Windows 7: Control Panel - Change Default Icons

   Information

This will show you how to change the default icons in the All Control Panel Items small and large icons view to any custom icon that you want instead in Windows 7.

   Tip

You should use a 256x256 pixel .ico (icon) files to have the best support for all icon view sizes.

   Warning

This can only be done in an administrator account.

OPTION ONE

Change Control Panel Icons

1. If open, close the Control Panel.

2. Open the Start Menu, and type regedit in the search line and press enter.

3. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

4. In regedit, navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID and continue to the location of the Control Panel icon in the table below for the one that you want to change.

Control Panel Icon	Registry CLSID Location
Action Center	{BB64F8A7-BEE7-4E1A-AB8D-7D8273F7FDB6}\DefaultIcon
Administrative Tools	{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}\DefaultIcon
Autoplay	{9C60DE1E-E5FC-4of4-A487-460851A8D915}\DefaultIcon
Biometrics	{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}\DefaultIcon
Backup and Restore	{B98A2BEA-7D42-4558-8BD1-832F41BAC6FD}\DefaultIcon
BitLocker Drive Encryption	{D9EF8727-CAC2-4e60-809E-86F80A666C91}\DefaultIcon
Color Management	{B2C761C6-29BC-4f19-9251-E6195265BAF1}\DefaultIcon
Credential Manager	{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}\DefaultIcon
Date and Time	{E2E7934B-DCE5-43C4-9576-7FE4F75E7480}\DefaultIcon
Default Programs	{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}\DefaultIcon
Desktop Gadgets	{37efd44d-ef8d-41b1-940d-96973a50e9eo}\DefaultIcon
Device Manager	{74246bfc-4c96-11d0-9bef-0020afgb0b7a}\DefaultIcon
Devices and Printers	{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}\DefaultIcon
Display	{C555438B-3C23-4769-A71F-B6D3D9B6053A}\DefaultIcon
Ease of Access Center	{D555645E-D4F8-4c29-A827-D93C859C4F2A}\DefaultIcon
Folder Options	{6DFD7C5C-2451-11d3-A299-00C04F8EF6AF}\DefaultIcon
Fonts	{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}\DefaultIcon
Getting Started	{CB1B7F8C-C50A-4176-B604-9E24DEE8D4D1}\DefaultIcon
HomeGroup	{67CA7650-96E6-4fDD-BB43-A8E774F73A57}\DefaultIcon
Indexing Options	{87D66A43-7B11-4A28-9811-C86EEE395ACF7}\DefaultIcon
Infared	{A0275511-0E86-4ECA-97C2-ECD8F1221D08}
Internet Options	{A3DD4F92-658A-410F-84FD-6FBBBEF2FFFE}\DefaultIcon
Keyboard	{725BE8F7-668E-4C7B-8F90-46BDB0936430}\DefaultIcon
Location and Other Sensors	{E9950154-C418-419e-A90A-20C5287AE24B]\DefaultIcon
Mouse	{6C8EEC18-8D75-41B2-A177-8831D59D2D50}\DefaultIcon
Network and Sharing Center	{8E908FC9-BECC-40f6-915B-F4CAOE70D03D}\DefaultIcon
Notification Area Icons	{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}\DefaultIcon
Parental Controls	{96AE8D84-A250-4520-95A5-A46A7E3C548B}\DefaultIcon
Pen and Touch	{F82DF8F7-8B9F-442E-A48C-818EA735FF9B}\DefaultIcon
Performance Information and Tools	{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}\DefaultIcon
Personalization	{ED834ED6-485A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921}\DefaultIcon
Phone and Modem	{40419485-C444-4567-851A-2DD7BFA1684D}\DefaultIcon
Power Options	{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}\DefaulIcon
Programs and Features	{7b81be6a-ce2b-4676-a29e-eb907a5126c5}\DefaultIcon
Recovery	{9FE63AFD-59CF-4419-9775-ABCC3849F861}\DefaultIcon
Region and Language	{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}\DefaultIcon
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections	{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}\DefaultIcon
Sound	{F2DDFC82-8F12-4CDD-B7DC-D4FE1425AA4D]\DefaultIcon
Speech Recognition	{58E3C745-D971-4081-9034-86E34B30836A}\DefaultIcon
Sync Center	{9C73F5E5-7AE7-4E32-A8E8-8D23B85255BF}\DefaultIcon
System	{BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6A77EEE}\DefaultIcon
Tablet PC Settings	{80F3F1D5-FECA-45F3-BC32-752C152E456E}\DefaultIcon
Taskbar and Start Menu	{0DF44EAA-FF21-4412-828E-260A8728E7F1}\DefaultIcon
Troubleshooting	{C58C4893-3BE0-4B45-ABB5-A63E4B8C8651}\DefaultIcon
User Accounts	{60632754-c523-4b62-b45c-4172da012619}\DefaultIcon
Windows Cardspace	{78CB147A-98EA-4AA6-B0DF-C8681F69341C}\DefaultIcon
Windows Defender	{D8559EB9-20C0-410E-BEDA-7ED416AECC2A}\DefaultIcon
Windows Firewall	{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}\DefaultIcon
Windows Live Language Setting	{2BADA6D5-9815-4f01-9957-74AF8077FD18}\DefaultIcon
Windows Mobility Center	{5ea4f148-308c-46d7-98a9-49041b1dd468}\DefaultIcon
Windows SideShow	{E95A4861-D57A-4be1-AD0F-35267E261739}\DefaultIcon
Windows Update	{36eef7db-88ad-4e81-ad49-0e313f0c35f8}\DefaultIcon

5. In the left pane, right click on DefaultIcon and click on Permissions. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This (steps 5 to 7) is to take ownership of the DefaultIcon key. It is required.

6. Click on the Advanced button. (See screenshot below)

7. Click on the Owner tab, select Administrators (highlighted in blue below), and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If you are prompted to approve changing the owner, then approve it.

8. At the top, select Administrators (highlighted in blue below), then check the Allow box for Full Control and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This just allowed you (administrator) full permission to make changes to the DefaultIcon key in step 9 below.

9. In the right pane of the DefaultIcon key in regedit, right click on (Default) and click on Modify. (See screenshot below)

10. Type in the full path within quotes to the custom icon that you want to use instead of the default icon with the .ico file extension included, then click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If you move or change this icon's location that you used in this step, then the icon will no longer work in the Control Panel until you change the path again to the new location.

For a custom icon path example: "C:\icon folder\icon file.ico"

11. Repeat steps 4 to 10 to change another default Control Panel icon.

12. When done, close regedit and open the Control Panel with small or large icons view to see your changes.

OPTION TWO

Restore Default Control Panel Icons

   Note

This option assumes that you have already taken ownership and gave yourself permission of the DefaultIcon key from steps 5 to 8 in OPTION ONE above. If you have not, then you will need to do so before Windows 7 will allow you to do the ones below.

1. Repeat only steps 1 to 4 in OPTION ONE above for the Control Panel icon that you want to restore to default.

2. In the right pane of the DefaultIcon key in regedit, right click on (Default) and click on Modify. (See screenshot below)

3. Type in the default path for the Control Panel icon in the table below and click on OK. (See screenshot below)

Control Panel Icon	Default Icon Path
Action Center	%SystemRoot%\System32\ActionCenterCPL.dll,-1
Administrative Tools	%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-114
Autoplay	%SystemRoot%\System32\autoplay.dll,-1
Backup and Restore	%SystemRoot%\System32\sdcpl.dll,-1
Biometrics	%SystemRoot%\System32\biocpl.dll,-1
BitLocker Drive Encryption	%SystemRoot%\System32\fvecpl.dll,-1
Color Management	%systemroot%\system32\colorcpl.exe,-5
Credential Manager	%SystemRoot%\system32\Vault.dll,-1
Date and Time	%SystemRoot%\System32\timedate.cpl,-50
Default Programs	%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-24
Desktop Gadgets	%ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\Sidebar.exe,-100
Device Manager	%SystemRoot%\system32\devmgr.dll,-201
Devices and Printers	%systemroot%\system32\DeviceCenter.dll,-1
Display	%SystemRoot%\System32\Display.dll,-1
Ease of Access Center	%SystemRoot%\System32\accessibilitycpl.dll,-1
Folder Options	%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-166
Fonts	%SystemRoot%\System32\fontext.dll
Getting Started	%SystemRoot%\branding\shellbrd\shellbrd.dll
HomeGroup	%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-1013
Indexing Options	%SystemRoot%\System32\srchadmin.dll,-201
Infared	%SystemRoot%\System32\irprops.cpl,-129
Internet Options	C:\Windows\System32\inetcpl.cpl,-4487
Keyboard	%SystemRoot%\System32\main.cpl,-200
Location and Other Sensors	%SystemRoot%\System32\SensorsCpl.dll,-1
Mouse	%SystemRoot%\system32\main.cpl,-100
Network and Sharing Center	%SystemRoot%\System32\netcenter.dll,-1
Notification Area Icons	%SystemRoot%\System32\taskbarcpl.dll,-1
Parental Controls	%SystemRoot%\System32\wpccpl.dll,-1
Pen and Touch	%SystemRoot%\System32\tabletpc.cpl,-10201
Performance Information and Tools	%SystemRoot%\System32\PerfCenterCPL.dll,-1
Personalization	%SystemRoot%\System32\themecpl.dll,-1
Phone and Modem	%SystemRoot%\System32\telephon.cpl,-100
Power Options	%SystemRoot%\System32\Powercpl.dll,-1
Programs and Features	imageres.dll,-87
Recovery	%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-1022
Region and Language	%SystemRoot%\System32\intl.cpl,-200
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections	%SystemRoot%\System32\tsworkspace.dll
Sound	%SystemRoot%\System32\mmsys.cpl,-100
Speech Recognition	%SystemRoot%\System32\Speech\SpeechUX\speechuxcpl.dll,-1
Sync Center	%SystemRoot%\System32\SyncCenter.dll,-1000
System	%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-149
Tablet PC Settings	%SystemRoot%\System32\tabletpc.cpl,-10200
Taskbar and Start Menu	%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll,-80
Troubleshooting	%SystemRoot%\System32\DiagCpl.dll,-1
User Accounts	%SystemRoot%\System32\usercpl.dll,-1
Windows Cardspace	%SystemRoot%\System32\icardres.dll,-4096
Windows Defender	%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MsMpRes.dll,-103
Windows Firewall	C:\Windows\system32\FirewallControlPanel.dll,-1
Windows Live Language Setting	C:\Program Files (x86)\windows live\installer\LangSelectorRes.dll,0
Windows Mobility Center	%SystemRoot%\system32\mblctr.exe,0
Windows SideShow	%SystemRoot%\System32\AuxiliaryDisplayCpl.dll,-1
Windows Update	%SystemRoot%\system32\wucltux.dll,-1

4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 to change another default Control Panel icon.

5. When done, close regedit and open the Control Panel with small or large icons view to see your changes.