Windows 7: New Library Icon - Change Default Icon

   Information

This will show you how to change the default New Library icon to any custom icon that you want instead in Windows 7.

   Warning

• You can only do this while logged into an administrator account.
• This will affect all user account's New Library icon on the computer.

1. Open the Start Menu and type regedit.exe in the search line, then press enter.

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

3. In Regedit, go to the location below: (See screenshot below step 4)

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{14074e0b-7216-4862-96e6-53cada442a56}\Instance\InitPropertyBag

4. In the left pane of regedit, right click on the InitPropertyBag key and click on Permissions. (See screenshot below)

5. At the top, select the Administrators group. At the bottom, check the Allow box to the right of Full Control and click on OK. (See screenshot below)

6. In the left pane of regedit, right click on DefaultIcon and click on Modify. (See screenshot below)

7. To Use a Icon of Your Own

A) In the Modify window from regedit, type in the full path of where you have your custom icon (.ico file) stored at, then click on OK. (See screenshot below)
WARNING: You will need to use a 256x256 pixel icon that was made for Windows 7 and Vista for them to display properly at all of the available icon view sizes in Windows 7. You will also need to leave the icon (.ico file) saved at the exact location you typed below for it to continue to work. If you delete or move this icon, then it will no longer be displayed.

8. To Use another Windows 7 Icon

A) Download and install the free program IconViewer to add the Icons tab in the screenshot below step 8B.
NOTE: Be sure to download the correct 32-bit or 64-bit version for your Windows 7.

B) In Windows Explorer navigate to the .exe (ex: for program icons) or .dll (ex: Windows 7 icons) file that contains the icon that you want to use for the default New Library icon, then right click on the file, click on Properties, and the Icons tab. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: The most common Windows 7 icons come from the C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll file.

C) Make note of the icon number for the icon that you want to use instead. (See screenshot above)
NOTE: For example, the default New Library icon number is 1001. I'm going to change it to the 1008 icon number just as an example.

D) In the Modify window from regedit, type in the full path of the .exe or .dll file followed by ,-icon# (fullpath,-####) and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: For example, if I want to use the path (step 8B) and the 1008 icon (step 8C), I would type:

%SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-1008

or

C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll,-1008

NOTE: This is the default New Library icon value.

9. Close regedit.

10. Close and reopen the Libraries window to fully apply and see the icon change.