Windows 7 - Shortcut - Change Icon

**Brink**

How to Change the Icon of a Shortcut in Windows 7

Information

This will show you how to change the icon of any file, folder, or drive shortcut to have a custom icon of your choice instead.

Tip

To change a shortcut icon that is pinned to the taskbar, you will need to first unpin the shortcut from the taskbar, change the shortcut's icon using the instructions below, then pin the shortcut back to the taskbar.

EXAMPLE: Before and After Shortcut Icon Change

Here's How:

1. Right click on the file, folder, or drive shortcut, and click on Properties. (see screenshots below)

2. Click on the Shortcut tab, and click on the Change Icon button. (see screenshots below)

3. To Just Select from Another Available Icon
A) Select an available icon, and click on OK. (see screenshot below)

B) Go to step 6.

4. To Select Another Windows 7 Icon
A) Click on the Browse button. (see screenshot below step 3A)

B) Navigate to and select a .dll or .exe system file in Windows 7 that contains a icon library to select from, then click on the Open button. (see screenshot below)

Note

Two most common locations of default Windows 7 icons are located at:
C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll

C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll

C) Select an available icon, and click on OK. (see screenshot below step 3A)

D) Go to step 6.

5. To Select a Custom Icon of Your Own
A) Click on the Browse button. (see screenshot below step 3A)

B) Navigate to and select a 256x256 pixel .ico file that you want to use for the shortcut's icon, then click on the Open button. (see screenshot below 4B)

C) Select the icon, and click on OK. (see screenshot below step 3A)

6. Click on OK. (see screenshots below step 2)

That's it,
Shawn

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Zoandar · 11-06-2010

And if the Change Icon button is grayed out (like mine) then what?????

**Brink** · 11-06-2010

Hello Zoandar,

What is it a shortcut of?

As a test, create a new shortcut directly from the program's exe file to see if you may be able to change this shortcut's icon.

The default MS Office shortcuts are like this, and you will have to create a new shortcut like above to be able to.

Zoandar · 11-07-2010

After I posted the above I got an idea and tried doing as you said, but also moved to the Public folder under my user account to create the shortcut from the exe file of the program. That allowed me to change the icon, and then move the changed icon back to the desktop and eventually pin it to the task bar. I'll try creating another one on the desktop by going directly to the executable and see if that also works.

One of the frustrations I get out of all of Windows 7's "permissions" crap is that such work-arounds ALLOW me to actually end up with the thing they were "preventing". So why not just LET me do it in the first place!?

It's silly.

**Brink** · 11-07-2010

That's great news Zoandar.

This would most likely be from how the program created the original shortcut that wouldn't allow you to change the icon instead. This way their progam's logo/icon will always be displayed for it instead. By using Windows method to create a new shortcut is what allowed you to be able to change it though.

Zoandar · 11-07-2010

It was never this big an issue with WinXP, but I guess it's just one of the new things I had to learn with Windows 7. The one saving grace about Windows is that there has always been multiple ways to reach the same goal.

Thanks!

Zoandar

**Brink** · 11-07-2010

You're most welcome Zoandar.

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