Office 365 apps shows blank image

Question

Office 365 apps shows blank image

Nisk 30

the office apps on the desktop for one of our client shows as attached

User's image

it's blank as seen for powerpoint, word, excel files

I defaulted the files to open with correct apps, same issue

performed online repair , and full repair of the office apps, no change

any idea or suggestions I can receive?

Anonymous

2025-05-12T02:46:49.96+00:00

Hi Nisk,

Just checking in to see if below information was helpful. If you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back. If you think my reply is helpful to you, please remember to mark it as an answer. Warm thanks.
Anonymous

2025-05-14T02:36:16.27+00:00

Hi Nisk,

Is there any update on this thread? If the issue has been resolved, please mark the helpful replies as answers, this will make answer searching in the forum easier and be beneficial to other community members as well. Thanks for your understanding.

1 answer

Your answer

Anonymous

2025-05-12T02:46:49.96+00:00

Hi Nisk,

Just checking in to see if below information was helpful. If you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back. If you think my reply is helpful to you, please remember to mark it as an answer. Warm thanks.
Anonymous

2025-05-14T02:36:16.27+00:00

Hi Nisk,

Is there any update on this thread? If the issue has been resolved, please mark the helpful replies as answers, this will make answer searching in the forum easier and be beneficial to other community members as well. Thanks for your understanding.

Answer 1

Anonymous

Hi Nisk,

Welcome to our forum!

Blank icons are often caused by a corrupted icon cache. For Windows 10/11, please follow these steps:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
Under the Processes tab, find and end Windows Explorer.
Click File > Run new task, type cmd, and check "Create this task with administrative privileges".
Run these commands one by one:

taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F

CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local

DEL IconCache.db /a

start explorer.exe

Restart the computer and check if icons appear.

Alternative Method (if above fails):

Open File Explorer > View > Options > Change folder and search options.
Go to the View tab and check "Show hidden files, folders, and drives".
Navigate to: C:\Users<YourUsername>\AppData\Local and delete the IconCache.db file.
Restart the PC.

If all else fails:

Uninstall Office via Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall.
Download the latest version from Microsoft Office.
Reinstall and check if icons return.

Hope it helps.

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Nisk 30 Reputation points

2025-05-14T05:40:00.46+00:00
apologies, i got access to the pc only today

Negative, tried the above steps

also uninstalled the entire office apps, restarted and installed the office app, same issue
Anonymous

2025-05-15T03:21:54.48+00:00
Hi Nisk,

Thanks for response.

Since the issue persists even after reinstalling Office, the problem might be related to deeper system corruption or a conflict with another application. Here are some other steps you may take:

1. Check for Third-Party Software Conflicts

Some applications (e.g., icon customization tools, security software, or shell extensions) can interfere with Windows icons. Boot into Safe Mode and check if the icons appear correctly:

Press Win + R, type msconfig, and hit Enter.

Go to the Boot tab, check Safe Boot (Minimal), and click OK.

Restart the PC.

If icons appear normally in Safe Mode, a third-party app is likely causing the issue.

Disable startup apps (via Task Manager > Startup) and test.

2. Manually Reset Thumbnail & Icon Settings

Sometimes, Windows Explorer settings get corrupted.

Open File Explorer Options:

Press Win + R, type control folders, and hit Enter.

Go to the View tab and:

Uncheck "Always show icons, never thumbnails".

Click "Reset Folders", then "Restore Defaults".

Click Apply > OK and restart.

3. Run System File Checker (SFC) & DISM

Corrupted system files can cause icon issues.

Open Command Prompt as Admin and run: sfc /scannow

If SFC finds issues but can't fix them, run: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Restart and check if the issue persists.

4. Check Windows Theme & Icon Settings

Right-click the desktop > Personalize > Themes.

Switch to a different theme (e.g., Windows Default).

If using a custom theme, revert to a default one.

5. Manually Replace the Default Icon Set

If Office icons are missing from Windows itself:

Download Office icons from a trusted source (e.g., IconArchive).

Right-click the shortcut > Properties > Change Icon.

Browse to the downloaded .ico file and apply.

6. Perform a Clean Boot & Check for Shell Extensions

Open System Configuration (msconfig).

Under the Services tab:

Check "Hide all Microsoft services".

Click Disable all.

Go to the Startup tab > Open Task Manager.

Disable all startup items.

Restart the PC.

If icons appear, re-enable services/startup items one by one to find the culprit.

7. Check for Windows Shell Issues

Run these commands in Command Prompt (Admin):

regsvr32 /i shell32.dll

regsvr32 /i mshtml.dll

regsvr32 /i shdocvw.dll

regsvr32 /i browseui.dll

Restart afterward.

8. Windows Repair Install

If nothing works, perform a Windows repair install (keeps files/apps but reinstalls system files):

Download the Windows Media Creation Tool (here).

Run it and select "Upgrade this PC now".

Follow the prompts (this reinstalls Windows without deleting files).

If the issue persists after all these steps, it might be a deep-seated Windows corruption or hardware issue (e.g., failing storage). Consider:

Creating a new user profile (if not already tried).

Backing up data & resetting Windows.

Checking disk health (chkdsk /f /r).

Hope it helps.

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Office 365 apps shows blank image

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