how to change icon of a program on the taskbar

Kirk Sewell 0 Reputation points
2026-10-06T19:42:45.2766667+00:00

A strange blank icon replaced the Photoshop icon; how can I recover the old icon.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage
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  1. John Jefferson Doyon 89,175 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-06T20:22:37.16+00:00

    Hi, @Kirk Sewell

    If Photoshop still opens normally and only the taskbar icon is blank, try removing and recreating the taskbar shortcut first.

    • Right-click the blank Photoshop icon on the taskbar and select "Unpin from taskbar."
    • Open the Start menu and search for Photoshop.
    • Right-click Photoshop and choose "Pin to taskbar."

    If issue persists, try restarting the File Explorer process:

    • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to launch the Task Manager.
    • In the Processes tab, locate Windows Explorer process.
    • Right-click on Windows Explorer and select Restart.

    If the blank icon returns, to help narrow down the issue:

    1. Does the Photoshop icon appear correctly in the Start menu?
    2. Does Photoshop still open normally when you click the blank taskbar icon?
    3. Did this start after a Photoshop or Windows update?

    Click "Add comment" to let me know.

    Thanks!

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-06T19:42:59.5166667+00:00

    If the Photoshop taskbar icon became blank, the supported recovery steps are:

    1. Restart Windows Explorer.
      • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
      • In Processes, find Windows Explorer.
      • Right-click it and select End task.
      • In Task Manager, select File > Run new task.
      • Type explorer.exe and press Enter.
    2. Clear the icon cache.
      • Save open work first, because Explorer will restart.
      • Open Task Manager.
      • End Windows Explorer.
      • Select File > Run new task.
      • Type cmd.exe and create the task with administrative privileges.
      • Run: 
             CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
     DEL IconCache.db /a
      • In Task Manager, select File > Run new task.
      • Type explorer.exe and press Enter.
    3. If the icon is still wrong, unpin and pin the app again.
      • Right-click the Photoshop icon on the taskbar and select Unpin from taskbar.
      • Start Photoshop again and pin it back to the taskbar.
    4. If the shortcut icon itself is blank on the desktop, Start menu, or taskbar, check the shortcut icon handler registry values.
      • Warning: registry changes can cause serious problems if done incorrectly. Back up the registry first.
      • In Registry Editor, verify:
        • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\IconHandler default value is {00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
        • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} default value is Shortcut
        • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\InProcServer32 default value is C:\Windows\System32\windows.storage.dll

    If the goal is to make a pinned taskbar item use a different custom shortcut icon while Photoshop is running, Windows does not support showing the shortcut’s icon for a running Win32 app. The taskbar shows the running application’s identity, not the shortcut icon used to launch it.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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