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I have a couple shortcuts that are not visible on desktop but if i go to Computer > desktop I can see them in the folder.

It is visible when I plug in a different laptop to my monitor, so multiple monitors seems to be causing the problem.

How to bring hidden shortcuts back onto my desktop?

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3 Answers 3

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This sometimes happens on Windows 10 with multiple monitors enabled, especially where the form factor (width/height) of the monitors are different.

The following solution has worked for me every time.

  • Open Explorer so you can see the desktop in the background
  • Navigate to the Desktop folder, C:\Users\[USER]\Desktop
  • Find the shortcut that is not displayed on the desktop
  • Cut and Paste the shortcut to a different location, say C:\Tmp
  • Navigate to where you moved the shortcut, C:\Tmp
  • Drag the shortcut to the desktop and release
  • Move the icon/shortcut to your desired location

Looks like a Windows 10 bug (mine is version 1903 Build 18362.900).

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  1. Right click desktop
  2. View
  3. Auto arrange icons

They will now all re-appear.

Repeat steps to turn off auto arrange and then you can again manually move your icons wherever you like.

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I ran into this issue recently. After the most recent Windows 10 update (version 21H2) my desktop shortcuts vanished but I could still see them in my desktop folder. After some digging I found that somehow my desktop icons got hidden. What I did was:

  • Right Click --> View
  • Show desktop icons

And all my icons reappeared on my desktop GUI. Hope this helps

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