Icon folder background became black

Question

Icon folder background became black

Dominic Sham 0

In my external hard drive, there are several folders background turned black randomly. Any reasons causing the displaying error and any solutions could solve the issue?

2 answers

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Answer 1

Clary-N 9,170 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Dominic Sham,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand how worrying it can be to see folder icons suddenly turn black, especially when the data is stored on an external drive.

I can see that Q&A Assist has already suggested a few troubleshooting steps, so I wanted to gather those here in one place and add a couple of additional recommendations that may help:

Step 1: Restart File Explorer

Sometimes this issue is caused by a temporary display glitch in Windows.

Please press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. In the list of processes, find Windows Explorer, right‑click it, and choose Restart. Once File Explorer reloads, check the folders again. If the backgrounds look normal, you’re all set and no further action is needed.

Step 2: Rebuild the Windows icon cache

Windows stores folder icons in a cache so they load faster. If that cache becomes corrupted, folders can appear with black backgrounds.

To refresh it, open Task Manager again and end Windows Explorer. Then press Windows + R, type %localappdata%, and press Enter. In the folder that opens, delete the file named IconCache.db (if you see it). Next, open the folder Microsoft > Windows > Explorer and delete any files that start with iconcache.

After that, go back to Task Manager, select Run new task, type explorer.exe, and press Enter. Windows will automatically rebuild the icon cache.

Step 3: Clear thumbnail cache

If you’re using medium or large icon views, corrupted thumbnails can also cause black folder backgrounds.

Click Start, search for Disk Cleanup, and open it. Choose the C: drive when prompted. When the list appears, check Thumbnails, then click OK and confirm the cleanup. Once finished, restart your computer and check the folders again.

Step 4: Check for graphics driver updates

Display drivers control how icons and transparency are rendered. If a driver is outdated or recently updated incorrectly, visual issues like this can happen.

Right‑click Start, open Device Manager, expand Display adapters, then right‑click your graphics device and select Update driver. Choose Search automatically for drivers and allow Windows to install anything it finds.

Step 5: Run a quick check on the external drive

This doesn’t delete anything but checks for minor file system issues.

Open File Explorer, right‑click the external drive, select Properties, go to the Tools tab, and click Check. If Windows finds anything, let it repair it.

If your folders open normally and the files inside are accessible, that’s a strong sign everything is safe. However, if you notice files not opening, missing folder names or error messages when accessing the drive, please let me know right away and we’ll take a closer look together.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Dominic Sham 0 Reputation points

2026-02-22T03:12:17.9+00:00

I solved it by restarting windows explorer. However, whenever I restart my PC, the thumbnail rebuilds every time on the whole external hard disk so any ways to solve the issue?
Clary-N 9,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-24T09:03:23.82+00:00
Hi Dominic Sham,

Thanks for the update.

Restarting Windows Explorer confirms the thumbnail cache had become corrupted. When the PC restarts, Windows rebuilds thumbnails for external drives because the cache is stored locally. Since external drives are treated as removable, Windows sees them as “new” after each reboot and regenerates the thumbnails.

To reduce how often this happens, you can:

Assign a fixed drive letter in Disk Management

Plug the drive into the same USB port each time

Avoid disconnecting the drive when it’s not necessary

The steps above should help make it less disruptive.

Let me know if you still see unusually slow rebuild times or anything else doesn’t look right. I'm happy to help further.
Clary-N 9,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-25T07:59:44.1533333+00:00

Hi Dominic Sham,

Have you had a chance to check my answer yet?

Please do keep me updated.
Dominic Sham 0 Reputation points

2026-02-25T08:04:21.25+00:00

When I turned on my PC these two days, the thumbnail cache is working normally as usual. But in case any ways to prevent further issues happening?
Clary-N 9,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-26T05:01:44.22+00:00

Hi Dominic Sham,

Thanks for the update. It’s good to hear the thumbnail cache is now working normally. To help prevent future issues, please keep Windows and graphics drivers up to date and avoid using cleanup tools that automatically clear thumbnail cache.

If the issue returns, feel free to reach back. I'm here to help.

If you think my reply is helpful to you, please remember to mark it as an answer. This helps others in the community facing similar problems.

Thanks for your understanding.

Best regards.
Dominic Sham 0 Reputation points

2026-03-01T12:26:46.7666667+00:00

However, after a few days all the thumbnails rebuilt frequently whenever I reboot. The files content remained unchanged but the PC seems having something went wrong. Are there any ways to resolve the issues of PC avoid the thumbnails rebuilding frequently?
Clary-N 9,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-03T14:23:27.16+00:00

Hi Dominic Sham,

Thanks for letting me know and I’m sorry to hear the issue is still happening even after trying all the earlier steps.

At this point, the most effective next option would be to perform an in‑place upgrade repair of Windows. This is a safe process that refreshes the system files without touching your personal data or installed apps. It often helps resolve deeper system issues, like the thumbnail cache not being retained properly when the usual fixes don’t make a difference.

To do this, you’ll just need to download the latest Windows ISO using the official Installation Assistant or Media Creation Tool, then run setup.exe directly from within Windows (not from a USB). When it asks, choose “Keep personal files and apps.” After the repair finishes and the system restarts, Windows will rebuild its components cleanly, which usually stabilizes things like thumbnail behavior.

Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides: How to run In-place upgrade in Windows 11 - Microsoft Q&A

I’m here to help, so feel free to reach out anytime if you have more questions.
Clary-N 9,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-04T08:01:52.8233333+00:00

Hi Dominic Sham,

Have you had a chance to check my answer yet?

Please share your updates here.
Dominic Sham 0 Reputation points

2026-03-04T09:09:31.59+00:00

Sorry for late reply. I just checked the answer but the steps seem to be complicated that I could not follow. Is it possible to provide step by step for easier understanding? Thanks
Clary-N 9,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T08:53:35.8133333+00:00

Hi Dominic Sham,

Thank you for your update. I understand that the earlier instructions may have felt a bit complicated, so I’d like to share a much simpler, step‑by‑step way to complete the Windows 11 in‑place upgrade while keeping your files and apps:

-Download the Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft’s official website. Make sure it matches your current Windows edition and language.

-Once the download is complete, right‑click the ISO file and select Mount. A new drive will appear in File Explorer.

-Open that new drive and double‑click setup.exe. If you see a security prompt, just click Yes to continue.

-When the Windows Setup window opens, click Next, then accept the license terms.

-On the Ready to install screen, make sure Keep personal files and apps is selected. (If needed, you can click Change what to keep and choose that option.)

-Click Install and let the process run. Your PC may restart a few times to apply changes.

Once everything finishes, you can sign back in as usual. Your files, apps, and settings should all be there.

If anything is unclear or you run into issues at any step, please feel free to let me know. I’m happy to help you through it.
Clary-N 9,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-06T07:29:58.33+00:00

Hi Dominic Sham,

Please let me know if there is anything I can help by leaving your comment down here.
Dominic Sham 0 Reputation points

2026-03-06T08:45:49.1133333+00:00

It works fine now. Thanks
Clary-N 9,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-07T00:36:57.4833333+00:00

Hi Dominic Sham,

I’m glad to hear everything is working properly now. Thanks for letting me know, and please feel free to reach out again if you need any further assistance.

Best regards.

Answer 2

The issue of folder backgrounds turning black on your external hard drive may be related to display settings or a problem with the icon cache. Here are some potential solutions you can try:

Clear the Icon Cache: Sometimes, the icon cache can become corrupted, leading to display issues. You can clear the icon cache by following these steps:
- Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
- End the task for Windows Explorer.
- Open a command prompt with administrative privileges and run the following commands:
```
     CD /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local
     DEL IconCache.db /a
```
- Restart Windows Explorer.
Check Display Settings: Ensure that your display settings are correctly configured. Sometimes, incorrect settings can lead to display errors.
Update Graphics Drivers: Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers can cause display issues. Check for updates to your graphics drivers and install them if available.
Check for File System Errors: Run a disk check on your external hard drive to ensure there are no file system errors. You can do this by right-clicking the drive in File Explorer, selecting Properties, going to the Tools tab, and clicking on "Check."

If these solutions do not resolve the issue, it may be worth considering formatting the drive if it is empty or backing up your data and reformatting it if necessary. However, be cautious as formatting will erase all data on the drive.

References:

Application shortcuts on the desktop, Start menu, and taskbar show blank icons

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Icon folder background became black

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