Have you ever noticed a strange empty window on the Windows taskbar labeled “DesktopWindowXamlSource”? If so, this may leave you wondering what it is and how to remove it. This window mysteriously appears on the taskbar and causes confusion.
The thing isn’t malicious and it won’t slow down your computer, but it messes up your screen. So, let’s see what DesktopWindowXamlSource is and how to safely remove it from the taskbar.
What is empty DesktopWindowXamlSource window?
DesktopWindowXamlSource is essentially a UWP component that allows developers to host XAML content inside traditional Win32 desktop apps. If you see this empty window on your taskbar, it indicates that there was an error initializing or rendering the XAML content. Clicking on the window will open a blank virtual window, and closing it will end the OneDrive app.
The most common cause of the DesktopWindowXamlSource appearing on the taskbar is when a user installs or runs an application that uses the DesktopWindowXamlSource. When this happens, the DesktopWindowXamlSource will appear as a separate window on the taskbar.
DesktopWindowXamlSource can also appear if certain Windows services and processes are malfunctioning or if some third-party programs are actively running.
1. Update or reset OneDrive
If you have the OneDrive app installed on your computer, the empty window is caused by a OneDrive issue. To fix this, try updating OneDrive to the latest version and see if it resolves the issue. Here is how to do it:
- Go to the Microsoft store. To do this, click Start and search for Microsoft Store.
- In the Microsoft Store left sidebar, click the Library icon.
- Click on the get updates button below Updates and downloads. Microsoft Store will check for updates for all installed apps, including OneDrive.
- If there’s an update available for OneDrive, you’ll find it in the Updates section.
- Click on Update all to start the update process.
If you’ve already updated OneDrive and the DesktopWindowXamlSource window still appears, you can try resetting OneDrive. To do this, proceed as follows:
This will reset the OneDrive app. The oneDrive icon will disappear from the taskbar and then reappear.
2. Uninstall and reinstall OneDrive
If resetting OneDrive doesn’t work, you can uninstall and reinstall the app to fix the problem. Here is how to do it:
- Right click on Begin and select installed applications.
- Scroll down and locate OneDrive in the app list.
- Click on the three dots and choose uninstall.
- Click uninstall again, then follow the instructions to remove the app completely.
After uninstalling, open the Microsoft Store and download the latest version of OneDrive.
3. Multitasking settings
If you continue to have problems with the DesktopWindowXamlSource on your computer, try configuring the Multitasking menu. Here is how to do it:
- press the win + me keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
- From the left side, select System > Multitasking.
- Expand desks in the right pane.
- Next to On the taskbar, show all open windowsselect Only on the desktop I’m using.
After making the changes, close the Settings window and check if the issue is resolved.
ps Make some generic fixes
There are also some generic fixes you can try to fix DesktopWindowXamlSource issues. This includes running the SFC command to check for missing or corrupted files and the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool to repair any corrupted system images. You can also try uninstalling the recent Windows update and see if it helps.
If all of the above solutions fail, you can use System Restore to undo any changes to your system and repair any missing or corrupted files.
Get rid of empty window from DesktopWindowXamlSource
DesktopWindowXamlSource issues can occur due to OneDrive or certain Windows services and processes. But with the fixes we listed above, we hope you’ve gotten rid of that ghost window and restored everything to normal.
