Missing Desktop Icons

**encompass** · April 28th, 2008

OK try this...
alt-f2
then type... nautlius...
do your desktop icons showup now?

**Andy17MB** · April 28th, 2008

Aha..

Yes they've all reappeared and I've also realised that the desktop wallpaper has reappeared too (only just realised that that had disappeared with the icons)

Have i somehow persuaded the system not to start nautilus on boot up

Thanks encompass for your help

Andy

**encompass** · April 28th, 2008

One more step... but not quite sure how to do it... your going to have to experement...
It could be fixed now... I am not sure..
It could be that you have to add nautilus to the session startup. System...preferences... sessions... and add a new program with nautilus as the command.
OR
you may have to set something up at login some other way.
Mess with those first too... then you could talk to the mailing list at gnome.org and they could help you there too.
Bummer seeing that happen.

**Andy17MB** · April 29th, 2008

Nautilus,

Thanks for that. You were right with the first suggestion:

you have to add nautilus to the session startup. System...preferences... sessions... and add a new program with nautilus as the command.

I've restarted and Hey presto it's all back to normal. I'm still none the wiser as to how I lost that though. Thanks again and to everyone else who has made suggestions

Andy

**encompass** · April 29th, 2008

Cool... yeah, sometimes those things happen. I wish there was a way to just lock that stuff in permenently, but with somany choices of how to setup your desktop these things can be hard to avoid. for example, I don't use icons on my desktop.

**LeGollemux** · July 21st, 2008

thank you for the info here. got my icons back! yay!

**JayFunGee** · January 20th, 2010

Hi

I had a similar experience, and the fix also helped. But this is probably important: I discovered that every time I plug in a USB device (Nikon Camera, iPhone or Nokia Phone) to download stuff; once I am done, the icons are missing. The (Alt+F2, run nautilus) fix from works every time, but perhaps someone can comment on similar experience?