Desktop icons disappear in Lion

This happened awhile ago and then the problem went away with Lion update. Now it is happening again.

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the page that opens.
Step 1
Enter the name of the crashed application or process (Finder) in the Filter text field. Post the messages from the time of the last crash, if any — the text, please, not a screenshot.
Important: Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Edit it out by search-and-replace in a text editor before posting.
Step 2
Still in the Console window, look under User Diagnostic Reports for crash reports related to the process. The report name starts with the name of the crashed process, and ends with ".crash". Select the most recent report and post the contents — again, the text, not a screenshot. In the interest of privacy, I suggest that, before posting, you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.) Please don’t post shutdownStall or hang logs — they're very long and not helpful.

Similar Messages

Desktop icons disappear intermittently with Lion 10.7.3

Some of my desktop icons "disappear" intermittently ( not always the same icon(s)). The title
still appears but the icon is blank. I can still click on the blank spot and the app will launch.
Annoying but not "fatal" - Anyone have any ideas ??
Oh and my personal "Avatar" photo also reverts to an earlier choice ( intermittently ) as well.
Can change it to the one I want to use but it reverts back to the old picture also from time to time ...
Maybe part of the same "problem".

Hi..
MIght be corrupted preferences (.plist)
Go to ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist
For Lion v10.7x: To find the Home folder in OS X Lion, open the Finder, hold the Option key, and choose Go > Library
Move the com.apple.desktop.plist file from the Preferences folder to the Trash. Restart your Mac.

Desktop icons disappear (and don't return) if switch halfway to a new desktop.

If I only swipe halfway to a new desktop (using the trackpad) and then let go to return to the original, my desktop icons disappear. To get them back i have to either killall finder, or switch to another desktop then switch back.

Desktop - Icons Disappeared, Can't Right-Click

Hello,
I installed Leopard about a week ago (installed right over; not fresh install) onto my MacBook Pro, and everything was working fine until yesterday: all the icons on my Desktop (Macintosh HD, various folders and documents) disappeared, and I can't right-click/control-click the Desktop. I can still access the Macintosh HD and other files and folders through Finder, I just can't seem to get them to show up on the Desktop anymore. I'm fairly new to Macs in general, so I don't know if this is a feature that I accidently turned on or is this a bug or..?
Any ideas? Has this happened to anyone else?
Regards,
Derek

I ran into the same thing, did an upgrade on my MBP, a week later my desktop icons disappeared. I ended up downloading the trial version of Cocktail (http://www.maintain.se/cocktail/index.php). Under Ineterface-->Finder-->"Hide the desktop" was checked. I must have accidentally done this but did not know how to undo it. Hope this helps.

Desktop icons disappear. won't stay where i drop them, and disappear if i try to put them in a folder.

Recently noticed several icons on my desktop had disappeared.... found them in applications and documents folder, but they should be living on my desktop and I didn't move them. This keeps happening... I wake up my computer, quite randomly it seems, a file will have disappeared.
At the same time I noticed several files on my desktop had moved themselves all the way to the top of the screen, just the very bottom lip of the file names were visible. Clean Up had no effect on these files.
On top of that, no icon will stay where I drop it. I can pick up and drag the icon, but as soon as I drop it, it flies to some random spot on the screen.
Finally, i can move a desktop file inside any folder. if I try it the file just disappears.
I'm assuming all these problems are related and I'm hoping someone has a suggestion of what I can do to correct it. thanks.

Click on the desktop and check Finder > View > Show view options.
Sort by.. snap to grid will have the files flying around..
Disappearing files in folders no idea except I have always been advised not too have too many items in the desktop folder.. (The desktop is actually a folder, see finder)

Cannot drag and drop, desktop icons disappear!

When I try to drag any desktop icon, all of the icons disappear. Here's the crash report:
Path: /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder
Version: 10.3.3 (10.3.3)
PID: 346
Thread: Unknown
Link (dyld) error:
dyld: /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder Undefined symbols:
/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder undefined reference to _AddDragKtemFlavor expected to be defined in Carbon
I used disk utility to repair permissions, did fsck -fy twice, to no avail. Any other suggestions?
Thanks!

Heather,
You said: I have a sinking feeling that I'm headed for a full reinstall.
In my opinion, it is still to early to consider that option.
Before you attempt anything else, make sure that you have a proper backup.
Then I would advise you to start in the "Safe Mode" and see if your problem persists. Let us know what happens.
If you have no success with the Safe Mode, and decide upon reinstallation, an "Archive and Install" followed by the reinstallation of the Mac OS X 10.3.9 Update (Combo) would be my recommendation.
;~)

Desktop icons disappearing frequently

Just got a new MBP with Yosemite a few weeks ago and there have been a few glitches.
First one is that my desktop icons keep disappearing and then reappearing. I can see the folders/files when I open Finder, but not on desktop. How do I fix this??
Second is that Adobe Reader XI keeps crashing - this wasn't happening with my old Macbook, only with this one. And I tried uninstalling and reinstalling AR but it's still happening.
ANy ideas?

Apple>About This Mac>More Info>Service
Please read the warranty paperwork that came w/your computer.
You have 14 days to return the computer w/no questions asked.
You have 90 days of FREE phone tech support on top of your standard 1 year warranty unless you also purchased AppleCare which gives you an additional 2 years of coverage plus FREE phone support.
Strongly suggest that you take FULL advantage of the above before it runs out. Let Apple deal w/the problems.

Desktop icons disappear

I've recently noticed that my desktop icons keep disappearing and reapearing intermittently. I realized it was happening when I was listening to an audio file on an external firewire drive. It seems to specifically be the external drives (one firewire and one USB backup) that keep blinking in and out on the screen. I just noticed this, so I'm not sure how long it's been going on or if adding Maverick has anything to do with it. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have also seen the few desktop icons that I have briefly flash several times, but haven't been able to nail down exactly what is causing it.
I run iTunes in the Mini Player all day long and at first I though that it was happening when iTunes changed tracks or albums.
Then I got to thinking about it and started poking around Notifications. I don't use Notifications, but I did notice that both iTunes and Safari were set to Alerts instead of None.
So on that note, I changed them both to None and I'm waiting to see if that was causing my desktop icons to flash...

Desktop icons disappear when disconnecting LED display

My problem started when I installed snow leopard....now every time i disconnect my laptop from the LED display the icons disappear from the desktop and i have to relaunch finder from the force quit menu. The same happens when i connect my laptop back to the display.
Also the widgets appear out of place and some of them off screen on the laptop
Any advice?
Thanks

I had a similar problem when I used my 20 inch monitor, while my 24 was being fixed. When you disconnect it seems to remember where things are in the wrong size, or aspect. Restarting or force quitting applications doesn't help either. You would have to remember to transfer everything over to the MBP display and resize before disconnecting. But some apps that you haven;t run recently would still mess up still mess up.
The way I worked it out was to put the display icon in the menu bar. If things were "off Screen" I would go to the display icon and change the aspect/size. That forces the monitor currently connected to reset, then you can set it back to the resolution you want. I think you only have to do that once, not for every application.
Hope that works for you!
Steve

Desktop suddenly darkens and menu bar and desktop icons disappear

Hi guys,
Some times (not very often) suddenly the desktop darkens, and the menu bar and the disktop icons disappear, while the dock remains. I have to click in order to return!
What causes this thing?
P.S. Before awhile, that this happened again, I looked at the console and saw these two events:
1)**** [IOBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport][SuspendDevice] -- Suspend -- suspendDeviceCallResult = 0x0000 (kIOReturnSuccess) -- 0x3000 ****
2)setPresentationOptions called with NSApplicationPresentationFullScreen when there is no visible fullscreen window; this call will be ignored.
But I cannot specify the exact time it happened, in order to see if any of those two messages are related.

Thank you Niel!! Re the problem with the display being too big to fit the screen. I had exactly the same problem as geraintfromswansea and was completely stymied. Never even thought of Universal Access being at fault. Must have hit the keyboard command somehow to turn on magnification. Fixed now thanks to you.
Rod

Menu bar/desktop icons disappeared?

helloooo,
2 days ago the menu bar at the top of my screen disappeared, along with the the icons i had on my desktop [although my wallpaper is still there]
my safari, ichat, and itunes work
but i cant open finder, iphoto, or the trash applications from my dock.
when i have safari/a program open the menu comes back, but once i quit it disappears again.
i've tried to restart it a few times, but it it wont show up
whats going on!??

intriKate wrote:
didnt work
i'm gonna cry!
i tried logging out, and restarting my computer. still not there.
Try this:
mv ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.SystemUIServer.plist ~/Desktop;killall SystemUIServer
If that doesn't work right away, logging out and in should make it take effect.
If not, create a new user account and see if the problem happens there as well.
Good luck!
Message was edited by: joshz
Message was edited by: joshz

Desktop icons disappeared

hey,
for some reason leopard doesnt show the files in the desktop folder on the desktop..
for instane if i take a screenshot it would normally placed on the desktop and it is in the folder but not on the desktop as an icon ..
is this a setting ??

Hello,
Click a clear space on your desktop. From the Menu Bar, select Finder/Preferences. Select all the boxes. Also, from the Menu Bar again in the Finder, select View/Show View Options. You can set the Desktop as you like that way.
User Grab for screen shots.
Taking a picture of part of your screen
If you don’t need a picture of your entire screen, you can capture just part of the screen using Grab.
To take a picture of part of your screen:
Open Grab, located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.
Open Grab
Choose Capture > Selection.
Move the pointer to a corner of the area you want to capture.
Drag the pointer across the area and release the mouse button.
Grab captures the part you selected within a few seconds. A new window appears with the image of the selected area.
Carolyn

Help! Desktop icons gone, no right click ... and Nautilus crashes!

I have a fully upgraded Gnome-based system, and all of a sudden my desktop icons disappeared, clicking on the desktop does nothing, and every time I use Nautilus it crashes with the error (from bug report):
Distribution: Unknown
Gnome Release: 2.24.3 2009-01-20 (Archlinux)
BugBuddy Version: 2.24.2
System: Linux 2.6.28-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Sun Jan 18 20:17:17 UTC 2009 i686
X Vendor: The X.Org Foundation
X Vendor Release: 10503000
Selinux: No
Accessibility: Disabled
GTK+ Theme: Glider
Icon Theme: Foxtrot
Memory status: size: 0 vsize: 0 resident: 0 share: 0 rss: 0 rss_rlim: 0
CPU usage: start_time: 0 rtime: 0 utime: 0 stime: 0 cutime:0 cstime: 0 timeout: 0 it_real_value: 0 frequency: 0
----------- .xsession-errors (6 sec old) ---------------------
seahorse nautilus module initialized
** (nautilus:9421): WARNING **: Unable to add monitor: Not supported
** (nautilus:9421): WARNING **: Unable to add monitor: Not supported
--- Hash table keys for warning below:
--> file:///home/user
--> file:///home
(nautilus:9421): Eel-WARNING **: "nautilus-metafile.c: metafiles" hash table still has 2 elements at quit time (keys above)
(nautilus:9421): Eel-WARNING **: "nautilus-directory.c: directories" hash table still has 2 elements at quit time
seahorse nautilus module shutdown
Shutting down nautilus-open-terminal extension
It doesn't seem to be an options or configuration thing, maybe more like some sort of corruption? The Panels are fine. I have checked desktop and Nautilus options using Gconf and tried recreating ~/.gconf etc. The only suspicious occurrence was when, in the middle of a pacman -Syu, I was thrown back to the GDM login prompt. I just logged in again and did another pacman -Syu and everything seemed okay.
By the way, running Nautilus as root does show root's desktop okay, but Nautilus still crashes.
Any help would be most welcome for a very frustrating problem!
PS: Forgot to say that I'd tried reinstalling quite a few Gnome things and Nautilus, with no effect.
Also, the problem persists after restarting X, logon, reboot, power-off ...
Last edited by ninian (2009-01-21 09:35:05)

Uh-oh, seems like this problem could go wider than I thought. There's a fairly lengthy thread on the Ubuntu forums which smells the same, for example:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p= … stcount=42 =>
Re: Desktop icons disappear
Got it! I can get a crash with this:
Code:
mkdir ~/test
cp /usr/share/applications/compiz.desktop ~/test/
nautilus ~/test
I'm going to leave a comment in the bug.
And in fact, I was mucking around with .desktop files when I think my icons went AWOL.
Anyone else brave enough to risk losing their desktop to try this out?!

Desktop Icons Not Appearing

I recently update to 10.6, and have the 10.6.1 update as well. Every now and then, when I turn on my macbook, the desktop will be blank. Sometimes I have to restart and sometimes they will just pop up a few minutes later. I have the Macintosh HD icon and a few various excel icons. Any thoughts?

There seems to be a bug with Finder where some aspect of disconnecting a MBP from an external display will cause the desktop to crash. Symptoms include:
All desktop icons disappear but files on the desktop can still be accessed by browsing through Finder.
Desktop background image cycling (if enabled) does not occur.
You can bring up the desktop shortcut menu (i.e. by right clicking)
I've noticed people complaining of similar problems in the following forum topics:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10733288&#10733288
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10414480&#10414480
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10524664&#10524664
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10407191&#10407191
The workaround is to relaunch Finder using the "Force Quit" application, at which point the desktop works normally again. However I'd really like a proper fix to this bug. If anyone's heard about one, please post about it here.

Desktop icons question

Hi,
How can I get back the icon images from the files on my desktop.
On Maverick we had the pdf files with a preview of it, how can I get back that?
Thanks

I had this happen too. All my desktop icons disappeared. I have multiple desktops defined. I fixed it by deleting the additional desktops, creating new desktops and then deleting the original desktop. Now all icons appear normally.

Desktop icons disappear in Lion

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for