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

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.

Fix: Word .docx and .doc files show Up with White Icon

Follow these steps to fix the icons for Word document file types .docx and .doc:

Step 1: Re-associate .docx and .doc files with Word

1. Open admin command Prompt and then run the following commands one by one:

   assoc  .docx=Word.Document.12
   
   assoc  .doc=Word.Document.8

2. Exit the Command Prompt window.
3. Right-click on a .docx file and click Properties
4. Click the Change button
5. Select Word from the list and click OK.
   
6. Repeat the same for .doc files if the .doc icons are showing as a plain white rectangle.
7. Log off and log back in if the icons are not refreshed.

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Step 2: Fix the Word documents icon in the registry

1. Start the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
2. Go to the following key:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.12\DefaultIcon

3. Double-click (default) and its value data to the following:

   For Word 2016 regular (.msi) installations:
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\wordicon.exe,13
   
   For Word 2016 CTR Setup (Office 365)
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\VFS\Windows\Installer\{90160000-000F-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}\wordicon.exe,13

   

4. Repeat the same for the .doc file type branch here:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.8\DefaultIcon

   The icon path for .doc files is below:

   For Word 2016 regular (.msi) installations:
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\wordicon.exe,1
   
   For Word 2016 CTR Setup (Office 365)
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\VFS\Windows\Installer\{90160000-000F-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}\wordicon.exe,1

   For Excel, use the following registry paths and icons for .xlsx and .xls file types, respectively, for Office 365 installations:

   File type: .xlsx
   Registry Key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Sheet.12\DefaultIcon
   Icon Path (MSI): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\XLICONS.EXE,1
   Icon Path (O365): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\VFS\Windows\Installer\{90160000-000F-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}\xlicons.exe,1
   
   File type: .xls
   Registry Key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Sheet.8\DefaultIcon
   Icon Path (MSI): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\XLICONS.EXE,28
   Icon Path (O365): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\VFS\Windows\Installer\{90160000-000F-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}\xlicons.exe,28

   For PowerPoint, use the following registry paths and icons for .pptx and .ppt file types, respectively:

   File type: .pptx
   Registry key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPoint.Show.12\DefaultIcon
   Icon Path (MSI): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\pptico.exe,10
   Icon Path (O365): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\VFS\Windows\Installer\{90160000-000F-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}\pptico.exe,10
   
   File type: .ppt
   Registry key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPoint.Show.8\DefaultIcon
   Icon Path (MSI): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\pptico.exe,17
   Icon Path (O365): C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\VFS\Windows\Installer\{90160000-000F-0000-1000-0000000FF1CE}\pptico.exe,17

   If you’ve installed Office 2016 (32-bit) on a computer running 64-bit windows, replace the path C:\Program Files with C:\Program Files (x86)

5. Exit the Registry Editor.
6. Refresh the icons manually using the procedure listed in this article.

Note that the icon paths used for Office .msi installation are also valid for Office 365.

Registry file for the above

Here is the .reg implementation for the above:

;Fix Word document icons showing incorrect or as blank rectangle
;The icon paths are valid for both .msi and CTR installations (Office 365)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.docx]
@="Word.Document.12"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.12\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Office\\Root\\Office16\\wordicon.exe,13"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.doc]
@="Word.Document.8"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.8\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Office\\Root\\Office16\\wordicon.exe,1"

See how to create and apply the .reg file on your system.

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Step 3: Repair Office via Apps & Features

1. Right-click Start, and click Apps & Features
2. Select Microsoft Office entry from the list, and click Modify
   
3. For Office .msi installations, select Repair. For Office Click-to-run installations, select Quick Repair and then click Repair. Quick Repair is faster, and it takes approximately 3-5 minutes to repair the Office settings, corrupt files, and other registry settings automatically.
   For more information, see the Microsoft Office article Repair an Office application

That should fix the Office/Word icons for standalone Office installations and Office 365 installations.