How to Change Default Control Panel Icons in Windows 7
InformationThis 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.TipYou should use a 256x256 pixel .ico (icon) files to have the best support for all icon view sizes.WarningThis can only be done in an administrator account.
EXAMPLE: All Control Panel Items with Small and Large Icons View
OPTION ONEChange 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 TWORestore Default Control Panel Icons
NoteThis 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.That's it,
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)4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 to change another default Control Panel icon.
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 SettingC:\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
5. When done, close regedit and open the Control Panel with small or large icons view to see your changes.
Shawn Brink
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