# All My Desktop Shortcuts Have Vanished?!? (Windows XP Question) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-my-desktop-shortcuts-have-vanished-windows-xp-question/393897 "2007-02-27T17:49:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-my-desktop-shortcuts-have-vanished-windows-xp-question/393897/1 "2007-02-27T17:49:19Z")
So I was cleaning my keyboard the other day and when I think I miraculously hit a combination of keys that made the shortcuts on my desktop disappear. And I mean ALL my shortcuts, including the one to the recycle bin, etc. Now I only have a blank, black screen, but can still bring up the task bar at bottom, start programs from the “start” button, etc. I’ve googled for similar incidents and haven’t found any, and the Help button on My Computer didn’t shed any light. I can still right-click on the desktop to bring up the “new” prompt for a shortcut, and when it gives me the browse window it still has all my shortcuts listed there, if that helps, but when I then choose one and click “next” etc., the desktop remains blank. Hasn’t really impacted my computing, but is a bit strange. Anyone have a clue how to undo this? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-my-desktop-shortcuts-have-vanished-windows-xp-question/393897/2 "2007-02-27T18:02:42Z")
Click Start \>\> Run \>\> Type “explorer” in the resulting dialog box and hit enter Navigate the directory structure to the Recycle Bin Select the item(s) in the Recycle Bin you want back and right click Select “restore” from the context pop-up If there’s nothing in the recycle bin, you got more serious problems. Next time, I suggest unplugging the keyboard before cleaning it. ---
**Author:** ![enigm4tic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@enigm4tic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigm4tic)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-my-desktop-shortcuts-have-vanished-windows-xp-question/393897/3 "2007-02-27T18:20:46Z")
Try right clicking on your desktop and going to “desktop-\>customize desktop” and seeing if you turned something off there. There _is_ a way to disable all of your desktop icons, I know this because it used to be a hilarious joke to take a screenshot of somebody’s desktop, make it their desktop background, and then turn off their icons, which would leave them frantically clicking on nothing more than an image… but I can’t remember how we did it. oh nevermind, that was easier than I thought right click -\> desktop icons -\> make sure “show desktop icons” is checked ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-my-desktop-shortcuts-have-vanished-windows-xp-question/393897/4 "2007-02-27T18:24:08Z")
I have two icons on my desktop, the recycle bin, and a folder named “desktop icons”. Whenever a new program makes a desktop icon, first thing I do is drag the Icon into that folder. Down on the taskbar, I have a shortcut to the ‘desktop icons’ folder. I have a clean desktop, and whenever I want to open anything from there, I just pop open the shortcut, drag the mouse up to what I want and voila. Hey, I like a tidy desktop, ok? ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-my-desktop-shortcuts-have-vanished-windows-xp-question/393897/5 "2007-02-27T18:37:02Z")
[QUOTE=enigm4tic] oh nevermind, that was easier than I thought right click -\> desktop icons -\> make sure “show desktop icons” is checked [/QUOTE] That did it! Many thanks fellow. Kinda feel like an idiot now, hehe. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-my-desktop-shortcuts-have-vanished-windows-xp-question/393897/6 "2007-02-27T19:02:27Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] That did it! Many thanks fellow. Kinda feel like an idiot now, hehe. :smack: [/QUOTE] When our workplace was upgraded to the latest Windows, that “enhancement” was not mentioned. I was finally able to “find” my shortcuts. The fact that an odd combination of keystrokes would make the image on my monitor turn sideways was also a puzzle.