Change icons for files and folders in Windows to make them really stand out.
Windows automatically assigns a default icon to every item. The problem is that similar items all look the same.
For example, all the folders look identical because they share the same folder icon. The same is true for files.
If you have a particular folder that you use regularly, it’s a good idea to give it a custom icon to make it stand out from the crown.
How To Change A Folder Icon In Windows.
Windows is supplied with a 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.
Folder Properties.
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.
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.
You can easily change a folder icon because they aren’t associated with any particular program or app. They’re simply containers for files. Any type of file. How To Create, Name, Rename And Delete Folders
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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