How To Add Custom Icons To Windows 10

Personalizing your icons is a great way to make a PC uniquely yours. Let's take a look at the different ways Windows lets yous customize your icons.

RELATED: How to Make an Icon for Windows 10 or 11 Out of Any Image

Windows has some congenital-in icons you can cull from, but there is likewise an untold number of icons you tin download from sites similar IconArchive, DeviantArt, and Iconfinder—all of which have loads of costless icons. And if you tin can't find something you similar, you can even make high-resolution icons out of any image.

In one case you take the icons of your dreams, save them in a safety place—some of these processes will require they stay in a particular location on your PC. In other cases, you'll probably want them in that location just in case something goes wrong and y'all have to re-apply them.

Change Your Desktop Icons (Figurer, Recycle Bin, Network, and so On)

Icons like This PC, Network, Recycle Bin, and your User folder are all considered "desktop icons," even though modernistic versions of Windows don't evidence them all on the desktop. Windows 8 and ten don't evidence any of the desktop icons except for Recycle Bin, and fifty-fifty Windows vii doesn't evidence them all. For a complete rundown, check out our guide to restoring missing desktop icons in Windows 7, 8, or 10.

But you tin still change how these icons announced elsewhere on your arrangement. To do so, yous'll need to access the "Desktop Icon Settings" window to plow these icons on and off or to change the associated icons. In Windows 10, you can access this window through Settings > Personalization > Themes > Desktop Icon Settings. In Windows eight and x, it's Control Console > Personalize > Change Desktop Icons.

Employ the checkboxes in the "Desktop icons" section to select which icons you want on your desktop. To change an icon, select the icon you want to change and then click the "Change Icon" push.

In the "Change Icon" window, yous tin select any icon yous desire from the born Windows icons, or you tin can click "Browse" to locate your own icon files.

If you lot browse for your own icons, you lot can select whatever EXE, DLL, or ICO file. After selecting the file, the "Modify Icon" window will show the icons contained in the file you selected. Click the one you want and so click "OK." Here, we're changing the "This PC" icon to apply one that looks more like a laptop than a desktop.

After changing your icon, y'all should run across the new icon used in File Explorer, on the Desktop, and in the taskbar when the binder is open.

And if y'all want to reverse the change, you tin always go back to the "Desktop Icon Settings" window, select the icon y'all want to modify back, and and so click "Restore Default."

Change Folder Icons

Changing the icon for a folder is not only a good manner to pretty things up, merely too to phone call attention to important items. To modify a folder icon, right-click the binder you want to change and then choose "Backdrop."

select properties from a folder's context menu

In the folder's properties window, switch to the "Customize" tab and then click the "Change Icon" button.

In the "Modify Icon" window, y'all tin select any icon you desire from the congenital-in Windows icons, or you lot can Click "Browse" to locate your own icons.

If yous scan for your own icon file, you lot can select any EXE, DLL, or ICO file. Later selecting the file, the "Change Icon" window will show the icons contained in the file you selected. Click the one you want and then click "OK." Here, we're irresolute the icon for this folder to a red one to brand it stand out more than.

And back in the properties window, click "OK."

click OK to exit properties window

The folder should now show upwards with the new icon.

This feature works by creating a subconscious Desktop.ini file inside the folder that contains a few lines of data something like the following:

[.ShellClassInfo] IconResource=D:\Walter\Documents\Icons\Oxygen-Icons.org-Oxygen-Places-folder-cerise.ico,0 [ViewState] Mode= Vid= FolderType=Generic

This is one of the cases where you admittedly must keep the ICO file in whatever location y'all had it when you lot applied the icon. Put it somewhere you know you won't delete it first, or make the ICO file hidden.

And if you desire to fine-tune how folders look and operate on your PC, you should too explore how to customize folder views with Windows' v templates and how to customize folder view settings in Windows.

Change the Icon for a Type of File

You tin can also modify the icon for specific file types (those that end in certain extensions) so that all files of that type use the new icon. Why bother to do this? Suppose, for example, you apply an image editing program that uses essentially the same icon for all the dissimilar types of image files it supported—PNG, JPG, GIF, and then on. You might find it more convenient if each of those file types used a different icon, and so they were easier to distinguish—especially if you go along multiple file types in the aforementioned folder.

Unfortunately, there'south no built-in way to practise this in Windows. Instead, you'll need to download a free tool to exercise the chore: File Types Manager past Nirsoft. Nosotros've got a complete guide to using File Types Manager to alter the icon for a certain file type, so if you call up this would be useful for you, give it a read!

filetypesman window

The i type of file that File Types Manager is not adept at handling, though, is executable (EXE) files. For that, we've got another gratuitous tool recommendation: Resource Hacker. And of course, we besides accept a guide on using it to modify the icon for an EXE file.

Change the Icon of Whatsoever Shortcut

Changing the icon for a shortcut in Windows is besides pretty unproblematic and works the same whether it's a shortcut to an app, folder, or fifty-fifty Command Prompt command. Correct-click the shortcut and choose "Properties."

choose properties command on shortcut's context menu

On the "Shortcut" tab, click the "Alter Icon" push button.

This opens the standard "Modify Icon" window nosotros've seen a couple of times already. Choose one of the default icons or browse to any EXE, DLL, or ICO file that contains icons. After making and applying your selection, you'll see the new icon in File Explorer, on the Desktop, or on the taskbar if you accept your Shortcut pinned there.

If y'all want, you tin can even customize those shortcut icons further by removing (or changing) the pointer overlays or preventing Windows from adding the "- Shortcut" text.

Alter the Icon of Apps that Are Pinned to the Taskbar

Icons that are pinned to your taskbar are really shortcuts—they just don't have the arrow overlay and "- Shortcut" text unremarkably associated with shortcuts. As such, you lot can customize their icons in nearly the same way that you customize any shortcut icon. Yous only need to keep a few things in mind:

You lot can only customize the icons of apps that are actually pinned to the taskbar. If the icon is only on the taskbar because the app is currently running and it isn't pinned at that place, yous tin't customize it. So, pin it showtime.
If an app is pinned, just is currently running, you'll demand to close the app before you can change the shortcut icon.
But right-clicking a pinned app shows you the app's jumplist. To admission the regular context bill of fare instead, hold the Shift primal downwardly while right-clicking the icon. Choose "Properties" from that menu and so the rest of the procedure will be familiar to you from the previous section.

choose properties command on taskbar shortcut's context menu

Change the Icon of any Drive in File Explorer

At that place'due south no uncomplicated built-in way to change the icons for drives in Windows. That doesn't mean you can't exercise it though. The easy way is to utilise a free app named Bulldoze Icon Changer. At that place'southward also a style that works a bit differently and involves a little Registry editing. You tin read all about both methods in our guide to changing drive icons in Windows.

Drive Icon Changer is the easiest mode, though you can exercise it from the registry if you'd adopt not to utilize actress software.

Hopefully, this gives you lot enough data nearly irresolute icons that yous can make things look just the way you want them.