How do I restore the desktop tile?

Solution 1:

1. From the Start screen Win+D will take you to Desktop.

2. To get its tile back on Start you can do the following:

   1. Whilst on the Start screen type Desktop. The screen will change and two items will appear.

   2. Right click on Desktop, do not click on Remote Desktop; at the bottom of the screen, a bar appears where you can select Pin to Start, thus putting its tile (back) on the Start Screen.

— Source

Solution 2:

From the Start Screen, type Desktop and you'll find it again.
You can right-click it in the search results and click Pin to Start to bring it back permanently.

Solution 3:

In certain circumstances, the Desktop tile can disappear without being removed by the user. The other solutions to this question do not work, as the Desktop entry disappears completely from both search and the All Apps screens.

A further symptom of this scenario is that the Store tile will also disappear.

This is due to a corrupted or replaced system file. In this case:

• open a Command Prompt as an Administrator:
  • press Windows
  • type cmd
  • press Control+Enterto launch as an Administrator
  • if prompted, select Yes to confirm running as an Adminsitrator
• type sfc /scannow and press Enter

SFC will then scan your system files and replace the problem file. The Desktop and Store tiles should then become available.

Sidenote:

If it fails to replace the files, you may have to perform the scan at next boot by using sfc /scanboot then rebooting the machine. Once completed use sfc /revert to return the tool to normal operation, or it'll scan on every future reboot.