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Why do Windows 11 desktop icons flash white after the Microsoft Edge 145.0.3800.58 update?
What’s happening with Edge 145.0.3800.58
Microsoft Edge 145.0.3800.58 was released on February 14, 2026, and it includes security fixes for critical issues.
Reports around this build point to two patched vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-2441 (a high-severity “use after free” in CSS) and CVE-2026-0102 (a condition that may trigger autofill after two taps).
One of those issues (CVE-2026-2441) is described as exploited in the wild, which raises the priority of updating even if the build has annoyances.
The symptoms users are reporting (Windows 11 and Windows 10)
On Windows 11, some users report that after Edge updates to 145.0.3800.58, desktop icons briefly turn white and then redraw, often right after starting Edge or after Edge was previously closed.
The report describes this affecting essentially all desktop shortcuts and files, regardless of whether Edge is launched directly or used to open items like PDFs, images, or HTML files.
On Windows 10, a related thread describes slow closing (seconds), repeated “restore pages” prompts on launch, and settings that revert (including extensions being removed and then sometimes returning later).
Practical workarounds that have helped
In Edge, go to Settings → System and performance → System, then turn off Startup boost and the option to keep background extensions/apps running after Edge closes; users reporting this issue also recommend turning off hardware acceleration.
If icons still flash, try disabling only hardware acceleration first, since that is a common trigger for redraw behavior in Edge.
A newer Edge build (145.0.3800.65) is mentioned in follow-up reports, but some people still reproduce the icon-flash behavior on that build, so treat it as “try and verify,” not a guaranteed fix.
What to capture before escalating (for faster diagnosis)
Write down: Edge version, Windows version (for example 23H2/24H2/25H2), GPU model/driver version, and whether the flash happens on launch, on close, or only after a reboot.
For Windows 10 profile resets, note whether Edge can persist changes after a sign-out/sign-in cycle and whether the behavior changes with a brand-new Edge profile, since reports suggest a profile-read/write problem.