While some users report that the issue is only occurring with Office programs, other users have said that the issue also happens with other 3rd party programs.
What is causing the Office icons to stop showing up correctly on Windows 10?
We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that are commonly used to fix this particular issue. Based on what we gathered, there are several different scenarios that are known to trigger this particular error message: If you’re currently struggling to resolve this particular issue, this article will present you with several different troubleshooting strategies. Down below, you’ll discover a collection of methods that other users in a similar situation have successfully deployed in order to fix the problem. While not every method might be applicable to your scenario, it’s worth it to follow every potential fix in order and exclude those that are not applicable. Let’s begin!
Method 1: Enabling Save taskbar thumbnail previews
For this particular issue, the most popular fix is to ensure force your operating system to start saving taskbar thumbnail previews. According to most affected users, this procedure will end up forcing Windows 10 to display the correct icon when you search for an application using the start menu. Keep in mind that this setting we are going to modify is disabled by default and you’ll need to operate a change from the System Properties menu. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this: If you’re still having issues with the way your Office icons (or other icons) get displayed when you search for something using the Start menu, scroll down to the next method below.
Method 2: Changing the icon scale
Some affected users have managed to fix this issue by changing the icon scale to 125%. The default value is 100%, but don’t worry – Even if you don’t like the new size, you can then revert to the default value (after the fix was applied) and it will remain fixed. Here’s a quick guide on changing the icon scale in order to fix the broken start icons: If the issue is still not resolved, move down to the next method below.
Method 3: Rebuilding the Icon Cache using Command Prompt
Icons that you see displaying inside the Start menu are actually saved inside an icon cache so that they can be retrieved quickly when needed. However, there are instances where this cache icon file becomes corrupted, causing all (or some) icons to display incorrectly. Some affected users that have been struggling with this exact issue have reported that they managed to fix the problem indefinitely after they rebuilt the icon cache. Note: The steps below are only applicable to Windows 10. Here’s a quick way on how to do this from an elevated Command Prompt:
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