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Is there a way to refresh the desktop?

I'm running Mojave 10.14.6 on a 2012 iMac and my desktop screen is corrupted with icons showing as sheared or partly duplicated. The background wallpaper is not affected, the dock is not affected but the icons are messed up. If I click on an icon, they briefly all redraw correctly, and then revert to the corrupted appearance. How can I force a redraw without a complete reboot?

iMac 27", macOS 10.14

Posted on Nov 13, 2019 8:46 AM

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Posted on Nov 13, 2019 12:56 PM

Ok, I managed to force a refresh of the desktop by using 'Clean Up By Name' (just 'Clean Up' didn't make any difference) and the problem seems to have gone away. Regarding gaetonotuf's question, this particular machine is not using iCloud backup for desktop/documents (though it shares a common Photos repository with other machines).


Just to clarify, this is a screenshot of the problem

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 13, 2019 12:56 PM in response to miramon

Ok, I managed to force a refresh of the desktop by using 'Clean Up By Name' (just 'Clean Up' didn't make any difference) and the problem seems to have gone away. Regarding gaetonotuf's question, this particular machine is not using iCloud backup for desktop/documents (though it shares a common Photos repository with other machines).


Just to clarify, this is a screenshot of the problem

Nov 13, 2019 9:11 AM in response to miramon

I am not sure of what is your issue, but can you confirm you are not using iCloud Drive Sync for Desktop and Documents?


Have you tried to reboot in Safe Mode?


Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206985


Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262


If this doesn't help I suggest to contact Apple Phone Support in order to investigate and isolate the issue.

Is there a way to refresh the desktop?

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