Many of my desktop icons have disappeared and I need to know how to get them back.

Hi, good day!

Since the standard fixes haven't done the trick, let's look at the bigger picture to narrow down what's triggering this:

• When was the last time it worked properly?
• Have you made any changes to your computer recently?
• What specific troubleshooting steps have you already tried?

What often happens is that OneDrive automatically takes over your local files and pulls them into the cloud, which makes them suddenly vanish from your view.

Here is how you can easily take back control of your desktop:

• Look at the bottom right corner of your screen near the date and time for the OneDrive cloud icon (if it's not visible, click the little ^ arrow to pop open your hidden icons).
• Click that cloud icon, look for the Gear icon (Settings) in the upper-right corner of that little window, and select Settings.
• Over on the left-hand menu, click on Sync and backup, and then click the Manage backup button.
• Find the switch for Desktop and toggle it off.

If your desktop still looks empty, don't panic. Just open your File Explorer, click on the OneDrive folder on the left, open the Desktop folder you see inside it, and simply drag or copy your missing files back out onto your actual, physical desktop screen.