How to Fix Black Icons in Windows
Some Windows users are encountering an annoying visual glitch that turns all or some of the icons on their systems either pitch black or gray. The good news is that this is only a visual issue, and there is nothing wrong with the files or folders themselves. Although some users may need to try several different solutions until they find the right fix, as a whole, dealing with this issue shouldn't prove to be that difficult.
Table of Contents
Reset One of the Affected Icons Manually
- Right-click one of the black icons.
- From the available options, select 'Properties.'
- Go to the 'Customize' tab.
- Find and click the 'Change icon' button.
- Locate the default yellow folder icon and select it.
- Save the changes by clicking 'OK,' and then 'Apply.' You can then close the 'Properties' window.
Uninstall the Newest Windows Update
The black icons glitch could be caused by the latest Windows 10 update, so if the manual icon reset didn't resolve the issue, you should see if reverting the update will help. You also may wish to set a delay for any future Win 1 OS updates.
Check Your Display Drivers
Another possible cause could be outdated or corrupted graphic drivers. In this case, launch the software's application or go to the official site of your GPU manufacturer and see if a new driver package has been released. If an update is indeed available, download it and see if it fixes the black icons on the system.
On the other hand, if you have noticed that the problem appeared after updating to the latest GPU driver, you can try to roll it back using Device Manager.
- Type device manager in the search field on the taskbar and open the top result.
- Locate the 'Display adapters' section and expand it by clicking the node icon in front of it.
- Right-click your GPU and select the 'Properties' option.
- Select the 'Driver' tab.
- Click on the 'Roll Back Driver' button, if it is available.