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You're welcome, Shirley,

From the Finder, are you able to see the Desktop if you choose Go > Desktop from the menu bar? Are there any files listed within this folder?

What happens if you create a new user account on your Mac then sign in on that account? Are you able to see anything on the desktop in the new account?

If you need help to create a new user account, you can follow the steps outlined here to create an administrator account: Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

"Add a user

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click Users & Groups in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
2. Click the Add Account button below the list of users on the right (you may be asked to enter your password.)
3. Click the New Account pop-up menu, then choose a type of user.

• Administrator: An administrator can add and manage other users, install apps, and change settings. The new user you create when you first set up your Mac is an administrator. Your Mac can have multiple administrators. You can create new ones, and convert standard users to administrators. Don’t set up automatic login for an administrator. If you do, someone could simply restart your Mac and gain access with administrator privileges. To keep your Mac secure, don’t share administrator names and passwords.
• Standard: Standard users are set up by an administrator. Standard users can install apps and change their own settings, but can’t add other users or change other users’ settings.
• Sharing Only: Sharing-only users can access shared files remotely, but can’t log in to the computer or change settings. To give the user permission to access your shared files or screen, you may need to change options in File Sharing, Screen Sharing, or Remote Management settings. See Set up file sharing and Share the screen of another Mac.

For more information about the options for each type of user, click the Help button in the lower-left corner of the dialog.

4. Enter a full name for the new user. An account name is generated automatically. To use a different account name, enter it now—you can’t change it later.

5. Enter a password for the user, then enter it again to verify. Enter a password hint to help the user remember their password.

6. Click Create User.

7. Depending on the type of user you create, you can also do any of the following:

• For an administrator, select “Allow user to administer this computer.”
• Select “Allow user to reset password using Apple ID.” To use this option, the user must have set up iCloud on this Mac. However, this option isn’t available if is FileVault is turned on and set to allow the user to reset their password at startup using their Apple ID.
• Use Sharing settings to specify whether the user can share your files and share your screen.
• For information about Apple’s privacy policy, see the Apple Privacy Policy website.
  • If your Mac or Magic Keyboard has Touch ID, a new user can add a fingerprint after logging in to the Mac."

We look forward to your reply.

Kind regards.

Hi ShirleyfromDover,

If you are having trouble loading the desktop of your iMac, here are some resources you can try:

1. If you have a blank screen, blue screen, or question mark, see If your Mac doesn’t start up as expected
2. If it seems like it is loading but slowly, follow If your Mac runs slowly
3. Restart your Mac Shut down or restart your Mac
4. Test in safe mode as it can help you determine whether issues you’re experiencing are caused by software that loads as your Mac starts up. How to use safe mode on your Mac

• As it also " It also does a basic check of your startup disk, similar to using First Aid in Disk Utility. And it deletes some system caches, including font caches and the kernel cache, which are automatically created again as needed." if it doesn't happen when in safe mode, restart your Mac and test again.

Take care.

Hey ShirleyfromDover,

"NVRAM (or PRAM) is a small amount of memory that your Mac uses to store and quickly access certain system settings such as sound volume, display resolution, startup-disk selection, and time zone."

Since you're experiencing an issue with the Desktop loading after the Mac boots up, resetting NVRAM may help. This process doesn't delete any files/data on the device. To reset NVRAM on an Intel-based Mac, follow the steps below.

1. Shut down your Mac.

2. Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, R.

3. Release the keys after about 20 seconds, during which your Mac might appear to restart. For example, you might hear a startup sound more than once, or see the Apple logo more than once.

4. When your Mac finishes starting up, you might need to adjust any system settings that were reset.

If you have a Mac with Apple silicon, resetting NVRAM doesn't apply. To see the steps above and read more about NVRAM, click here: Reset NVRAM on your Mac .

Hope this helps. Take care.