Windows 10 hides the classic This PC (formerly My Computer) icon by default — but if you want one-click access to your drives from the desktop, you can restore it in seconds. Here is how to get the This PC icon back on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Bring Back the This PC Icon in 4 Steps
1. Right-click an empty spot on your desktop and choose Personalize.
2. Go to Personalization > Themes, then click Desktop icon settings under Related settings.
3. Tick the box next to Computer.
4. Click Apply — the This PC icon appears on your desktop instantly.
While you are there, you can restore other classic icons too: Recycle Bin, Network, your User folder, and the legacy Control Panel all live in the same dialog. Just tick each one and hit Apply.
Windows 11 Works the Same Way
The steps on Windows 11 are nearly identical: right-click the desktop, pick Personalize, head to Themes, open Desktop icon settings, tick Computer, and click Apply. One note from the source: Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, so if you are still on Windows 10 you should plan an upgrade — these steps work either way.
Icons Missing or Blank? Check These First
If you see no desktop icons at all, right-click the desktop, hover View, and make sure Show desktop icons is checked. Blank white squares usually mean a corrupted icon cache: press Win + R, paste %localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer, delete every file starting with iconcache or thumbcache, and restart your PC.
And if your icons vanished while your files are fine, OneDrive may have redirected your Desktop folder. Right-click Desktop in File Explorer’s sidebar, open Properties, check the Location tab, and restore it to your local Desktop path if it points to OneDrive.
Also Read: How to Build Your Own Windows Desktop Widgets With Claude in Minutes
Also Read: I Bought a $100 Intel iMac and Linux Made It Useful Again
Source: How-To Geek — read the full story there.
