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June 21, 2011
Can't find your Google Earth icon?
This is a problem we've seen happening more and more often lately, so we thought we'd address it here. I'm not sure if the bug has become more widespread, or if Google Earth is simply reaching an increasingly wider audience.
In some configurations of Windows, the Google Earth icon will disappear from your system after you install a Google Earth software update. In many cases, the icon won't come back even after you reinstall, presumably because the software already thinks that it's there.
Fortunately, there are a few easy solutions.
A - Automatically restore the icon
Google has created a simple program called the Google Earth Icon Restorer that should take care of it for you with a few simple steps:
1 - Download the Google Earth Icon Restorer application.
2 - The application name "geicons.exe" will appear in your download bar. Select Save.
3 - Run the application by selecting Open, or double clicking "geicons.exe"
4 - Look at your desktop and find the newly created shortcut icon for Google Earth
5 - Delete the application by selecting "geicons.exe" in your download bar > [Open in Folder] > [Delete]
B - Manually restore the icon
If the automatically restore solution didn't work for you, or you'd rather simply do it yourself, you can follow the instructions for your system below.
Windows XP and Vista:
- Go to "C:\Program Files\Google\Google Earth\client" and find googleearth.exe
- Right click on googleearth.exe and choose "create shortcut"
- Move a copy of that shortcut to your desktop and a copy to "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Google Earth" folder
Windows 7:
- Go to "C:\Program Files\Google\Google Earth\client" and find googleearth.exe
- Right click on googleearth.exe and choose "create shortcut"
- Move a copy of that shortcut to your desktop and a copy to "C:\ProgramData\Start Menu\Programs\Google Earth" folder
64 bit versions of Windows:
- Go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Google Earth\client\" and find googleearth.exe
- Right click on googleearth.exe and choose "create shortcut"
- Move a copy of that shortcut to your desktop and a copy to "C:\ProgramData\Start Menu\Programs\Google Earth" folder
Other installation issues
If you're having other problems getting Google Earth installed, this support article gives some great tips to help get things cleaned up.
If you still are having issues after all of that, please leave a comment below and we'll try our best to help you out.
Posted by mickmel at June 21, 2011 7:20 AM
Comments
Posted by: Nils at June 21, 2011 2:32 PM
Maybe don't use Google Updater but the full installer?
So you have a clean installation and Google Updater doesn't mess around with files (and the performance win if when it is not anymore in the autostart).
Posted by: Gerd at June 22, 2011 1:54 PM
This just happened to me. Even weirder, it disappeared from my start menu, and searching "earth" doesnt find it. It IS there when I go through C>program files.
Im on vista.
Posted by: JJJ at June 23, 2011 3:05 AM
The opposite actually happened to me. I looked at my desktop one day and I had 2 Google Earth icons. I don't know how this happened but I was like ?????
Posted by: Donovan at June 24, 2011 2:00 AM
Any address is retrieved from the Google Earth Map.
It shows image also
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Narayan
Posted by: Classified at July 4, 2011 7:55 AM
This was very very helpful, thank you!
Posted by: Boggs at August 9, 2011 8:59 PM
It solved it!! Thxs for your work!!! xP
Posted by: Zorb at April 3, 2012 9:40 PM
Post a comment:
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Happen to me several times! I thought I was the only one.
Google should fix this!