If you’re an avid user of Microsoft Outlook, you may have encountered a frustrating situation where the Outlook icon mysteriously disappears from your desktop. Without the icon readily available, it can be challenging to access your emails, calendar, and contacts. Luckily, resolving this issue is relatively simple and can be done in just a few easy steps.
Step 1: First, right-click on an empty space on your desktop and select “New” from the dropdown menu. Then, click on “Shortcut” to create a new desktop shortcut.
Step 2: In the location field of the new shortcut window, type in the following path: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office
oot\Office16\OUTLOOK.EXE”. Make sure to include the quotation marks.
Step 3: Click “Next” and provide a name for the shortcut, such as “Outlook.” Then, click “Finish” to create the shortcut on your desktop.
Step 4: Next, you’ll need to change the icon for the shortcut. Right-click on the new shortcut and select “Properties” from the context menu. In the properties window, click on the “Change Icon” button.
Step 5: A new window will appear with a list of icons to choose from. Select the Outlook icon or browse for the icon file if it’s saved elsewhere on your computer. Once you’ve chosen the desired icon, click “OK” to save the changes.
Step 6: Finally, click “Apply” and then “OK” to close the properties window. Your new Outlook shortcut should now have the familiar icon you’re accustomed to seeing, making it easier than ever to access your emails and manage your daily schedule.
Step 1: Open Control Panel
To start the process of getting the Outlook icon back on your desktop, you’ll need to open the Control Panel. Follow these steps:
- Click on the “Start” button located in the bottom left corner of your desktop.
- In the search bar, type “Control Panel” and press “Enter” on your keyboard.
- The Control Panel window will open, displaying various options.
- Look for the “Appearance and Personalization” category and click on it.
- Next, click on the “Personalization” option.
- A new window will appear. Look for the “Change desktop icons” link on the left-hand side and click on it.
Once you have completed these steps, you are ready to proceed to Step 2 where you will learn how to customize your desktop icons.
Navigate to Control Panel to start the process
To get the Outlook icon back on your desktop, you’ll need to navigate to the Control Panel on your computer.
Here’s how you can do it:
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Click on the Start button on your desktop.
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In the search bar, type “Control Panel” and press Enter.
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Once the Control Panel window opens, locate the “Appearance and Personalization” section and click on it.
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In the next screen, find the “Personalization” option and click on it.
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Next, click on the “Change desktop icons” link on the left-hand side of the window.
A new window will open with a list of desktop icons. Make sure the “Microsoft Outlook” option is checked, then click the “OK” button to save the changes.
Step 2: Click on “Programs”
After accessing the Start menu, you should see a list of options. Look for the “Programs” option and click on it. This will open a new menu with a variety of subfolders and programs.
Once you have clicked on “Programs,” a new menu will appear. This menu contains all the different applications and folders installed on your computer.
Scroll through the list of programs until you find the Microsoft Office folder. Clicking on this folder will open a new set of subfolders related to the various Office applications.
Within the Microsoft Office folder, you should see the Outlook application. It may be listed as “Outlook,” “Microsoft Outlook,” or “Outlook Email.” Click on the appropriate icon to continue.
If you cannot find the Microsoft Office folder or Outlook icon within the Programs menu, you may need to perform a search for the application. Look for a search bar or magnifying glass icon near the Start menu, type “Outlook” or “Microsoft Outlook,” and press Enter. This should bring up any related applications or files, allowing you to access the Outlook icon.
Once you have located the Outlook icon, proceed to the next step to continue customizing your desktop and retrieving the Outlook icon.
Select the “Programs” option to proceed
After opening the Control Panel, you will see a list of different categories. Scroll down and locate the “Programs” option. Click on it to proceed.
Step 3: Choose “Default Programs”
After opening the Control Panel, you will see several options. Look for the option labeled “Default Programs” and click on it.
In the Default Programs panel, you will find various settings related to the default programs used on your computer. These settings include options for setting default programs for specific file types, protocols, and even for certain tasks.
To proceed with restoring the Outlook icon on your desktop, you need to choose the option that allows you to set default programs for file types and protocols. This option is usually labeled “Set your default programs” or something similar.
Clicking on the “Set your default programs” option will bring up a list of programs installed on your computer. This list may take a few moments to load, especially if you have a lot of programs installed.
Scroll through the list of programs until you find Microsoft Outlook. Depending on your computer and software version, the Outlook icon may be displayed as an application or as part of the Microsoft Office suite.
Once you have located Microsoft Outlook in the list, click on it to select it. This will highlight the program name and reveal additional options at the bottom of the window.
After selecting Microsoft Outlook, you will see an option labeled “Set this program as default” or a similar phrase. Click on this option to set Outlook as the default program for the selected file types and protocols.
Once you have set Outlook as the default program, you can close the Default Programs panel and proceed to the next step to complete the process of restoring the Outlook icon on your desktop.
Locate and click on “Default Programs” to continue
To continue with the process of getting the Outlook icon back on your desktop, you will need to locate and click on the “Default Programs” option. This option can usually be found in the Control Panel of your computer.
To access the Control Panel, you can follow these steps:
- Click on the “Start” button located on the bottom left corner of your desktop.
- In the Start menu, locate and click on the “Control Panel” option. This will open the Control Panel window.
Once you have opened the Control Panel window, you will need to find the “Default Programs” option. The location of this option may vary depending on the version of Windows you are using.
- If you are using Windows 10, you can easily search for “Default Programs” in the search bar located in the top right corner of the Control Panel window.
- If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, you can find the “Default Programs” option under the “Programs” category in the Control Panel.
- If you are using Windows 7 or an earlier version of Windows, you can find the “Default Programs” option easily by looking for an icon or a text link with the same name in the Control Panel.
Once you have located the “Default Programs” option, click on it to proceed with the next steps in getting the Outlook icon back on your desktop.
Step 4: Select “Set Default Programs”
Once you have opened the Control Panel, you will see a list of options. Look for the option labeled “Set Default Programs” and click on it.
This will open a window with a list of all the programs installed on your computer. Scroll down until you find Microsoft Outlook, and click on it to select it.
Once you have selected Outlook, you will see several options on the right side of the window. Click on the option that says “Set this program as default” to make Outlook your default email program.
After you have set Outlook as the default program, you can close the window and return to your desktop.
Choose “Set Default Programs” from the list
After opening the Control Panel, you will see a list of options. Scroll down and find the option that says “Set Default Programs.” Click on it to continue.
Note: The location of this option may vary depending on the version of Windows you are using. You may need to search for it using the search bar at the top of the Control Panel window.
Once you have clicked on “Set Default Programs,” a new window will open up with a list of all the programs installed on your computer.
This list may take a few moments to load, so be patient. Once it is fully loaded, you can proceed to the next step.
Step 5: Find Outlook in the Programs List
Once you have opened the Start Menu, you need to find the Programs list. The Programs list contains all the applications installed on your computer, including Outlook.
To find Outlook in the Programs list, follow these steps:
- Click on the Start button in the bottom left corner of your screen. This will open the Start Menu.
- Scroll through the list of applications until you find the “Microsoft Office” folder.
- Click on the “Microsoft Office” folder to expand it.
- In the expanded folder, look for the Outlook icon. The icon for Outlook is an envelope with a blue background.
If you cannot find the Outlook icon in the Programs list, it is possible that Outlook is not installed on your computer. In this case, you will need to install Outlook before you can proceed.
Once you have found the Outlook icon in the Programs list, you can move on to the next step.
Scroll down and locate Outlook in the list of programs
Once you have accessed the add or remove programs feature in Control Panel, you will see a list of all the programs installed on your computer. Scroll down through the list until you locate Microsoft Outlook.
Note: The list of programs may be organized alphabetically, so you may need to scroll down quite a bit if you have many programs installed.
If you are having trouble finding Outlook in the list, you can also use the search function within the add or remove programs feature. Simply type “Outlook” into the search bar at the top of the window and the list will automatically filter to show only programs with “Outlook” in the name.
Tip: Make sure you are scrolling through the list slowly and carefully so you don’t accidentally select the wrong program to uninstall. It’s always a good idea to double-check the program name and icon before proceeding.
FAQ:
Why is my Outlook icon missing from my desktop?
The Outlook icon may be missing from your desktop due to various reasons, such as accidental deletion, system updates, or changes in the program settings.
How can I bring back the Outlook icon on my desktop?
You can bring back the Outlook icon on your desktop by following these 6 easy steps: 1. Click on the Start button and search for “Outlook”. 2. Right-click on the Outlook application and select “Open file location”. 3. Right-click on the Outlook application shortcut file and select “Send to” and then “Desktop (create shortcut)”. 4. Go to your desktop and check if the Outlook icon is present. 5. If the icon is present, you can drag it to a more convenient location on your desktop. 6. If the icon is still not present, you may need to reinstall Outlook.
Can I restore the Outlook icon on my desktop without reinstalling the program?
Yes, you can restore the Outlook icon on your desktop without reinstalling the program. Simply follow the 6 easy steps mentioned in the article to create a shortcut for Outlook on your desktop.
What if I can’t find the Outlook application shortcut file?
If you can’t find the Outlook application shortcut file, you can try searching for it in the Microsoft Office folder or use the search function in the File Explorer to locate the file. If you still can’t find it, you may need to reinstall Outlook.
I accidentally deleted the Outlook icon from my desktop. Can I recover it?
If you accidentally deleted the Outlook icon from your desktop, you can easily recover it by following the 6 easy steps mentioned in the article to create a new shortcut for Outlook on your desktop.
Will I lose any data if I reinstall Outlook?
No, reinstalling Outlook will not cause you to lose any data. However, it is always a good idea to back up your Outlook data before reinstalling the program, just to be on the safe side.
Can I customize the Outlook icon on my desktop?
Yes, you can customize the Outlook icon on your desktop. Once you have the Outlook icon on your desktop, you can right-click on it, select “Properties”, and then click on the “Change Icon” button to choose a different icon for Outlook.