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Jun 17, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

“Everything on my desktop disappeared on Mac out of the blue. Can someone tell me how to restore my Mac desktop and get back Mac icons?”

It might sound surprising, but a lot of Mac users undergo issues like this related to their Mac folder icons, dock, and desktop. For instance, chances are that some folders can get disappeared from the desktop on Mac unexpectedly or your Mac toolbar can get hidden as well. Don’t worry – we are here to help you with every essential solution regarding Mac desktop and other related problems.

In this guide, we will discuss stepwise solutions related to numerous Mac desktop issues and even teach you how to get back lost Mac folders as well.

Why Does Everything on Desktop Disappear on Mac?

  1. Feb 12, 2018  This wikiHow teaches you how to lock your desktop icons in place on Windows or Mac computers. Although Windows doesn't offer an easy option to lock your desktop icons in place, you can use the auto-arrange and alignment features to keep your desktop icons in order—or you can use a third party app called DeskLock.
  2. Aug 24, 2017  Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple Support. When you turn off Desktop and Documents, your files stay in iCloud Drive and a new folder is created on your Mac. You can move files from iCloud Drive to your Mac as you need them, or select all of your files and drag them to the place you want to keep them.

Before we discuss various Mac desktop issues, it is important to learn what could have caused them in the first place. When everything on my desktop disappeared on Mac, I tried to diagnose the problem and discovered the following reasons behind it:

  • You could have accidentally deleted a file or icon from the desktop.
  • Chances are that you might have disabled dock or taskbar.
  • A third-party application could have changed your desktop settings.
  • Mac settings would have been altered during an update or OS repair.
  • There might be some change in the overall display or system settings on Mac.
  • A clash between some other kernel and local OS process could have caused the issue.
  • A broken firmware process or tamper with macOS can also cause the same.
  • Sometimes, a virus or malware attack can also make your desktop icons or dock disappear.
Mac

Problem 1: Folders Disappeared From Desktop Mac

Will Desktop Icons Stay After Software Update Mac

When it comes to everything disappearing from the desktop, the first problem must be the missing folders or hidden Mac folder icons. There would be a problem with system settings or you might have accidentally deleted something as well. Don’t worry – we have an easy solution for both of these issues.

1. Disable the iCloud Drive Sync

A lot of users have noticed that when the iCloud sync option is enabled on their Mac, it leads to the temporary unavailability of certain folders on the desktop. This is because while iCloud syncs the data, the relevant Mac folder icons become missing or hidden. If you want, you can just wait for the sync to finish or disable it altogether.

  1. Firstly, go to your Mac’s System Preferences and open the iCloud application.
  2. From here, just disable the iCloud Drive option by unchecking it.
  3. If you want, you can also go to its “Options” to further customize things.

In the end, close the iCloud application on your Mac and go to the desktop to see if the icons are still missing or not on Mac.

2. Use a Missing Folder Recovery Tool

If you have accidentally deleted a folder from your Mac’s desktop, then this would be an ideal solution for you. With the help of Recoverit Mac Folder Recovery software, you can get back all kinds of deleted and lost content.

This includes the deleted folders on Mac as well. The tool is developed by Wondershare and is extremely easy to use. It can help you recover data lost due to a virus attack, formatted disk, accidental deletion, corrupt storage, and every other common scenario. The application features different scanning modes and is known for its high data recovery rate.

You can get the Mac desktop folder or any other content back using Recoverit by following these steps.

Step 1: Select the desktop disk

Go to the official website of Wondershare Recoverit and install the recovery tool on your Mac. When you launch it, you can select a location to scan. In this case, we will be performing data recovery on Mac’s internal hard drive (Macintosh HD) instead of any other connected source.

Step 2: Scan the desktop disk

As soon as you would click on the “Start” button, Recoverit will take the needed steps for data extraction. If you want positive results, then try not to close the application in between.

Step 3: Preview and recover desktop folders

When the data recovery process is completed, the application will display the results on the interface. You can go to any category of your choice from here and preview the retrieved content. Make the needed selection and click on the “Recover” button to save your files to a secure location.

In this way, you can easily get your documents that were disappeared back on Mac. In case if the quick scan was not able to fulfill your requirements, then you can do a deep scan as well. To do this, click on the “All-around Recovery” and wait as Recoverit would extract data from your Mac’s storage. While the deep scan would take more time than the quick scan, the results would also be far better.

How to Recover Desktop Files on Mac

Problem 2: Downloaded Folder on Mac’s Dock Disappeared

If you are a regular Mac user, then you must be familiar with the Downloads folder on Mac’s dock. By default, the Downloads folder is available on the dock for us to access with a single click. Nevertheless, there are times when the Downloads folder gets disappeared from Mac’s dock. You would have done it by mistake or an overwriting of settings could have also caused the same issue. To fix this and get the Download folder back on the dock, follow these steps:

1. Drag the Downloads Folder from the Home Directory

This is the easiest and the fastest solution to get the Downloads folder back on Mac’s dock. Firstly, we will go to the Home directory to access the folder, and later we will just reposition it on the dock.

  1. To start with, just click on the “Go” option on the menu and open the Home directory from here.
  2. Once the Home directory is opened, you can access multiple folders from here. Simply find the “Downloads” folder where all the downloaded data is stored.
  3. Now, drag the Downloads folder and simply drop it to a relevant position on the dock. This will make the Downloads folder reappear on the dock.
If you accidentally removed downloads on your Mac computer, you need to know the best way of recovering deleted downloaded files and folders.

2. Reset the Mac Dock

If the dock on your Mac is not working in an ideal manner, then you should consider resetting it as well. This will restore the dock to its default settings, which would automatically have the Downloads icon present. Here’s how you can quickly reset the dock and even resolve issues as Mac dock disappeared.

  1. Click on the “Go” option from the menu and visit the “Utilities” folder.
  2. Here, you can view all the utility tools on your Mac. Simply launch the Terminal app from here.
  3. Now, enter the following commands on Terminal and press Enter: defaults delete com.apple.dock; killall Dock
  4. Close Terminal and try to access the Downloads folder on the dock once again.

Problem 3: Mac Desktop Icons Disappeared

A lot of times, users complain that their Mac’s desktop icons have been disappeared. Why did Mac desktop icons disappear? What can make the icons gone? Sometimes missing icons are due to disk permissions or a macOS fault. In most cases, the reason is simple. An application could have overwritten the desktop icon settings, making them hidden or go missing. Therefore, if you wish to get your Mac icons back, then simply follow these steps.

  1. Click on the Finder on your desktop and go to its Preferences.
  2. Once the Finder Preferences tab is opened, go to its General section.
  3. Here, you can see an option to show various icons on Mac. Just make sure that the relevant options (like hard disk, connected drives, etc.) are enabled here.

Problem 4: Toolbar on Mac Disappeared

The toolbar is one of the most important features on Mac’s desktop, which is often termed as the “menu bar” by many. Apart from having the icons of the important apps, it also gives us access to numerous settings and tools. Also, it displays time, notifications, and helps us manage our system. Though, there could be a change in your system’s settings that might have made the Mac toolbar hidden. You can easily fix the Mac toolbar missing issue by following these solutions.

1. Use System Preferences to Show the Toolbar

Just like the dock, you can also get back the Mac toolbar hidden on your desktop via System Preferences.

  1. Firstly, go to the Apple menu on the top left and visit System Preferences.
  2. From here, visit the General preference panel settings to explore the available options.
  3. Under the Appearance section, you can view an option for “Automatically hide and show the menu bar”. Just disable this feature by unchecking the box to make the toolbar stay on Mac’s desktop.

2. Exit the Full-Screen Mode

Mac comes with a feature of the full screen that lets us have an uninterrupted and wider view of the screen. While the full-screen mode is good for watching videos, it makes Mac toolbar hidden, which can make it harder for you to access its settings. Therefore, you can just exit the full-screen mode to get the toolbar back.

To exit the full-screen mode, go to the menu bar location, and hover the cursor over it. Once you see it, go to the “View” menu and click on “Exit Full Screen”.

Additionally, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts to do the same as well. Just press the Command + Control + F keys at the same time to exit the full-screen mode and get back the toolbar on your Mac.

Problem 5: Mac Dock Disappeared

As you know, the dock is the inbuilt feature of Mac that allows us to access all the vital apps and settings quickly. Ideally, you can customize your Mac’s dock as per your needs. Sometimes, while customizing, users end up hiding the dock by mistake. Also, a sudden change in your OS can cause this problem. When my dock disappeared on my Mac, I followed these steps and it quickly solved the problem.

1. Use System Preferences to Hide or Show the Dock

The easiest way to fix Mac dock disappeared is by visiting the System Preferences on your Mac and changing the dock settings.

  1. Firstly, go to the Apple logo on the top and click on the “System Preferences” button.
  2. From the System Preferences window, you can open the “Dock” settings.
  3. Here, you can see an option for “Automatically hide and show the Dock”. Make sure that the feature is disabled (unchecked) so that the dock will stay visible all the time.

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2. Use the Keyboard to Show or Hide the Dock

As you know, Mac has a setting to automatically hide the dock and it will only be visible when we hover the mouse over it. If you still can’t access the dock, then follow this quick drill to fix the Mac dock disappeared issue.

  1. Move the mouse arrow over the dock to view it or simply press the Option + D keys at the same time.
  2. Once the dock is visible, right-click it to get its context menu.
  3. From here, click on the “Turn Hiding Off” option, which will make the dock static and visible permanently.

After reading this post, you would be able to resolve queries related to the toolbar on Mac disappeared or Mac dock disappeared. From getting back the missing dock to desktop icons, we have listed solutions for every common issue. If the Mac folder icons are missing on the desktop, then consider using Recoverit Data Recovery to get them back. If you have accidentally deleted some files, you would be able to retrieve them using this reliable data recovery tool. You can also download it for free on your Mac and use it at the time of need to recover missing files and folders without any trouble.

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Summary

Stay calm if Windows 10 update deletes your desktop files or icons disappeared from your desktop. This page guide you to determine whether the desktop is missing or deleted by Windows update and guide you to recover missing desktop icons and bring all lost files with manual solutions and automated EaseUS file recovery software.

How do I get my desktop back on Windows 10?

'I'm having this problem that the desktop files and some apps disappeared after Windows 10 update. Some files and folders stored on the desktop of my PC disappeared after Windows 10 upgrade. I don't know where to find them.

How do I recover the lost files and get my desktop back to normal on Windows 10?'

Workable SolutionsStep-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Show Desktop IconsRight-click on the desktop, go to View and uncheck 'Show desktop icons'...Full steps
Fix 2. Set Icons to Show UpOpen 'Settings' and click on 'Personalization' > 'Themes' > 'Desktop icons settings'...Full steps
Fix 3. Switch User AccountClick the Windows icon and click your username at the top. Select the other visible account...Full steps
Fix 4. Disable Tablet ModeRight-click on the Windows icon and select 'Settings'. Click 'System' > 'Tablet mode'...Full steps
Fix 5. Go Back to Previous BuildGo to Settings > Click 'Update and security' > Go to the Recovery tab...Full steps
Fix 6. Show Hidden FilesOpen Windows Explorer, click on 'Views' > 'Options' > 'Folder Options:...Full steps
Fix 7. Recover Lost Desktop FilesRun EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, under the Specify a location section, click 'Browse'..Full steps

According to Microsoft and a large number of Windows users, Windows 10 update indeed deletes some files in system drive or causes desktop apps missing. So how to fix this issue?

First, you need to check out whether the desktop files are lost or missing. You can right-click on Windows icon > Open File Explorer > Navigate to C:UsersPublic or C:UsersUserNameDocuments and search the missing file name at the right search bar.

Next, choose the right solutions toward your current issues:

If files show up in File Explorer after searching, they are not lost but saved on a specific location on your PC. Follow manual solutions in Part 1 to restore your Windows desktop icons and files.

If nothing shows up in File Explorer by searching, your files are probably hidden or lost. Refer to solutions in Part 2 for help.

Part 1. 5 ways to restore missing desktop apps and files

Due to Windows 10 bug, desktop and saved files may disappear after Windows 10 update. And you may try here below manual methods get lost desktop back:

Method 1. Show desktop icons

Step 1. Right-click on the desktop, go to View and uncheck'Show desktop icons'.

Step 2. Re-check the Show desktop icons option to see if the desktop icons and files show up. If not, try multiple times to repeatedly uncheck and re-check the box.

When the desktop files and icons show up, continue with the next step to arrange your Desktop.

Step 3. Right-click on your desktop, select 'View' > Check or uncheck 'Auto Arrange Icons'.

It would make all files and folders appear on the left side. And you can drag and drop them where you need them to be.

Method 2. Manually set Windows icons to show up

Step 1. Open 'Settings' and click on 'Personalization' > 'Themes' > 'Desktop icons settings'.

Step 2. Check desktop icons like Computer (This PC), User's Files, Network, Recycle Bin, and Control Panel that you'd like to show them on desktop.

Click 'Apply', then 'OK'.

Method 3. Switch User Account to find missing Desktop files

Sometimes, when you logged in a wrong account, the saved files and installed applications on the Desktop may disappear. All you need is to switch the right account and bring the missing files and apps back.

Step 1. Click the Windows icon and click your username at the top.

Step 2. Select the other visible account on the list, click to switch to it.

Step 3. Sign in with the password of the other user account.

After this, your files and disappeared app icons should be available again.

Method 4. Disable Tablet mode, switch to desktop mode

This method only works on a device with a touch screen. Tablet mode is enabled on Windows 10 and it may cause desktop or icons missing issue.

Here are the steps to disable the Tablet mode:

Step 1. Right-click on the Windows icon and select 'Settings'.

Step 2. Click 'System' > 'Tablet mode'.

Step 3. Under I sign in, select 'Use desktop mode' and disable 'Hide app icons on the taskbar in tablet mode' by switching to 'Off'.

Method 5. Go back to the previous Windows build

Will Desktop Icons Stay After Software Update Mac 10

When your desktop disappears due to Windows 10 update, you can revert it to the previous Windows Build so to resolve this issue.

Step 1. Go to Settings > Click 'Update and security' > Go to the Recovery tab.

Step 2. Click 'Get Start' under Go back to the previous version of Windows 10.

Then follow the onscreen instructions to roll back Windows 10, bringing the missing desktop back.

Part 2. Recover lost or disappeared Dekstop files

Files disappeared from desktop may be deleted by Windows 10 update or got hidden by the OS or other programs. Therefore, you have two options here to restore the lost or missing files.

Method 1. Show hidden files on Windows 10 desktop

Step 1. Open Windows Explorer, click on 'Views' > 'Options' > 'Folder Options:.

Step 2. Go to View Tab and check 'show hidden files, folders and drives' (uncheck the option 'Hide protected operating system files' if there is this option). Click 'OK' to save all the changes.

Close the Folder Options window and then go back to the desktop to see if you can find the saved documents and files.

If no files, folders nor apps are found, you need to refer to a more powerful data recovery software to fix this issue.

Method 2. Recover lost desktop files with data recovery software

Mac Desktop Software Update

Reliable data recovery software can effectively recover disappeared or lost desktop files in PC due to Windows system update. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard allows you to recover any lost files, apps or folders in Windows PC or storage devices under complex situations.

Besides, it also supports USB recovery, hard drive recovery, external hard drive recovery, etc. in a few simple clicks. Let's see how to restore the desktop files with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard:

Step 1. Run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, select location to scan lost folder.

Under the Specify a location section, click 'Browse' on Select Folder to choose the location where you lost the folder and click 'OK' to scan the lost folder.

Step 2. Find and preview found files in the lost folder.

You can find the lost folder in 'Deleted Files', 'Lost Files' or use the 'Search' feature to quickly find the lost folder by searching the folder name. Then open the found folder and double-click to preview lost files.

Step 3. Recover and save the lost folder with files.

Last, select the folder and files and click 'Recover', browse to choose a new & secure spot on your PC and click 'OK' to save it.

Bonus tips to protect Windows desktop files

When your desktop files or icons disappeared or lost, you can effectively restore them by following solutions provided in Part 1 and Part 2. Besides, you may also want some practical tips to protect the Windows desktop files. Here, we've collected two reliable tips to help.

# 1. Create backups for Desktop valuable files

To avoid similar issues from happening again, we'd like to suggest you create backups for desktop files and important data in PC before installing Windows update.

You may copy all valuable files on the desktop to another secure device as a backup or refer to a powerful file backup software to create a full backup of all files on your PC at one time.

Here are the detailed steps of creating backup image of Desktop files in 3 steps:

Step 1: Launch EaseUS Todo Backup software and then choose 'File Backup', 'Disk/partition Backup' or 'System Backup' for different backup purpose.

Step 2: Choose the system, disk partition, files or apps that you want to back up. Then select a destination where you want to store the backup file.

Step 3: Click 'Proceed' to start the data backup process.

# 2. Turn on Windows Defender and clear disk errors

Due to virus infection or disk error, sometimes, the Desktop apps and files my suddenly disappear on your PC. To avoid this issue, we also suggest you turn on Windows Defender or use virus cleaner software to protect your PC and run disk check command to clear existing errors on your local hard drive.

Steps to turn on Windows Defender, Virus & threat protection

Step 1. Right-click Windows icon and select 'Settings' > Click 'Update and Security' > Click 'Open Windows Defender Security Center'.

Step 2. Click 'Virus & threat protection' on the new window > Go to Virus & threat protection settings.

Will Desktop Icons Stay After Software Update Mac Pro

Step 3. Turn on these three options: Real-time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, and Automatic sample submission.

Free Desktop Icons For Mac

Steps to run disk error check

Step 1. Open My Computer/This PC, right-click the C: drive that your invisible Desktop files were saved on and click 'Properties'.

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Step 2. Click 'Tools' under Error-checking, select to scan existing errors in your drive. Click 'Check' to start the process.

Show Desktop Icons Mac

Step 3. Click 'Scan drive' to begin scanning and repairing any found hard drive errors.