Icons not removed from desktop when deleting

Floob · 30 Jan 2021

I've recently built a new PC and am having an issue when deleting files from the desktop.
I haven't noticed the behaviour in any other folder.

When I drag an icon or folder from the desktop to the recycle bin, it looks like it behaves correctly and removes it from the desktop (and certainly appears in the bin). But if I recheck later, say an hour or something, the icon has re-appeared although the file itself is not there, i.e. I get an error if I try to open it.

If I refresh the desktop the icon does disappear (and doesn't re-appear again), but I would like to know why this issue keeps occurring - I haven't seen this issue before on my other machines.

From testing, if I set windows to confirm on every delete I don't get the issue (i.e. when I click delete as opposed to dragging to the bin), but when I drag to the recycle bin (even with this confirmation setting on) it doesn't prompt me to confirm deletion and the error occurs. So perhaps its linked with this behaviour of deletion confirmation.

In case its relevant, the boot drive is an M2 NVMe as opposed to HDD etc..
I'm running Win 10 Home 19042.746

Thanks for any pointers.

Farvatten · 30 Jan 2021

Floob said:

When I drag an icon or folder from the desktop to the recycle bin, it looks like it behaves correctly and removes it from the desktop (and certainly appears in the bin). But if I recheck later, say an hour or something, the icon has re-appeared although the file itself is not there, i.e. I get an error if I try to open it.

If I refresh the desktop the icon does disappear (and doesn't re-appear again), but I would like to know why this issue keeps occurring - I haven't seen this issue before on my other machines. .

I can't speak to the delete confirmation connection but these zombie icons on the desktop are not new and apparently happen for differing reasons under special circumstances.

More recently I've traced them to my screen scale changes or Ctrl-Mouse Wheel icon resizing.when the deletion is within some window of time I'm guessing before Windows refreshes it's desktop icon cache.

Were you playing a game prior to this in which a screen scale was changed?

Desktop icon of moved or deleted file reappears after scale change

spunk · 30 Jan 2021

Here is a suggestion for a desktop that does not refresh automatically- Desktop or Explorer does not refresh automatically in Windows 10

Spartan · 31 Jan 2021

Floob said:

I've recently built a new PC and am having an issue when deleting files from the desktop.
I haven't noticed the behaviour in any other folder.

When I drag an icon or folder from the desktop to the recycle bin, it looks like it behaves correctly and removes it from the desktop (and certainly appears in the bin). But if I recheck later, say an hour or something, the icon has re-appeared although the file itself is not there, i.e. I get an error if I try to open it.

If I refresh the desktop the icon does disappear (and doesn't re-appear again), but I would like to know why this issue keeps occurring - I haven't seen this issue before on my other machines.

From testing, if I set windows to confirm on every delete I don't get the issue (i.e. when I click delete as opposed to dragging to the bin), but when I drag to the recycle bin (even with this confirmation setting on) it doesn't prompt me to confirm deletion and the error occurs. So perhaps its linked with this behaviour of deletion confirmation.

In case its relevant, the boot drive is an M2 NVMe as opposed to HDD etc..
I'm running Win 10 Home 19042.746

Thanks for any pointers.

Nothing's wrong with your system. I've been experiencing this bug since Windows 10 Build 2004 and now 2009. I thought it was the vast majority of tweaks I am doing like disabling file history, windows error reporting, telemetry, Cortana, and everything under the sun but thanks for confirming. I also thought this might be fixed in some Windows update but nope. When I delete a file/shortcut, after a while it appears like a blank icon. Then I manually refresh and it's gone.

Steve C · 31 Jan 2021

I've seen the odd zombie icon which is resolved by logging out then back in

Try3 · 01 Feb 2021

Floob,

As Favatten said, this problem has been around for years. It comes & goes of its own accord. The problem has been around since XP if not earlier.

I wasted months of my life trying to find a permanent solution without any success. I suggest you don't bother wasting any time on the problem because you won't find a permanent solution either.

I reboot daily and this makes it happen less often but does not eliminate the problem. Steve's comment about re-logging in would probably also have this effect.

All the best,
Denis

Floob · 01 Feb 2021

Thanks for all your feedback.
@Farvatten
Yes, I was playing a game around this time.

As per my first post, I dont seem to get the issue if I set deletion to be on confirmation only - so if I do that rather than drag to recycle bin it seems ok. Really odd I havent had this before though. There must be some sort of logic to the cause, and I'm surprised MS havent tried to address it, it doesnt sound like an isolated case.