Change or Create Desktop Icons for Windows

Many people think the icons on their computer desktops are static and permanent. But that's not true. There are a number of ways to change or create new icons. You can pay for programs to customize your desktop. But the following steps will show you how to do it for free.

Steps

Change Program Icons

  1. Right click on the desktop screen using your mouse. Click on any open space where there isn't already an icon.
  2. Click on "Personalize" in the right-click menu that comes up.
  3. Click on "Change desktop icons" in the screen that comes up.
  4. Single-click the icon you wish to change
    • Then press the "Change Icon" button.
    • By selecting the check-boxes up top, you can manage which desktop icons appear or don't appear on your desktop. Checked box means icons appear, unchecked box means icons don't appear.
  5. Scroll through the icon images and choose a replacement for the old icon image.

Create Icons and Icon Shortcuts on Desktop

  1. Rick click on the desktop screen using your mouse. Click on any open space where there isn't already an icon.
  2. Click on "Personalize" in the right-click menu that comes up.
  3. Click on "Change desktop icons" in the screen that comes up.
  4. Up top, check the box of the program or folder you wish to appear on your desktop.
  5. If you cannot find the desktop program or folder, create a shortcut. Locate the program or application you want to appear on your desktop.
  6. Right click on the program or application and select "Send to." then choose "Desktop."

Change Icons for File Types

Use this method to change all the icons associated with a given file type, like all NotePad documents, for example. Changing one file icon generally changes all of that type.

  1. Open My Computer > Open tools > Open folder options
  2. Click File Types
  3. Highlight the file type icon you wish to change.
  4. Click Advanced at the bottom right of the screen.
  5. Change the icon.
  6. Use one of the 4 shown icons or click Browse to go to Local Disk C: > WINNT > System 32 > Program
  7. Highlight the icon.
  8. Click OK.
    • Note: you might not be able to edit some files types like folders.

Change Shortcut Icons

You cannot properly change individual icons on the desktop without editing the Registry, but you can change shortcut icons.

  1. Create a folder on the desktop.
  2. Name the folder Shortcuts.
  3. Put all the desktop files you want to change the icons for into this folder.
  4. Right-click on each of these files.
  5. Choose Send to Desktop or Create Shortcut.
  6. Right-click the new shortcut icon on the desktop and select Properties.
  7. Click Change icon
  8. Click Browse to browse more icons

Remove ShortCut Arrows from Shortcut Icons

To remove the little arrows Windows adds to shortcut desktop icons with "Tweak UI," a venerable Windows Program.

  1. Download the program from Tweak UI"
  2. Run it and go to the Explorer.
  3. Navigate to the shortcut tab.
  4. Click Overlay.
  5. Select None to remove the shortcut arrows from your desktop.

Remove ShortCut Arrows from Shortcut Icons (Alternate Method)

Here's a method to remove those annoying arrows without downloading any software.

  1. First, open the registry editor. Start > Run > type "regedit"
  2. In Windows XP, navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT > lnkfile and delete the IsShortcut value.
  3. In Windows 98, navigate to [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{63B51F81-C868-11D0-999C-00C04FD655E1}\InProcServer32] and delete the current value default.
  4. For some Windows 98 computers, as well as Windows 95, navigate to both [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile], [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\piffile] and [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\InternetShortcut] and deleting both IsShortcut values will work.

Create Your Own Icons

Here's a way to customize the icons on your desktop.

  1. Create a Desktop folder and name it Icons or a name of your choice.
  2. Download Icons and images from the web into this folder.
  3. Select an icon or image.
  4. Right-click for the drop-down menu.
  5. Select Rename.
  6. Rename File Format to .ico, make sure the picture is square, either with 16x16, 24x24 or 32x32 pixel and a color depth of 16, 24 or 32 bit. You can change it with Paint. If the system still not take the picture, you have to choose the same format as the icon which is in place.

Create Icons with Irfanview

You can create your own icons or icon files form images and more by using a third party utility. Note: IrFanview is an excellent example.

  1. Download the program "Irfanview".
  2. Place the program in the Icon folder your created above. Create a new folder named Icons if you do not already have one.
  3. Open any icon or image file, including an image you may have created yourself in a paint program.
  4. Ensure that the image is square.
    1. Square the image by choosing Image.
    2. Select Resize/Resample.
    3. Select a size, either 16 or 32 pixels.
    4. Click OK.
  5. Ensure the correct color depth.
    1. Click image again.
    2. Click Decrease Color Depth.
    3. Select the number of colors.
    4. Click OK.
  6. Save image where you want, but select ICO (Windows Icon) file type.
  7. If you select Save Transparent Color, you can select the invisible image color, so its background looks transparent and looks the same as your desktop.

Set the Icon File Association

At some point you'll need to permanently regulate your computer to display all your changes. Here's how to do it.

  1. Open Options > Set File Associations.
  2. Select icon.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Save the file.
    1. Select File > Save As.
    2. Select Binary Encoding.
    3. Select Save Transparent Color.
    4. Select Desktop > Icon Folder as the save location.
    5. Name the file Deskcon, for reference.

Change the Icon Description

And finally, it's a good idea to add descriptions to all your new icons.

  1. Click on the icon and click Properties.
  2. Go to the Shortcut tab.
  3. Type in your new description in the space for the Comment.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. Click OK.
  6. When you scroll your pointer over the shortcut, it will now read your description. Note: this may not work with all shortcuts.



Tips

  • Some qualifiers concerning Edit32: Your image must be square. It must have an .ICO file extension. It must be either 16 or 32 pixels. It can use up to 252 colors.

Related Articles

  • Hide Desktop Icons in Windows 8 Computer
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