Windows 10 my computer is missing
After installing or upgrading your computer to Windows 10, the My Computer icon may be missing on your desktop (PC). Here's how to add My Computer to your Windows 10 desktop to directly access your system drives, removable drives, virtual drives, and physical drives.
In the Settings app
The easiest way to add an icon on your PC is to use the Settings application.
In Control Panel
Using Registry Editor
Using the Registry Editor is not an easy way, but if none of the options suits you, then use it (you can find out how to work with the Registry Editor in the article “Working with the Registry in Windows 10”).
Video
The video explains in more detail how to get the icon back using the Settings app and Control Panel.
Conclusion
The My Computer icon is added after reinstalling or updating the operating system. This can be done in several ways: in the Registry Editor, Control Panel, and the fastest way is in the Settings application.
It is convenient to work when the main controls and links to frequently called components are at hand or in the most visible place, for example, on a desktop. One of these components is the “This PC” icon, formerly called “My Computer”.
Today we’ll figure out how to put My Computer on the desktop in Windows 10/remove it from there by all possible means, without resorting to third-party applications to accomplish this task (tweakers).
The question of how to place a computer icon on the Windows 10 desktop is still asked on forums, but the frequency of its appearance is much lower than it was in the first months after the release of the “tens”. This is because valuable articles began to appear on many sites, designed to help users solve the issue and reveal it in its entirety. Why do users have such a need?
The Explorer icon, which opens a window with a list of all devices for storing binary information (hard drives, solid-state drives, flash drives and other digital devices), is missing by default on the desktop in Windows 10. The ways to place its icon are no longer the same as what users saw in Windows 7 or XP.
There are at least three ways to add my computer to the Windows 10 desktop. We will consider them in more detail, providing detailed instructions for each of them.
Ten has an applet that is responsible for displaying several system icons on the desktop. It is familiar to users from previous editions of the operating system, but the method of calling it is different.
- Call the desktop context menu.
- Select "Personalization".
Another option for calling the same window is as follows.
1. Call “Settings” by holding Win + I.
2. Go to the “Personalization” section.
3. Go to the “Theme” tab by clicking on the vertical menu item of the same name.
By opening the window of the same name, you can specify which system icons need to be displayed on the desktop and which need to be hidden, because they include not only “My Computer”.
5. To show the desired icon, check the box next to it and click “Apply” or “OK” to close the window and save the specified parameters.
There is another option - doing " Rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,5" in the "Run" line, which is called by the key combination Win + R.
Method No. 2
The next option to put My Computer on the desktop is to create a shortcut to the object. Through it you can open Explorer in the appropriate directory.
1. Open the Explorer window.
The fastest way to do this is using the Win+E key combination and a shortcut on the Taskbar.
2. Open the contents of the directory for which we will create a shortcut on the desktop.
3. We reduce the open window so as to display an area of the desktop free from any elements on either side of the open window.
4. Grab “My Computer” with the left mouse button and drag it to an empty space on the desktop, thereby creating a shortcut.
As a result, we get the desired shortcut with the ability to set its name and change its icon on the “Shortcut” tab in the element’s properties.
Method No. 3
There is another option to display the “My Computer” icon, as well as all the others, on the desktop. The number of actions and complexity of the instructions are slightly higher than the previously presented graphical methods for solving the problem, and this section will be useful to few people, but for the sake of complete coverage of the topic, we will also consider it.
It's no secret that all Windows 10 settings are stored in the system registry. These parameters are accessed directly, through the registry editor, or indirectly, through third-party applications (tweakers) or through the operating system's graphical interface (as in the first option).
1. Call up the command interpreter window by simultaneously holding down the Win+R hotkey combination.
2. Enter regedit in the text line and execute the command by clicking “OK” or pressing “Enter”.
3. Expand the HKCU branch, where the configuration regarding the current user’s profile is collected.
4. Go to the Software subsection.
5. In it, expand the Microsoft directory, where we follow the path Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.
6. Open the Advanced directory.
7. Call the window for editing the “HideIcons” parameter and set its value to zero.
If the key is missing, create it (DWORD 32 bit type).
To apply the settings, restart Explorer or log out and log into Windows 10 again.
After installing Windows 10, you might have a question: where did the My Computer icon (now called This PC) disappear from the desktop? By default, it is no longer displayed and at first it may not be clear what needs to be done to restore the icon back. Now we will solve this small problem. As usual, there are several possible solutions.
1) Through Settings - Personalization
Click Start -> Options, a window with groups of settings opens. Choose Personalization.
In the next window, select the item Topics and press Desktop Icon Options.
A new window pops up, the one we need) Here we can show/hide icons for my computer, recycle bin, network environment, control panel. Check the Computer box and click OK.
Well, that's all, now you know how to display my computer icon on the desktop.
2) Through the Desktop - Personalization
Right-click on an empty space on the desktop and then select Personalization
Then the windows already known to us from the first point open. Go to the desktop icon settings, check the Computer box and other necessary items and say OK.
3) Through Windows 10 search
There is one way to access personalization - find it in Windows search. To do this, click on the magnifying glass icon to the right of Start and start typing the first letters of the word ‘personalization’. As it turned out from practice, the first 4 letters are enough. At the top you see a result called Best Match. Then press Enter. You can also click with the mouse, but Enter is faster and more convenient.
In this case, the Personalization window opens through the standard Control Panel, familiar to us from previous versions of Windows. Here you need to select Changing desktop icons in the menu at the top left. A familiar window with icon settings will open, check the Computer box and click OK.
4) Through a special team
You can also execute one tricky command. It will immediately bring up the final window with icon settings, without the need to go into personalization. To do this, press the key combination Win+R. A window with the heading 'Run' will pop up. Paste this command there:
Rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,5
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In Windows 10, the My Computer icon on the desktop is turned off by default. There are three ways to return the shortcut to its place: through displaying icons, “Registry Editor” and directly removing the shortcut using “Explorer”.
In older versions of Windows, you could enable the display of icons through the Control Panel. For Win10 the standard path has been slightly modified.
You can also go here in a more direct way, through the “Run” menu. Press “Win+R” at the same time, then copy the line “Rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,5 « without changes and quotes, click “OK”.
These methods can be clearly seen in a one-minute video.
Video - How to add a My Computer icon to the Windows 10 desktop
Change via Registry Editor
A more complex method that may be needed only by administration enthusiasts or in case of very specific problems with opening the previous applet.
Important! All actions in the Registry Editor must be performed very carefully and accurately. If done incorrectly or erroneously, all desktop icons, program and file shortcuts may disappear. Taking corrective actions will no longer help.
To create a shortcut using a registry entry, follow these steps:
If the parameter does not exist, create it. To do this:
After completing the changes, restart your PC. After reboot, all hidden icons will be displayed on the desktop.
Using File Explorer to manually create a shortcut
In addition to complex ways to activate a shortcut, there is another one that does not require complex commands in the registry or changing system settings.
Step 1. Right-click on the "Start" button. In the context menu that appears, select the “Explorer” line.
Note! In addition, Explorer can be opened through the “Run” menu using the “explorer” command. Or the keyboard shortcut “Win+E”.
Step 2. In the list of folders on the left, look for "My Computer" (Windows 8 and below) or "This PC" (Windows 10).
Step 3. Drag it out with the left mouse button onto an empty space on your desktop.
Shortcut or system application - comparison
How does a shortcut created in this way differ from a system icon? There are a few notable differences.
When you right-click on the icon and select “Properties” in the dropped-down system menu:
In addition, you can assign your own combination for opening to the shortcut. This is done in the same place, in the properties, where the required key combination is set in the “Shortcut” line.
Finally, the created shortcut can be launched as default, while the application automatically assigns the rights of the current one. This can save several tens of seconds of time during daily use if you are not using an administrator account.
By clicking “Advanced”, in the shortcut properties, activate the “Run as administrator” checkbox.
This will automatically give anyone using the shortcut maximum rights.
Video - How to add a My Computer icon to your desktop in Windows 10
Conclusion
Microsoft has slightly changed the system interface, adding several ways to place a shortcut on the desktop. Despite the quiet indignation of experienced users of previous versions of Windows, for whom “everything worked that way,” now you can remove the shortcut in several independent ways.
For those who use “This PC” only as a quick way to go to file locations, we recommend creating a shortcut with your own hotkey combination or using the standard “Win + E” to go to “Explorer”. This will significantly save time compared to searching for an icon in the rubble of your desktop.