All my desktop icons changed to Internet Explorer

Windows 10 features a well-optimized UI with many tools, such as shortcuts and icons, that you can use to quickly access programs.
Desktop icons are extremely useful as they allow you to quickly launch the programs you most frequently use.
But if your desktop icons turned into IE icons all of a sudden, don't panic and follow the steps listed in this guide to fix the issue.
Bookmark this collection of troubleshooting guides to check later on in case you're getting other desktop icon issues.

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Did you notice that all your software icons changed to a single icon (Internet Explorer)? This can happen suddenly and it is caused by a conflict with the .Ink extension, and also possibly the IconCache.db file.

One user shared his concerns on the Microsoft Answers forum.

Recently, all of my icons on my desktop and in the start menu have changed to the Internet Explorer icon. Also, when I checked my administrator files, they all end in LNK. I am not able to go into any of my programs through My Programs.

In this fix article, we will explore a few proven methods to solve this issue. Read on to find out how.

Why did all my icons turn to Internet Explorer icons?

1. Delete the .Ink key file from Registry Editor

Press Windows + R key on your keyboard

Type ‘regedit’ (without quotes) in the Run box, and then press Enter.

Inside the Registry Editor, use the folder tree on the left side of the screen, and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Explorer>FileExts>

Inside the FileExts folder, search for the .Ink subfolder, and delete it

Close the System Registry, and restart your PC

Check to see if the problem persists, if it does, follow the next method

Are you tired of IE causing issues like this? Check out UR browser

2. Remove the IconCache.db file

Close all open folders

Click on the Start button

Search for the folder Windows System > Right click on Command Prompt > More > Run as administrator

To end the Explorer process, type in the following command taskkill /f /im explorer.exe , and press Enter

Inside Command Prompt type CD /d %userprofile%AppDataLocal, and press Enter

After this, type DEL IconCache.db /a ,and press Enter again

Next, type ‘EXIT’ (without quotes) and press Enter

Next, we will restart the explorer process: go back to your Task Manager window, click on File, select Run new task

In the pop-up window, type in ‘explorer.exe’ (without quotes), and press Enter

Restart your computer

If you have any suggestions or want to give us your opinion on this fix, please use the comment section found below.

Where are Windows icons stored?

All Windows icons are stored and located in the system 32 folder. The patch to follow is this C:Windowssystem32SHELL32. dll location.

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Delta Gatti

Update: 2024-07-20

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