The This PC on desktop, previously known as the My Computer icon, is a quick way to access files, drives, and system settings. However, it may be missing after installing an application, updating your computer, or because of a temporary system glitch.

The good news is that you can get the This PC icon back to quickly access the hard disk, storage drives, network locations, and important files and folders. This article explains quick methods to add the My Computer icon or This PC to your desktop.

How to Add This PC on Desktop

You can add This PC to the desktop using Windows Settings, the context menu, the Run command, or File Explorer, depending on the method you find the most convenient. Below is how to show This PC on the desktop in Windows 11/10 step-by-step using each of these approaches.

Method 1: Use Windows Settings to get the This PC icon

Windows Settings helps when important icons are not showing on the desktop. Here is how to get This PC on the desktop using Windows Settings.

• Press the Windows key + I key to open Settings.
• Click Personalization in the Settings menu.
• Click Theme in the Personalization options.
• Scroll down to Related Settings.
• Find and click Desktop icon settings.
• Select Computer in the desktop icons.
• Right-click Computer, click Apply, and then click OK.

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Method 2: Add This PC on desktop using context menu

Right-clicking in the context menu is another way to add icons to the desktop. Below is how to enable This PC on the desktop using the context menu.

• Right-click any empty desktop space and then click Personalize.

• Click Themes in the Personalization menu.

• Scroll down to Related Settings and click Desktop icon settings.

• In the Desktop Icon Settings, click the Computer
• Lastly, click Apply and OK to set the This PC icon on the desktop.

Method 3: Use the Run command to get This PC on the desktop

Run command allows you to quickly access the settings to put This PC on the desktop. The following are the steps to use it.

• Press the Windows key + R key to access the Run command.
• Type desk.cpl in the Run box and click OK.

• In the Desktop Icon Settings, click the box next to the Computer and Allow themes to change desktop icons.
• Lastly, click Apply and OK to save the changes.

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Method 4: Show My Computer icon/This PC icon on desktop using File Explorer

You can use File Explorer to create a This PC shortcut on your desktop. Visually, the shortcut will display a small arrow overlay, which distinguishes it from the default This PC icon. Functionally, the shortcut opens the File Explorer view as usual, but when you right-click it, you will see Shortcut properties instead of the full system properties available with the original This PC desktop icon. This means you cannot access system properties or other context menu options available via the default icon. If a simple shortcut meets your needs, below is how to create a shortcut of This PC on the desktop with File Explorer.

• Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer.
• Locate This PC in the left sidebar of the File Explorer window.
• Click This PC and drag it from the sidebar to your desktop.

Method 5: Use Registry Editor to add This PC icon on desktop

You can control the system icons that appear on your desktop using the Windows Registry. It also allows you to enable This PC on the Windows desktop if the Desktop Icon Settings are not available. The following steps explain how to get This PC on the desktop via the Windows Registry.

Note: Edit the Windows Registry only if you are sure of what you are doing. Even a single wrong change can cause system problems. Hence, back up your Registry before changing anything. To back up the Registry, open Registry Editor, click File, then select Export. Choose a location to save the backup, enter a file name, and click Save. This way, you can restore your settings if needed.

• Press Windows key + R to open the Run utility.
• Type regedit in the Run box and press
• Approve the User Account Control prompt if it appears.
• In the Windows Registry, navigate to the path HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel
• Locate the value: 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D.
• Double-click the 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D value if it exists and change the value data to
• If the 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D value does not exist, right-click the right pane, click New, click DWORD (32-bit) Value, name the value 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D, and set the value data to
• Press F5 on the desktop or follow the path Ctrl+Shift+Esc > find Windows Explorer > Restart to restart Windows Explorer and see the My Computer icon (which is now called This PC).

Method 6: Set This PC on the desktop using a PowerShell command

If you are comfortable with the command line interface or an IT administrator deploying settings across different computers, you can use a PowerShell command to get the This PC icon on the desktop. Here is how.

• Right-click the Start button.
• Click Windows PowerShell (Admin) in the menu that appears.
• In Administrator PowerShell, copy and paste the following command and press Enter.

$path = “HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel”

$name = “{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}”

New-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name $name -Value 0 -PropertyType DWORD -Force

Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force

Method 7: Use the Group Policy Editor to add This PC to the desktop

If you have a Pro, Enterprise, or Education Windows edition, your organization’s Group Policy may be hiding the desktop icon. Below is how to edit the Group Policy to show This PC on the desktop in Windows 11/10.

• Press Windows key + R to access the Run utility.
• Type msc in the Run box and press Enter.
• In the Group Policy Editor, follow the path User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop.
• Find, double-click, and set Hide and disable all items on the desktop to Not Configured or
• Click Apply and
• Lastly, restart your computer to save the changes.

However, if you still can’t see the This PC icon, you can check below for solutions.

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How to Troubleshoot This PC Icon Not Showing

To fix This PC on desktop not showing:

• Right-click the desktop, click View, and ensure Show Desktop Icons is checked.
• On Windows 10, press Windows key + I, click System, click Tablet, and choose Never use tablet mode for When I sign in.
• Launch Command Prompt as an administrator, run the following command, and then restart your PC to rebuild the icon cache.

DEL /A /Q “%userprofile%\AppData\Local\IconCache.db”

DEL /A /F /Q “%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*”

• If you have recently changed your Windows theme, the new theme may have overridden the settings for your desktop icon. Uncheck Allow themes to change desktop icons in Desktop Icon Settings to prevent this.
• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, right-click Windows Explorer, and then click Restart to restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager.
• Check Group Policy settings or the Registry if the icon keeps disappearing, as IT policies or system optimization tools can override your icon settings.
• Perform a system restore. To restore your system when the icon was visible, follow the path Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore > Next > Restore Point > Next > Finish.
• If all the above solutions fail, you can get help in Windows 11 or Windows 10 from Microsoft Support.

Below, we also answer a few related questions to clear any remaining doubts about the This PC icon on the desktop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How to rename the This PC icon?

To rename the This PC icon, right-click the icon, click Rename, type the new name (for example, My Computer icon), and press Enter.

Q2. How to remove the This PC desktop icon?

To remove the This PC icon, right-click an empty desktop space, click Personalize, click Themes, go to Related Settings, click Desktop icon settings, uncheck This PC in desktop icons, click Allow themes to change desktop icons, click Apply, and then click OK.

Q3. Where is This PC on my PC?

You can find This PC by pressing the Windows key + E and then clicking This PC in the left sidebar of File Explorer.

Q4. What does the This PC icon do on the desktop?

The This PC icon helps you access the settings to view and manage your storage drives, system properties, and folders quickly.

Q5. Why is This PC not showing on the desktop?

Windows does not show the This PC icon on the desktop by default to keep the desktop clean. You can enable it by following any of the methods in the guide above.

Q6. How to recover the This PC icon on the desktop?

You can check your Registry Editor settings or Group Policy to recover the icon if the icons are not showing on the desktop.

Hopefully, you can now access your files, drives, and system folders easily with the This PC icon on the desktop. However, if any confusion or doubt persists, leave us a comment; we will be happy to help.