black adobe file icon only on desktop

[gianluca_1961]

as per the title i encounter this problem only on the desktop. if i copy the file into a folder the classic adobe icon returns. how is it explained and above all how is it solved? thanks

[AnandSri]

Hello!

I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out.

Could you please share more details about the issue and a screenshot? Does the Adobe app icon on the desktop change to Black? Or are you referring to the files? This could be due to the Windows icon cache being corrupted or not updating correctly. Or, The file association for PDFs may temporarily break on the desktop. Try the following steps and let us know how it goes:

Rebuild Icon Cache: Open Command Prompt as an administrator. Run the following commands: 

taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe
del %localappdata%\IconCache.db
start explorer.exe

This will delete and rebuild the icon cache. 

Disable PDF Thumbnail Previews: Open Adobe Acrobat Reader. Go to Menu > Preferences > General. Uncheck Enable PDF thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer.

Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: 25.001.20458 Planned update, Apr 15, 2025. Check for any pending updates from the Menu > help > check for updates, install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and check. For more information, see this: https://adobe.ly/3Rk1DsB

If you are on a Windows machine, repair the installation files of Acrobat or Reader from Menu > Help > Repair installation. Restart the machine and check. Also, ensure you have all the mandatory and optional updates of the operating system installed.

If the issue persists, please share a screenshot, the current version of the operating system installed, and the machine's logs for further investigation.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[gianluca_1961]

hello and thanks for the quick response.
unfortunately all the proposed solutions have not given a positive result. I send you an image in which you see a pdf file with the black icon on the desktop and the usual file inside a folder in which you see the preview

[AnandSri]

Hello!

Thank you for sharing the screenshot. If you have tried all the suggested steps in the previous response, please restart the machine once, check for any pending mandatory and optional operating system updates, install them, restart the machine, and check.

If the issue persists, please use the Acrobat Cleaner tool to remove the installed app, restart the machine, and install Acrobat. For testing purposes, create a new test user profile with full admin rights and install Acrobat. Check the functionality and see if you still get the black icon in the new user profile.

If you see the same black icon, please share the current version of the operating system installed and the machine's logs for further investigation.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.

[gianluca_1961]

hello, I uninstalled everything and reinstalled but with no results, there are still black icons on the desktop.

I reviewed the command line and I'm sending you a comment that I made immediately after receiving it because in my opinion there is some instruction that is not working properly

draft reply to your first message (for example the DEL instruction is not recognized as valid)

hello, thanks for the quick reply. unfortunately the command line

taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe
del %localappdata%\IconCache.db
start explorer.exe

written like this does not work. I copied and pasted it but there must be some part to delete or replace. probably when you wrote it the paragraph moved the instruction down and this created confusion.
in any case I tried the repair installation and disable preview both without result. let's see if the taskill instruction improves the situation
thanks again

[gianluca_1961 · Accepted solution]

ok gentlemen, everything is solved (at least for now) and I would say that it solved itself.
after I don't know how many restarts now the icons are back to normal.
to tell the truth maybe the solution was that I moved all the pdfs on the desktop to a folder on the desktop called pdf where as I already said the icons are correct and then bringing them back, this morning, on the desktop they are again the classic ones.
let's see if it stays
thanks

[AnandSri]

Hello!

I am glad that the issue got fixed, and thank you for your patience and for your efforts. Really appreciate your cooperation on this. 

The issue could be due to a few reasons: 

Icon Cache Refresh: Moving the files to a different location and then back might have triggered a refresh of the icon cache, which can sometimes resolve display issues. By moving the files, the system might have reset the file associations, ensuring that the correct icons are displayed

It's great to hear that the issue is resolved now! Feel free to reach out if you need any assistance.

Regards,

Anand Sri.