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.Docx/Doc Files Not Showing Word Icon but Only White Plain Icon

Last Updated on: January 24, 2026 by Ramesh

Many users have reported that the Word icons are not showing up for .docx and .doc files on their systems. Instead, they show up with a generic (unknown) or plain white icon even though the files open in Word when double-clicked (i.e., the file association settings are intact.)

Cause

Blank or missing Word icons on .doc and .docx files may occur due to multiple reasons, such as deleting the Office installer folder (which contains the Office icons) or installing multiple versions of Office on a computer. This may have been caused if you install and later uninstall a Microsoft Office alternative software (e.g., Open Office, WPS Office, etc.)

An incorrect Programmatic Identifier (e.g., docx_auto_file) or wrong file association settings in the Windows registry for Word documents can also cause this issue. Last but not least, a corrupt icon cache can also trigger the problem.

This article tells you how to fix the icons for Word document file types .docx and .doc using different ways.Read more

What is the System Reserved Partition in Disk Management Console

Last Updated on: March 25, 2026 by Ramesh

You may have seen a volume named System Reserved when you open the Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) console and wondering what the partition is. This article explains what the System Reserved partition is and whether you can delete it.Read more

Insert Date/Time in Any Program Using Keyboard Hotkey

Last Updated on: August 2, 2023 by Ramesh

When you’re writing content such as technical content, news articles, etc., you may sometimes want to insert the current date or timestamp in a program or editor you’re using. In Notepad, you can add the timestamp by pressing the F5 key.

Microsoft Office Word, OneNote allows the Alt + Shift + D and Alt + Shift + T hotkey combinations to insert the current date and current time respectively.

Similarly, WordPad has the Date and time toolbar button that lets you insert the date or timestamp in your preferred format from the list of 13 choices.

But, if you’re using a program which doesn’t have a built-in feature to insert current date and time, you may need a third-party macro or automation tool for that purpose. With automation tools, you also have the advantage of using a single hotkey combination to insert the date or timestamp in any program.Read more

Fix: Word could not create the work file when Opening Word Documents

Last Updated on: March 25, 2026 by Ramesh

When you try to open or save a document in Microsoft Word, you receive the following error message:

Word could not create the work file. Check the Temp environment variable.

How to Remove Easy Clean Mode in CCleaner

Last Updated on: July 31, 2023 by Ramesh

CCleaner 5.57 introduced a cleaning mode named Easy Clean to make the interface simpler and easy to understand for users who are not tech-savvy.

Easy Clean provides a simpler, more intuitive interface and uses everyday language to explain the types of files that can be cleaned. Files are now categorized as either ‘Trackers’ or Junk’ and when a user wishes to customize their clean, the purposes of each file type is explained (for example, Temporary Internet Files are described as ‘Files left behind when you visit websites’).Read more

Disable Folder Thumbnails without Disabling Thumbnail Preview for Files

Last Updated on: October 3, 2022 by Ramesh

When a folder contains one or more images in it, the contents of the folder are shown as the thumbnail image for that folder.

Windows allows you to enable or disable thumbnail previews in File Explorer using the Always show icons, never thumbnails setting in the Folder Options dialog. When you turn off thumbnail previews, icons are shown instead of thumbnails — for both files and folders. The Folder Options dialog doesn’t have an option to disable thumbnail preview selectively for folders or for files only.Read more

Clear all notifications in Action Center using Keyboard or Shortcut

Last Updated on: August 8, 2023 by Ramesh

The Action Center in Windows 10 is a slide-out pane where all system notifications are displayed and it has quick action buttons to various Windows settings. Any notification shown on your taskbar will be added to the Action Center. The unread (new) notifications count is also displayed on the Action Center notification area icon.

The Action Center may accumulate too many messages over time. To clear them simply click on the Clear all notifications link at the bottom of the Action Center slide-out pane. This article tells you how to clear specific notifications using a shortcut.Read more

[Fix] Slow Right Click and Crashes Caused by Shell Extensions

Last Updated on: July 31, 2023 by Ramesh

When you right-click on a file or folder on some computers, the context menu may take many seconds to appear. This article tells you how to fix the slow right-click issues and other context menu handler shell extension problems in Windows. Here are some of the symptoms you may be facing.Read more

How to Merge Multiple PDF Files into One

Last Updated on: July 31, 2023 by Ramesh

From a PDF file, you can split or extract individual pages to separate PDF files natively using the Microsoft Print to PDF printer. But, to combine multiple PDF files into a single PDF, there is no built-in solution. This article explains how to merge two or more PDF files into one using third-party software.Read more

How to Find and Delete Duplicate Files in Windows

Last Updated on: July 31, 2023 by Ramesh

find and delete duplicate files in windows - ccleaner

Over time, you may accumulate duplicate files or imported photos on your hard disk due to mismanagement or accidental copying to another location. In some situations, the duplicate files or photos may have completely different names than the original. How do you find duplicate files or photos on your hard disk and remove them to free up the disk space?Read more