Change icons for files and folders in Windows to make them really stand out from the crowd. Windows automatically assigns a default icon to every file/folder. The problem is that they all look the same.
However both Windows 10 and Windows 11 allow the use of custom icons. So why not make use of it.
How To Change A Folder Icon In Windows.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 have a built in set of icons that you can use to change the icon for a folder.
To change the default icon, right click on the folder and then left click Properties on the menu.
Customise Folder Icon
The Folder Properties window will open. Click the Customise tab.
At the bottom of the Customise tab, you’ll see the Folder Icons section. It shows the current icon being used for that folder.
Click the Change Icon button.
Select An Icon To Use.
Scroll through the list of inbuilt icons until you find one that you like. Select it and then click the OK button.
Close the Properties window and the folder should display with the new icon. If it doesn’t, you might need to restart your computer.
Download Custom Folder Icons
Although the built in Windows icons quick and easy to use, they’re a little limited. They’ve been around for many years and are exactly the same in all versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
However there are many websites that offer free ready made folder icon downloads. These are images specifically designed as icons and you’re sure to find something that’ll fit the bill on your PC.
Icon Archive is one such site, but there are many more and they all work similarly.
Click the link https://www.iconarchive.com/
- Once you’re on the website, type a keyword into the search box that reflects the type of folder icon that you’re looking for.
- Scroll through the list of icons and left click on the one you like best.
- On the next page, click the All Download Formats link.
- Finally click the Download ICO button.
Windows folder icons have to be in the ICO format otherwise Windows just won’t recognise them.
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To Use A Custom Folder Icon
To change a folder icon to a downloaded custom icon is much the same as using the Windows built in icons.
Right click on a folder and select Properties > Customise tab > Change Icon button. That’ll open the Windows icons popup.
- Click the Browse button
- Navigate to the icon that you just downloaded and select it.
- Click OK and close the Properties window.
- Your new custom icon should display. If it doesn’t, restart your PC.
How To Change A File Icon In Windows.
Changing the icon for an individual file is a little more involved, but you can still do it, sort of.
If you open the Properties window for a file (by right clicking on it and then clicking on Properties).
You’ll find that there isn’t a Customise tab. And there isn’t a Change Icon button anywhere.
File Associations.
The issue is that files are associated with either the program or app that was used to create them, or the default program that’s used to open them.
As such they have the default icon for that program or app. And that can only be changed in the Windows registry.
Create A Shortcut.
Ok, so how can you change a file icon? The answer is to create a shortcut for that file.
Shortcuts, just like folders, are general purpose and as such, you can change their icons.
Right click on the file that you want to change the icon for. On the options menu, left click Create Shortcut.
If you’re using Windows 11, you might need to click Show More Options to open the full options menu How To Restore The Old Right Click Menu To Windows 11.
Change The Icon For The Shortcut.
Now that you have a shortcut for your file, you can easily change its icon.
Right click on the shortcut, then left click Properties. On the Properties window, click the Customise tab.
Then click the Change Icon button and select the one you want to use.
Cut And Paste The File Out Of The Way.
After changing the icon for the shortcut to the file, what you’ll have is both the original file and the shortcut.
That’s probably going to get a little confusing.
The easiest way around this is to cut and paste the original file to a different folder.
The shortcut will still work just fine, as long as the file remains on the same drive.
Summary.
Using a different icon for your important files and folders can really help you to spot them quickly and easily in crowded folders.
On a crowded desktop it really does help to spot the files and folders that you use the most. But don’t over do it. Just a few is enough.
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