebuild

How to Rebuild the Icon Cache in Windows​

   Information

If one or more of your icons are not displaying correctly, or that your icon cache is corrupted, then you might consider rebuilding the icon cache to reset and reload the icon images into the icon cache in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

   Note

This will not help with any of the following icon issues:

• A shortcut's icon that is not displayed properly due to the source of the shortcut being moved or deleted. You may need to recreate a new shortcut directly from the source (ex: program's exe) file to replace it instead.
• All icons for a specific file extension display the wrong icon. This may be due to setting the wrong association for what program to open the file extension instead. You can restore the default file extension's associations to fix this icon instead.

OPTION ONE

Automatically Rebuild the Icon Cache

1. Click/tap on the download button below to download the file below.
Rebuild_Icon_Cache.bat

Download


2. Save the file to your desktop, and run it.

3. Click/tap on Run when prompted.

4. Follow the instructions in the command prompt to rebuild the Icon Cache. (see screenshot below)

5. Restart your computer to generate a new IconCache.db file.

6. If the icons are still not displaying properly, then download and merge the ICO option in this tutorial for Windows 7 or Windows 8 to restore the default associations of .ico (icon) files.

OPTION TWO

To Manually Rebuild the Icon Cache using the Command Prompt

1. Close and save anything that you are working on. This command will kill explorer and restart the computer when completed.

2. Open a command prompt in Windows 7 or Windows 8.

3. In the command prompt, Copy and paste each command line below exactly as is one at a time and press enter after each command.
:warn:WARNING: The last command will restart the computer, so be sure to close and save anything that you are working on first.

• ie4uinit.exe -ClearIconCache
• taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
• DEL "%localappdata%\IconCache.db" /A
• DEL "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*" /A
• shutdown /r /f /t 00

4. The IconCache.db file has now been rebuilt.

5. If the icons are still not displaying properly, then download and merge the ICO option in this tutorial for Windows 7 or Windows 8 to restore the default associations of .ico (icon) files.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Change the Icon Cache Size in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Clear and Reset the Thumbnail Cache in Windows 7
• Restore Default Windows 7 File Extension Type Associations
• How to Change or Restore Default Windows 7 Desktop Icons
• How to Restore Windows 7 Default User Folder Icons
• How to Change the Default Icon of a File Extension in Windows 7
• How to Reset the Favorites Favicons in Vista and Windows 7

 

[SiCo]

Can't load language file

I downloaded from one of the links in your tutorial and it seems to have "infected" ( is that the right word? I dunno? I'm relatively new to 'computing') Bandzip, which I'd intended to use to open the file. Is this making any sense? Obviously I was trying to fix my desktop icons suddenly disappearing on me, now I get a nasty feeling I've picked up another "bug?", "gremlin?", you know what I mean, don't you?
I'd appreciate some advice on this, like I said, I'm seriously bereft of computer skills/knowledge and it feels like I'm sliding deeper into a hole with each step I take trying to re3medy the situation. I look forward to hearing from someone who knows his onions, cheers.

 

[Brink]

Hello SiCo, and welcome to Seven Forums.

What issue are you having that makes you think that you have been infected?

The only download available in the tutorial is for the Rebuild_Icon_Cache.bat file in OPTION ONE, and it's 100% clean and safe to use on any Windows computer.

What did you click on? Please post a screenshot to show it if it's not the above?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[SiCo]

Can't load language file Issue

Hi Brink, I wasn't surprised to hear that I got it horribly wrong and despite there only being 1 download I managed to download 2 files, neither of which were the one you mention. Default_ICO.reg and all_default_file_extensions.zip were the 2 I somehow decided were the way forward, and this all came about after taking Option 2 to manually rebuild the Icon cache which proved unsuccessful. I then tried to follow step 5, but unfortunately I found it to be a bit vague, the ICO option ( where would that be?) and the merge (with what?) were what got me lost, but this is by no means unusual for me when I try to follow tutorials. This is obviously my problem, and certainly not a reflection on the quality of the tutorials and the multitude of satisfied users who post their thank yous prove this beyond doubt. There is an assumed knowledge with these things and sometimes I don't have it, but no-one ever said it was going to be easy!! As for Bandzip, I'm not 100% sure that the zip file I downloaded here is what's giving me all this weird Language file stuff, so as I often have to do I'm going to put it down to experience and trust that I'll learn from it, and hopefully if it doesn't kill me it will make me stronger. My icons are still all over the place so I plan to just start again, and downloading the .bat file might go someway to a more favourable outcome. I don't want to take too much of you guys' time so I'll crack on with that and see what happens. As always I greatly appreciate your input and I do intend to keep my contact to an absolute minimum, working stuff out myself is how I'll learn - that's the theory, anyway....

 

[Brink]

SiCo,

You might see if doing a system restore using a restore point dated before your issue started may be able to undo and fix it.

 

[ericmo]

windows 7 icon problem

I found that Adobe Reader was the cause of the icon problem and after applying the cache cleanup ALL icons launched Adobe Reader even though the links were pointing to the correct applications. I uninstalled Reader and the icons immediately were restored.

thanks to all for help

 

[htnca]

Hello,

I tried the manual steps and the missing icon is fixed. However, now the systems takes over 5min to show the logon screen after the Windows Welcome screen. Please advise on how to resolve this issue. Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Hello htnca, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Rebuilding the icon cache would have no effect on the log on screen or how long it takes to load. This would instead be more likely some startup program or item hanging at startup.

If you like, you could use the method in the tutorial below to troubleshoot with a clean startup to see if it may help to ID the culprit.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...ation-conflicts-performing-clean-startup.html

 

[coolyandy2]

thanks for guide

I chose manual bat command method but change the last line as u only need to restart explorer.exe to start a new cache file

"start explorer.exe"

 

[mikcara]

Ghosts

on my desktop I have 2 icons "greyed out" desktop.ini can I safely delete there icons

 

[Brink]

thanks for guide

I chose manual bat command method but change the last line as u only need to restart explorer.exe to start a new cache file

"start explorer.exe"

Hello Andy,

It's been my experience that a restart is needed for Windows to recreate the cache file instead.

 

[Brink]

on my desktop I have 2 icons "greyed out" desktop.ini can I safely delete there icons

Hello Mikcara,

Those would be hidden OS system files. You shouldn't delete them. Instead, you could do step 5 in OPTION ONE of the tutorial below to hide them back again.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/394-hidden-files-folders-show-hide.html

 

[mikcara]

Thanks Brink took them out of the recycle bin and put them into the user folder as instructed. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[residualshadow]

Help?

Okay, I've tried the icon cache rebuild (both manual and physical), I've tried downloading and merging the ico files, I've run Malwarebytes anti-rootkit, I've gone from true color to high color display and back again, I've done a few system restores, I've prayed, I've made the appropriate sacrifices... No luck. Ever since my computer was wiped and recovered by Alienware support to clear up problems, I haven't even had a IconCache.db file at all, and (at the least) all html and text files on my desktop have appeared as blank pages. I don't know what else to do aside from wipe my system and start again (though that may help speed things up, too)

 

[Brink]

Hello residualshadow, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Your .txt file icon in your screenshot is showing it's correct default icon of a piece of notebook paper.

For your URL shortcuts, see if clearing all of Internet Explorer's browsing history may help. You may need to open them afterwards for the icon to show up though.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/162582-internet-explorer-9-delete-browsing-history.html

 

[residualshadow]

Oh, right. For some reason I expected the text file to look like the old spiral notebook. Anyway, I've cleared the history from IE and Firefox, opened them, and performed a restart, all with no luck

 

[Brink]

Try creating a new shortcut for one to see if it may show the favicon.

 

[residualshadow]

I gave up and just did a full system restore. Things seem to be working and my computer has much less clutter, so I guess I am happy? Thanks for the help.

 

[Brink]

Glad to hear that you got it sorted.

 

[knick]

Hi guys
My problem started a few weeks ago when I (unfortunately) "tweaked" some registry entries (which I CANT'T recall right now). Ever since the following problems appears in this order: After initial boot, everything seems normal concerning file icons. Then, first, file icons (in windows explorer only, not in desktop*) start to become blank, but file associations work fine. Second, after some time, "right click->properties" on any file in windows explore stops working. Third "My computer" folder on the desktop can't show its content (it's blank trying to load, but my hard drives, cdroms and external USB disks don't show up, BUT their desktop shortcuts work fine). I have tried everything I found on internet, even your solution in the first page of this thread. When I rebulidh icon cache and reboot, everything seems to be correct but after a short time the same problems start to appear again with the order mentioned above. I had not restore points to retrieve some old registry setting

PLEASE HELP, this is going to drive me crazy
Nick

* The problem appears from time to time and in desktop icons too but it's fixed by simply refreshing it. Refresh has no effect in windows explorer except MS Office and zip files. Also note that another file manager I use, the "Total Commander" DOESN'T have this problem
My configuration: CPU Intel i7-3770 3.4 GHz, RAM 8 GB, Win 7 Pro 64, main HD: OCZ SSD 240 GB Vertex 4