All desktop items were deleted after installing Sequoia.

This happened to me and it was related to using Parallels. The toolbox app updated 2 days after Sequoia launched and seems to keep turning on Presentation mode.

Uncheck these boxes.

Next, you may want to go to Parallels Toolbox preferences and uncheck "Open Parallels Toolbox when Mac Starts.

I am going to put a call into parallels about this issue. If this is what fixes your issue, you should probably call them too.

That was it. Parallels automatically hide the desktop files.

You can find them in your recent folder but even if selecting the file path, which it appears to be on desktop, they are not there.

As NDC.'s response you need to go on the "presentation mode" in parallel's tools option and click settings (right corner of the "presentation mode" and then uncheck "hide desktop files" - FOREVERRR

System Settings > click your Apple account > Saved to iCloud ... See All > iCloud Drive

then click On and check to see if the Desktop &Documents Folders are toggles to green (on).

Exact same for me. Didn't know that "Presentation Mode" in Parallels Toolbox hides all items on desktop, although it makes sense. Not sure this is a malfunction. Thank you for this! Saved me much grief.

Thank you ever so much! Had to switch toggle on Desktop & Documents in iCloud Drive to on (blue in my case), and everything is back!!

My dad has a similar (same?) issue. Nothing on the desktop. Since I am far away it is impossible for me to figure what is happening. I tried the Messages sharing the screen but I can’t get that to work (greyed out view). Maybe it is something to do with the iCloud Documents and Desktop setting but I no longer seem to have access to see this. Still trying to see if I can fix this or take the whole iMac to the Apple Store?

I noticed this started happening a few days ago. I thought I had accidentally selected all the files on the desktop and put them in the trash. They weren't.

If I went to the iCloud.com site, I noticed that the Desktop files were still there in the Desktop folder on iCloud Drive. When I copy them to the "Desktop", it says they already exist and want to know if I should skip, replace or stop.

So I replace them. They site there on the desktop and then sometime later, those icons are gone. I've repeated this several times and it happens every time.

One thing I also had happen was that I got some notice about my Computer network name already existing and so the system created a new name with a (2) after it.

Very odd those thing happened and I didn't change any settings.

I want to do a OS reinstall but I'd rather try to fix it before going that far.

This is definitely a bug in macOS 15 Sequoia, I believe. It has happened to me twice now. Fortunately I do not often edit my Desktop, so have been able to restore my Desktop from Time Machine. It’s frustrating, however, to have the restore dialogue box state that the original files exist, when they clearly do not. `Replace` is the best option, however; `Keep Both` adds `(from backup)` to every file name and you cannot rename the old file/folder to remove the `(from backup)` because, according to Finder the old files still exist. Time to submit some feedback / file a bug report ...

That's what caused the "theft" or "confiscation" of my Documents and Desktop items to iCloud. I don't want that feature active and there appears to be no clear way to stop it once started.

What does "keep downloaded" mean in the context of iCloud after it has taken your Documents? I want them on my Macbook Pro and not on iCloud.

Yup, exact same here. Freak me out as I've never experienced anything like that just from an update. I think it was basically a 'security' policy,Mmmmm To ensure that people backed up there desktop in the icloud which I dont usually do. Either way it should be a choice AFTER the update is installed. I found everything originally on the desktop in folder anyway but it had me nervous for 15mins,,,,,,, (work files etc)

Have you tried to enable iCloud Drive's Desktop & Documents option?