Windows 7: User Folders - Restore Default Icon

   Information

This will show you how to restore the default folder icon for all of your personal User folder icons in Windows 7 for both the Start Menu and C:\Users\(user-name) locations.

OPTION ONE

Restore Default User Name Folder Icon

1. Open the change Desktop Icon Settings window. (See screenshot below)

2. In the lower box, click on your User Name folder to highlight it in blue. (See screenshot above)

3. Click on the Restore Default button. (See screenshot above)

A) Click on Apply.
NOTE: If it did not restore the default User Name folder icon, then proceed to step 4.

B) Go to step 5.

4. Click on the Change Icon button. (See screenshot below step 1)

A) If not already in the top line, then click on the Browse button and browse to C:\Windows\system32\imageres.dll. (See screenshot below)

B) Select the default User Name folder icon and click on OK. (See highlighted in blue icon in the screenshot above)

5. Click on OK. (See screenshot below step 1)

OPTION TWO

Restore Default User Folders Icons

METHOD ONE

Through User Folder Properties

   Note

This option will be for all of the user folders in the C:\Users\(user-name) folder except the User Name folder itself (OPTION ONE).

   Tip

To be able to change the Contacts and/or Desktop user folder icon, you can click on the Download button below to download the .reg files that enable the Customize tab in these user folders Properties page. After you download the .reg file, double click on it to merge it. You can then follow the steps in this OPTION below to change the icon.

• To Restore (remove Customize tab) Default Contacts User Folder -

  
  

• To Enable (add Customize tab) Changing Contacts User Folder Icon -

  
  

• To Restore (remove Customize tab) Default Desktop User Folder -

  
  

• To Enable (add Customize tab) Changing Desktop User Folder Icon -

  
  

1. Open the C:\Users\(user-name) folder.
WARNING: This must be done at this location. It will not work by opening the user folder from the Start Menu location.

2. Right click on the user folder icon that you want to restore default, and click on Properties. (See screenshot above)

3. Click on the Customize tab, and Change Icon button. (See screenshot below)

4. Click on the Restore Defaults button. (See screenshot below)

5. Click on OK. (See screenshot below step 3)

6. If the user folder icon has still not been restored to the default icon, then do Method Two below.

METHOD TWO

Through Desktop.ini File

NOTE:This option will be for all of the user folders in the C:\Users\(user-name) folder except the User Name folder itself (OPTION ONE).

1. Open the Start Menu.

2. Type in the Shell command (see table below) for the User folder icon that you want to restore default, and press Enter.
NOTE: This will open the personal user folder.

User Folder	Shell Command
Contacts	shell:Contacts
Desktop	shell:desktop
Documents	shell:Personal
Downloads	shell:downloads
Favorites	shell:Favorites
Links	shell:Links
Music	shell:My Music
Pictures	shell:My Pictures
Saved Games	shell:SavedGames
Searches	shell:Searches
Videos	shell:My Video

3. In Folder Options, set protected operating system files to show.
NOTE: Use step 4 in OPTION ONE at the link in this step.

4. Click on the Download link below to download the default Desktop.ini file, in a ZIP file, for the User folder icon that you want to restore to default.
NOTE: The Desktop.ini file is a .txt file that contains the user folder settings in it.

A) Contacts
B) Desktop
C) Downloads
D) Favorites
E) Links
F) My Documents
G) My Music
H) My Pictures
I) My Videos
J) Saved Games
K) Searches

5. Save the ZIP file to your desktop.

6. Extract and open the folder in the ZIP file.

7. Right click on the Desktop.ini file in the extracted folder, and click on Properties, General tab, the Unblock button, and OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If there is not an Unblock button, then it already is unblocked. Proceed to step 8.

8. Right click on the Desktop.ini file, and click on Copy.

9. Right click on an empty space in the main part of the user folder window from step 2 above, and click on Paste.

10. If prompted, click on Copy and Replace, then close the user folder window from step 2. (See screenshot below)

11. Open an elevated command prompt.

12. In the elevated command prompt, type the command below for the user folder icon that you want to restore to default. (See table below)
NOTE: This will set the user folder as Read-only. You can Copy and Paste these to make it easier for you.
WARNING: If you had changed the default location of your user folder, then you will need to type the full path of it's new location after attrib +r instead of the default %USERPROFILE% location below. For example, attrib +r D:\New location

User Folder	Command
Contacts	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Contacts /S /D
Desktop	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Desktop /S /D
Documents	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Documents /S /D
Downloads	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Downloads /S /D
Favorites	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Favorites /S /D
Links	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Links /S /D
Music	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Music /S /D
Pictures	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Pictures /S /D
Saved Games	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\"Saved Games" /S /D
Searches	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Searches /S /D
Videos	attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Videos /S /D

13. Close the elevated command prompt.

14. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.

15. Confirm that the folder icon is back to normal.

16. In Folder Options, set protected operating system files to be hidden again.
NOTE: Use step 5 in OPTION ONE at the link in this step

17. You can delete the downloaded files (step 4) on your desktop now if you would like to.