Guide: Fix ‘Black Folder Background’ Issue in Windows 10 PC
Have you shown black squares up suddenly behind certain folders in Windows 10? They look downright awful, right? Fortunately, it is only a visual bug and nothing will happen to files or subfolders in those affected folders. So, if worry drives you crazy, calm down! The black folder background issue can crop up for a number of reasons – outdated thumbnail caches, damaged system files, etc. Fortunately, it’s fixable! Without wasting any more time, we’ll get your folders looking crisp and clear ASAP! Also read: 5 Cool Windows 10 Features You may have missed
Restart your computer
This may sound strange in this day and age, but Windows operating systems still tend to get things right after a good system reboot. So let’s get that out of the way first. Open the Start menu, click the Power icon, then click Restart.
If the affected folders look normal after the reboot, you are golden. If they don’t – or if the problem keeps coming back after a while – let’s move on.
Reset Thumbnail Cache
An outdated thumbnail cache is the main reason for showing black squares up behind folders, so let’s try to delete it from your computer. Do not you worry. Folder thumbnails are automatically regenerated over time. Step 1: Open the Start menu, search for Disk Cleanup and press Enter. You should now have the Disk Cleanup utility loaded.
Step 2: Select the drive with the Windows 10 installation. Usually the drive is C. Now click on OK. Windows 10 takes a while to search for removable files on the drive.
Step 3: Keep the box next to Thumbnails checked and click OK. You can also choose to delete other unwanted file types – temporary files, for example – while you’re at it.
Windows 10 should take a few seconds to delete your thumbnail cache, and it’s possible that those black folder backgrounds may disappear for good shortly afterward. If not, let’s continue. Tip If the problem only occurs for a single folder – or just a few – you can easily reset the thumbnail cache for that specific folder. Right-click the folder, select Properties, then click Change Icon under the Customize tab. Now select an icon other than the default folder icon and click OK. Then click the Change icon button click Restore Defaults again, then click OK.
Update the display driver
An outdated graphics driver is another major reason for visual glitches. You can easily update your graphics drivers through the Device Manager console. Step 1: Find and open Device Manager from the Start menu.
Step 2: Expand the section labeled Display adapters, right-click on your video card and select Update drivers.
Step 3: On the Update Drivers pop-up window, click Search automatically for updated driver software.
Device Manager should automatically download and install the latest updates from the Internet. If multiple items are listed under Display adapters, repeat the process for each one. Note: You must restart your computer after updating your graphics drivers for the changes to take effect. If Device Manager cannot find the correct drivers automatically, you will need to download them manually from the manufacturer’s website. Here are some links to major manufacturers: NVIDIA | AMD | Intel | HP | Dell | ASUS Once you do that, use the Browse My Computer for Driver Software option in the Update Drivers window and select the downloaded files. Also read: How to Easily back upup and restore drivers in Windows 10 using the command line
Run SFC scan
Damaged system files can also cause certain visual glitches including black folder backgrounds. Fortunately, there is a way to recover such files automatically, and it requires a command to be run through the command prompt console. Step 1: Open the command prompt console in elevated mode. To do that, search for it in the Start menu, right-click on the command prompt search result and select Run as administrator.
Step 2: Type sfc / scannow in the console and press Enter to start a system scan. Keep in mind that it may take a while to finish.
If damaged system files are detected and repaired, you will be prompted for a Windows Resource Protection has found and successfully repaired corrupt files message, which should hopefully fix the black folder background issue. If you have a Windows Resource Protection has not detected any integrity violations or a Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to recover some of them message instead, go to the final repair.
Run DISM Command
A DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) command fixes deep underlying issues in Windows 10 and is very helpful when it comes to solving our problem. You can also complete the SFC scan normally if you run the Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to recover some of them message earlier. At an elevated command prompt console, type DISM / Online / Cleanup-Image / RestoreHealth and hit Enter.
It takes a while for any problems to be found and resolved. The progress counter may stay at 20% for a while, but this is common. Once you get to the end, run the SFC scan again if you couldn’t complete it successfully before, then shut down the console and restart your computer. Hopefully you should see those annoying black wallpapers disappear. Also read: Top 11 Solutions for iTunes Not Working on Windows 10
Enjoy Windows as usual
Your folders should now look good. Usually a thumbnail cache reset or display driver update should fix things up and only rarely do you need to run an SFC or DISM scan. And finally, make sure your computer up-to-date. Windows 10 may have a permanent fix in the works soon, and you really don’t want to miss that. So how did it go? The comments section is on the right below.
Fix ‘Black Folder Background’ Issue in Windows 10 PC: benefits
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