{"id":55511,"date":"2024-02-24T16:14:15","date_gmt":"2024-02-24T16:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/?p=55511"},"modified":"2025-04-18T06:41:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T06:41:36","slug":"how-to-open-a-program-when-there-are-no-icons-on-the-desktop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/how-to-open-a-program-when-there-are-no-icons-on-the-desktop\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Open a Program When There Are No Icons on the Desktop"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this article, we’ll be covering the different ways to open a program if your desktop icons have suddenly disappeared, you do not have access to your desktop, or the program does not have a desktop shortcut or icon.  <\/p>\n

We’ll also be covering other advanced methods for opening programs in Windows to give you more options. <\/p>\n

How to Open a Program When There Are No Icons<\/h2>\n

Using the Start Menu<\/h3>\n

Using the Start menu is the best and most straightforward option to open programs when there are no icons on the desktop<\/a> . Click the Windows logo on your taskbar or keyboard to launch the Start menu. You can now click the program from the Pinned menu. Select All apps if it isn’t on the menu, then scroll through the list and click the app. <\/p>\n

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Helpful Tip<\/div>\r\n\t
You can also search for a program in the Start menu to open it faster. Once you open the Start menu, type the program name and click it on the results page. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n
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Related: <\/b>[FIXED] Is the Windows 10 Start Menu Not Working?<\/a><\/p>\n

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Using Windows Search<\/h3>\n

Windows search is another element of the search menu, however, it allows you to search for anything on your operating system and also provides links to web resources.<\/p>\n

Click the dedicated search bar in your taskbar and enter the name of the application you want to launch. You can also press the Win + S hotkey to activate the search bar to find and open the program.<\/p>\n

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Once you activate the search bar, Windows will display the apps you use frequently, allowing you to launch them without having to type. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n
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Helpful tip: <\/b>How to Stop Windows 10 Search from Displaying Web Results<\/a><\/p>\n

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Using the Run Dialog Window<\/h3>\n

The Run dialog is a valuable resource for launching apps, files, and other Windows resources. By default, the small interface couches in your screen’s bottom-left corner.<\/p>\n

How do you open a program using Run? You can right-click the Start button in your taskbar and select Run or press the Win + R keyboard combination to launch the dialog. After Run opens, type the name of the program’s executable file and hit the Enter keyboard button.<\/p>\n

For example, if you want to launch Microsoft Word, type winword.exe<\/code> and click OK or hit Enter. <\/p>\n

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Important<\/div>\r\n\t
In most cases, you must type the full name of the application’s executable file. However, you can launch some programs, such as Chrome and Excel, just by typing their name. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n

Using the Task Manager<\/h3>\n

The Task Manager is not just an effective tool for monitoring and terminating apps. You can also use it to open a program when there are no icons on your desktop.<\/p>\n

Right-click your taskbar and click Task Manager. If you’re on Windows 11, you can click the Run new task<\/em> button at the top of the window to open the Create new task<\/em> dialog. If you’re on Windows 10, go to the top-left corner and select File > Run new task.<\/em> <\/p>\n

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After the Create new task<\/em> window appears, type the name of the program you want to open, and hit the Enter key.  <\/p>\n

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Like the Run dialog window, you must type the exact name of the program’s executable file in most cases. For example, while typing Excel<\/em>, Onedrive<\/em>, or Outlook<\/em> will launch the respective programs, you must type Winword.exe<\/code> to open Microsoft Word. That is if you have the desktop version of Microsoft Office.  In some cases, you may have to enter the program’s full path. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Using the Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell<\/h3>\n

You can do just about anything in the Windows Command Prompt <\/a> interface as long as you know the right code to execute. While this method is quite advanced, it can help you launch a program if your desktop icons have disappeared.  <\/p>\n

Follow these steps: <\/p>\n