Fixed: ‘Missing App Icons’ Issue on windows, iPhone or android

If You can find ‘Missing App Icons’ Issue? Well, you’re not alone. People have complained that they have to scroll through their Home Screens for hours and still can’t find their favorite apps. You may have downloaded one or more apps to your Windows computer or smartphone, but now you can’t find the app icons.

You move around between home screens and look for apps in the app library, but nothing works. We can find an app among all the other things on our phones by looking at its icon. Some have hidden and deeper meanings. Even if you use a lot of apps every day, you might be surprised when you can’t find the icon for an app you installed earlier.

This happens to a lot of people who have Android phones and talk a lot about missing app icons. We decided to look into this problem more because of this. We mentioned below are the ways to fix ‘Missing App Icons’ Issue on windows, iPhone or android.

How To Fix ‘Missing App Icons’ Issue on windows

Repair or reset apps

Another quick fix is to fix or reset the apps that are giving you trouble. This usually works, especially if only a few app icons are missing. Here’s what you need to do:

Go to Settings > select Apps
Go to Apps & Features and select the problematic app
Select Advanced options and first try to repair the app.
If the app icon is still missing, you can also use the reset option.

Run SFC scan

The System File Checker is one of the tools that come with Windows 11. It’s also called a “SFC scan,” and it’s the fastest way to fix corrupted system files and other problems automatically. Running this scan has been shown to fix problems with missing Windows 11 icons. Here’s what you have to do to make it work.

Press the Windows key and the letter R on your keyboard. This will bring up the Run programme.
Type “cmd” and then press Ctrl, Shift, and Enter on your keyboard. When you do this, you start the Command Prompt as an administrator.
If you are asked, click “Yes” to let the Command Prompt change your device.
Once you’re in the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter to run it: sfc /scannow
Wait until the SFC scan is done checking your computer for broken files and fixing them. This could take a while, so don’t close the Command Prompt or turn off your computer.
After the scan is done, turn your device back on.

Run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter

Fixed: ‘Missing App Icons’ Issue on windows, iPhone or android

If one of your Windows 10 apps isn’t working right, the first thing you should do is run the app troubleshooter. With this tool, you can quickly fix problems with your apps, like when they freeze, crash, or don’t have their icons.

Go to Settings, click on Update & Security, and then select troubleshoot to start the app troubleshooter. Find the troubleshooter for Windows Store apps and run it.

Rebuild the icon cache

If, after following the steps below, your Windows 10 icons still don’t look right, try rebuilding your icon cache.

Go to C:Users%username%AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
Delete all the icon files listed in the respective folder in order to rebuild and purge the icon cache.
Restart your computer and check if the app icons are available.

Disable the Tablet mode

Users have said that turning on Tablet mode can mess up the way desktop icons are shown. This mode is meant to help touch-enabled devices work, but it can change things in ways that many people don’t want. Here are some easy steps to take to turn off Tablet mode in Windows 11.

Click on the Windows icon in the bottom left corner of your screen to open the Start menu. You can also bring up the menu by pressing this key on your keyboard.
On the left side of the pop-up menu, click on Settings. It’s shown by a picture of a gear. Use the Windows + S keyboard shortcut to get there faster.
You’ll see a new window with many system settings in it. Click the tile that says System.
Switch to the “Tablet mode” tab by using the panel on the left.
Follow the instructions below based on what you see on the screen:
- If you see the option “Make Windows more touch-friendly when using your device as a tablet,” make sure the toggle is turned off.
- If not, change your settings for tablet mode to “Use desktop mode when I sign in” and “Always ask me before switching.“

How To Fix ‘Missing App Icons’ Issue on iPhone

Restart the iPhone

Often, you’ll see all of the app icons go away at once. Sometimes, the icons for the apps will be on the home screen. This happens all the time. You can fix this by turning off and on your iPhone.

Long press the power button on your iPhone.
An option Slide to Power Off will show up. Swipe the slider to turn the iPhone off.
Press the power button again to restart the iPhone.

Search App Using Spotlight Search Tool

The search tool in iOS is called spotlight search. It is quite simple to implement.

Swipe down on the home screen of the iPhone.
Type the name of the app you are not able to find.
As you write the app’s name it should show up in the search result.
Simply tap on the app icon to launch it.

Update iOS and Squash the Bugs

If a bug was causing the app icons on your iPhone to disappear, try updating the iOS build to the most recent version. That always fixes software problems.

Connect your iPhone to WiFi.
Open the Settings
Then tap on General.
Now, tap on Software Update.
Wait for the device to show you any available iOS updates.
If a new update has been released, you will be notified.
There will be an option Download and Install. Tap on it to prepare the update.

Check if the App is Present in the App Library

In the App library, you can see all the apps you’ve put on your iPhone. If any of the app icons on your iPhone aren’t on the home screen, you can add them.

Scroll right to left on your home screen to get to the App Library.
Search for the app name.
Once you locate the app, long press on the app icon.
From the shortcut menu, select the option Add to Home screen.

Remove Restrictions on the App from ScreenTime Settings

Screen time is a feature of iOS that lets users limit any app on their iPhone. It is usually done to keep from abusing technology and to use the iPhone in a productive way.

If an app’s permissions have been changed in the Content and Privacy Restrictions section of the iOS settings, you’ll need to change them back for the app to work on your iPhone.

Launch the Settings app on iPhone.
Now scroll to Screen Time and tap on it.
Next, tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Next, tap on Allowed Apps to check which apps have been allowed.
Ensure that the apps you are missing out on the iPhone are now available.
Tap on the switch beside the app name to allow them.
Navigate back to the section Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Tap on Content Restrictions > Select the option Allow All Apps.

If you’ve tried all of these solutions and you’re still having the same problem in your iPhone, you should go to their official Apple support website for more information.

How To Fix ‘Missing App Icons’ Issue on Android

Reenable the Apps

The missing apps may have been turned off at some point, so you may have to turn them back on for them to show up on your home screen.

Launch the Settings of your device.
Go to Apps or Manage apps.
Now, look for the missing app and open it.
Try to look for the Disable or Start/Enable option. If you see that the app is Disabled, you will need to tap the option to Enable it.

Restore Disabled Apps

If you have turned off an app before, especially a system app like Play Store, it might not show up on your Samsung phone. If that’s the case, you can turn the app back on by doing the steps below.

Open the Settings menu on your phone and navigate to Apps.
Scroll down or use the search tool to locate your app on the list and tap on it. Then, tap the Enable option at the bottom.
Once enabled, the app should appear in the app drawer.

Use your App Drawer

Access your app drawer. It is a six-circle icon that looks like a button.
Look for the missing app. If you have a lot of apps in your drawer, you can use the search bar.
Tap and hold the icon. Now, drag it to your home screen.

Check Hidden Apps

Most Android skins, including One UI, allow you to hide apps from the app drawer. If you have hidden an app or game on your phone in the past, here’s how to find it again.

Long press anywhere on the home screen and tap the Settings icon in the bottom right corner.
Scroll down and select Hide apps on Home and Apps screens.
Under Hidden apps, tap on the red minus symbol beside the app icon to unhide it. Then, tap Done at the bottom.

Disable Game Launcher

When you turn on Game Launcher on your Samsung Galaxy phone, it finds all the games you’ve installed and puts them all in the same place. This could make you think that the games you downloaded are gone from your phone.

If you want all of your games to show up in the app drawer, go to Settings > Advanced features > Game Launcher and turn it off.

FAQ

How do I fix missing app icons?

The easiest way to find a hidden app is to look for it in the App Library and put it back on your Home screen. If a lot of apps are missing or hidden, you should also check to see if the Home screen is also hidden. If you still can’t find the missing app, check the installation status to make sure it wasn’t accidentally deleted.

Why are my app icons missing?

The app is no longer there. The app can no longer be used. The app has been hidden. For example, you can hide apps from the Application screen on some XperiaTM devices that run AndroidTM version 4.2 or higher.

Why are icons not showing?

Go to your Android phone’s Settings app (not the Google settings). Choose the Apps or Apps & Notifications option. Then click on App Info. Then, on your Android phone, scroll to the top right, tap More, then Show System, and then Calendar Storage.

Where did all my app icons go?

The apps button has been taken away as part of the redesign. This gives you more room for the icons of your most-used apps. If you swipe up on your home screen, you can get to all of your apps. You can choose to put the apps button back on your home screen if you’d like.

How do I reset my icon settings?

In Windows 11, you can look at the “Desktop Icon Settings” to see what icons are being used by the default shortcuts. To put an icon back to its original state, you must first select it. Then, click or tap the Restore Default button, and then press OK or Apply to save your changes.

Why are some of my icons missing on my iPhone?

Screen Time is a useful feature on the iPhone that lets you hide app icons to limit how much you use them. You can hide apps like Mail, Safari, Camera, etc., with it. So, if you’ve put restrictions on these iPhone apps, you won’t be able to find them in Spotlight or in the App library.