How to Fix Desktop Icons Keep Flashing in Windows 11

Some users reflect that they had encountered some performance issues after the Windows 11 installation, one of which was the desktop icon flashing issue. So, how to fix desktop icons keep flashing in Windows 11? In this article, you will learn 6 easy and effective ways to fix it.

Why Do the Icons Keep Refreshing in Windows 11?

• The corrupted system files: If some system files were corrupted, it may cause desktop icon flashing.

• An outdated display driver: The icons that keeps flashing sometimes may due to an outdated display driver.

• The incompatible third-party applications: Some apps may be incompatible with Windows 11.

How to Fix Windows 11 Desktop Icons Flashing?

1. Restart Windows Explorer

Steps: Press "Ctrl + Shift + ESC" to open Task Manager → Find Windows Explorer → Right-click it → Click Restart. Then to see if the icon flashing problem has been fixed.

2. Reset All Default Apps

Steps: Press "Win + I" to open the Settings window → Select Apps → Default apps → Reset all default apps.

3. Delete the FileExts Key in the Registry

Step-1: Type “regedit” in the search bar → Click Run as administrator.

Step-2: Browse to the following path:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts

Step-3: Right-click the FileExts folder → Select Export to backup.

Step-4: Right-click the FileExts folder → Click Delete. After that, reboot your computer to check if the icons stop flashing in Windows 11.

4. Update the Display Device

Step-1: Press Win + R and type “devmgmt.msc”.

Step-2: Find Display adapters → Right-click the Graphics → Update driver.

Step-3: Select Search automatically for drivers. While waiting for the process to finish, confirm if the problem of desktop icons flickering has been fixed.

5. Run SFC And DISM Tools

These two tools can help you scan and fix the corrupted system files.

Step-1: Press Win + R → Type “cmd”, then hit the “Ctrl + Shift + Enter” buttons to enter administrator mode.

Step-2: Copy the below command in order, then press the Enter button.

sfc /scannow

Once the scanning is finished, type the following commands and press the Enter button after each command:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

After finishing the above commands, reboot your computer to check if the problem is fixed.

6. Install the 23H2 Enablement Package

There is a high probability of that happening in Windows 11 KB5031455 Moment 4, if you happen to be in this version, try to install the 23H2 Enablement Package.

Steps: Press Win + I → Update & Security → Switch on Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available → Check for updates.

If you were pushed the KB5027397 version, install Windows 11 23H2 by using this enablement package.