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Black Squares Behind Folder Icons? 6 Ways to Remove Them

Simple yet effective fixes to get rid of the black boxes

5 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Some users have been complaining of unusual black squares behind the folder icons on Desktop and Windows Explorer. In worst cases, theblack squares cover the foldericons completely

This usually happens after uninstalling and installing apps on Windows PC. Fortunately, there are proven fixes for this issue, irrespective of severity, and we will detail them in this guide.

Why is there a black box behind my folder icon?

Listed below are some of the potential reasons there might be black squares behind your folder icon on Windows 10 and 11:

How do I get rid of black squares behind my folder icons?

1. Change the folder icon to default

Sometimes, black squares appear behind your folder icons because you transferred the files over a network between an old OS and a newer one. In this case, you need to restore the folder icon to default to solve the problem.

2. Run Disk Cleanup

Corrupt cache thumbnails can sometimes cause the black squares behind your folder icons. To fix this, you need to run the Disk Cleanup tool to get rid of the junk files.

3. Delete the icon cache

A faulty thumbnail cache can be the cause of the black squares behind folder icons issue. Resetting the thumbnail cache can do the trick here.

4. Repair system files

Faulty or corrupt system files are among the leading causes of the black square behind folder icons issue. Running the DISM and SFC scans should do the trick here.

5. Edit your registry

If there are black squares behind your folder icons, especially on older OS like Windows 7, it might be because the icon path is wrong in your registry. You need to delete the key pointing to the wrong path to solve this problem.

6. Update the driver

In cases where the black squares appear behind all your folder icons, it is likely due to problems with your graphics driver. What you need to do here is to update the driver to the latest version and restart your PC.

We have reached the end of this guide on fixing the black squares appearing behind folder icons issue. Hopefully, you will be able to solve the problem before exhausting the solutions on our list.

Similarly, if yourDesktop icons are blank, check our article on the topic to fix them.

Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you fix this issue in the comments below.

Black Squares Behind Folder Icons? 6 Ways to Remove Them#

Why is there a black box behind my folder icon?#

How do I get rid of black squares behind my folder icons?#

1. Change the folder icon to default#

2. Run Disk Cleanup#

3. Delete the icon cache#

4. Repair system files#

5. Edit your registry#

6. Update the driver#