Comments on: How to change file icons in Windows

By: Cornell

Cornell — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:46:04 +0000

Actually, you are not limited to the icons shown in the article. If you want other choices do the following, do the following:
1. Click Browse.
2. This will take you to the System 32 folder. The System 32 folder has some usable icons. Please note that the icons appear to be a folder with green and yellow cogs is not a usable icon.
3. If you don’t like what you see in the System 32 folder, go to the Cursors folder by way of the Windows folder. When you get to the Cursors folder, change file types from Icon Files to All Files and the Cursors icons will appear.

By: customizer

customizer — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:12:14 +0000

I’m with XP SP2 and there is no “Advanced” button in the folder type settings (there’s only “open with”, “new” and “remove”).

What do I have to do? Thank you very much in advance.

By: Afro

Afro — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:57:43 +0000

This was really useful info, thanks for sharing. How can I change the icons for my hard drives in My Computer?

By: Dark

Dark — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:03:18 +0000

Thanks many times because it was very irritating when my INI file icons changed to the “Unknown filetype” icon! This fixed it.

By: mactaffy93

mactaffy93 — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:40:09 +0000

Hey, your blog is great and has helped alot, but do you know what format your pictures have to be in to make your own icons?

By: polocanada

polocanada — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:48:49 +0000

speedapps.com/winicon_customizer.htm

WinIcon Customizer

This is TROJAN – dont downlad..

By: Trista

Trista — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:41:01 +0000

Note that you can also change the icon for a single program or shortcut on your desktop by right-clicking and choosing Properties. You’ll see a Change Icon button at bottom of the Shortcut tab. Thanks.

By: EOLO

EOLO — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:34:18 +0000

Can you use this method to change file icons in Windows 7? What about folder icons? I want to customize the icons in Windows 7. How so?

By: Whitestar

Whitestar — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:07:39 +0000

To make your own icons, you don’t need to download anything. In MS Paint, either open an existing file or start a new one from scratch. When you are satisfied with the picture, save it as a 24-bit bitmap (.bmp). This is the standard saving option if you just created the image. Once you have saved the image, go to the folder it’s in and rename it as an icon file: yourfilename.ico. The system will warn you that the file may become unusable if you change the file name; just do it anyway. Then, attach it to whatever folder, hardware, or file type you want as described above, and you have a custom icon made with just MS Paint.

TIP: if you are going to create an icon from an existing image, try to make it EXTREMELY low-res, or else Windows will mess up its appearance when it’s used.

By: Prince

Prince — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:08:24 +0000

Hi,

I have a problem. I tried to open a DBF file, but I couldn’t open it. So, right clicked that file, then chose “open with” and selected the Internet explorer. Then all DBF files are changed as IE (blue E) icon. I have to change those all IE icon to default icon. What shall I do?

By: Kamilo

Kamilo — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:37:05 +0000

Nice, one can learn so many things by just reading a bit.

By: Ateiyev

Ateiyev — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:46:23 +0000

Please remove WinIcon Customizer from the list of softwares. It is seriously infected with a virus and loads of Spyware. It tries to install at least four different toolbars on your system. Avast Antivirus and Comodo Internet Security flagged the threats detected.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:27:05 +0000

I concur with Gordon, this does not work in Vista. I have tried several other suggested pathways including using the system registry but none have worked to change a file icon in Vista. FYI, I was trying to change the icon for Zip files but it has been a failure. Has anyone else ever done that successfully in Vista?

By: castmo

castmo — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:36:25 +0000

Hi,

Thank you very much. Can i ask how to make it in Vista Home Basic Edition as well? Thank you.

By: Gordon

Gordon — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:59:45 +0000

This doesn’t work in Vista.