The icons in the notifications area of taskbar helps to easily manage the network, volume, power etc. settings and everyone know this. Consider a scenario, when you have network icon missing from this section. In such a case, you need to move to Control Panel or PC Settings to manage the network connections, which is quite tedious. Recently, we came around the problem of missing icons from the notifications area of taskbar on latest build of Windows 10.
Thus it now clear that missing icons creates a task of pain and now one want to face this issue. Hence in order to restore the missing icons, you can try follow steps and see if they helps you in restoration:
FIX : System Icons Missing From Taskbar In Windows 10
1. Open PC Settings app in Windows 10. Navigate System -> Notifications & actions -> Turn system icons on or off. Alternatively, you can click upward arrow button in taskbar notification area, click Customize then select Turn system icons on or off. Here you can turn on the options corresponding to missing icons.
If the options are greyed out or you can’t change them in above shown window, then you have to perform registry manipulation mentioned below.
Registry Disclaimer: The further steps will involve registry manipulation. Making mistakes while manipulating registry could affect your system adversely. So be careful while editing registry entries and create a System Restore point first.
2. Press 
+ R and put regedit in Run dialog box to open Registry Editor (if you’re not familiar with Registry Editor, then click here). Click OK.
3. In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate here:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify
4. In the left pane of this registry location, highlight TrayNotify key and right click it, select Export. So we have successfully backup-ed the registry key. Now highlight the same key and in the right pane, delete the IconStreams and PastIconStreams named registry DWORDs. Once you have done that, close Registry Editor. Reboot the machine to get missing icons restored.
Let us know if this worked for you. If you’re missing Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media icon, go here.
34 Comments
Add your comment
My network and power icons disappeared from the tray after a W10 update exactly as described. Unfortunately, that regedit trick did not work for me as it did not contain that entry. Instead it contained LastAdvertisement REG_QWORD along with the others. I did not dare delete it. Any ideas?
Do you have TrayNotify registry key listed there?
Excellent. I have spent 5 days searching for an answer to this problem. The majority (in fact all) of the “answers” do NOT address the actual issue. This was spot on.
Thank you.
Now, if only there was an answer to this problem.
Using Firefox > Google search > ‘type in a potential Windows problem’ > Probable sites list comes up one of which will be “Microsoft Support”. > Select that page > You are then directed to – “Sorry, can’t log you on at this time, try again later.
This goes on and on in a continuous loop, How can I NOT be logged in when I am using the PC? If I look at ‘History’ on the menu bar I can see it is cycling through this same page in a loop.
Using Edge or Chrome this does not happen but, I would like to use Firefox.
^^ Glad we could help :) Btw, yes, its Microsoft Support site issue that many people are facing. Hope to get it corrected soon!
I followed all the steps until the end and the TrayNotify entry was absent. What’s the next step?
^^ You can right click CurrentVersion key and right click it, select New -> Key. Name it as TrayNotify and see if it helps to solve the issue.
Where is the CurrentVersion key?
^^ You must have CurrentVersion key next to Windows :)
The network icon disappeared from my Windows 10 Taskbar. It is greyed out in the settings. I tried editing the registry, but there is no TrayNotify key. I tried adding a new TrayNotify key, but it didn’t help.
This is a correction to my previous comment. After I adding a new TrayNotify key to my registry and then restarted my computer, the network icon reappeared. Thank you.
^^ Glad we could help :)
In Windows 10, the network icon suddenly disappeared from the system tray. Probably due to an update. The regedit trick (step 2-4) fixed it. Thanks.
^^ Glad it helped :)
I went through all the steps and it still doesn’t work. My network icon is still missing and the option is greyed out in the turn system icons on or off dialog. So frustrated!
Also went through the steps. Deleted the IconStream registry entry and restarted explorer.exe (I never got the PastIconStream entry however). The IconStream entry is brought back into the registry again after the restarting has been completed but still no icons (they remain grayed out as well).
Are there more solutions to this problem?
^^ Shared everything I know about it. But I will keep researching and let you know if I found something :)
Thank you very much. The Reg Edit option worked for me.
^^ Awesome :D
i tried the regedit option but it still does not work
my power notification is missing from the taskbar.
61 yr old grandma did it! Scary (afraid I was going to blow up my computer!) but it worked!
^^ Cool :D
Hi.
This worked for the Power icon but not for the location. The location button is still greyed off. How to get it enabled?
^^ Try turning on/off location settings in Settings app and see if that helps.
Its still does’t work.. after i delete PastIconStreams and close the register editor.. the icon battery, volume and network notification still missing. Please help me sir..
perfect thanks
The icon, that contains the system icons, is gone after an update. I tried your instructions and deleted IconStreams but there where no PastIconStreams. Closed Regedit and rebooted. Nothing happends. Checked regedit again and IconStreams was recreated but no PastIconStreams. I can see the system icons in the settings form and I can set them on or off but thew never show up in the activity field. Very frustrating. Doesn’t MicroSoft have any solution for this?
^^ Try running SFC scan, see if it helps you: https://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-use-system-file-checker-to-repair-windows
SFC-Scan: No, it didnt help. It tells that it didnt find any integrity violations.
^^ Ok! Unfortunately, you need to perform in-place upgrade: https://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-repair-windows-10-using-in-place-upgrade
Thank you!! Thank you !!! You are really a genius , after trying so many non sense tricks I finally got something really working !!! You are the best in your field!!
Please also provide me solution to this problem.
“Turn On Windows Security service”
When I click on it it says..
Windows security service cannot be started.
^^ Thanks for nice feedback! For another issue, refer: https://www.kapilarya.com/the-windows-security-center-service-cant-be-started
I installed Evernote on a Windows 10 machine running under Parallels on my iMac but the icon it uses is from The Gimp drawing program. On my ‘straight’ Windows machines it uses the elephant like it’s supposed to. When I attempt to go in and try and change the icon, the option is greyed out. Not a major deal but it’s kind of bugging me. The icon in the system tray is ok, just the launch icon is wrong. I’ve tried uninstalling/reinstalling and Gimpie stays the same.