Windows 7 - Desktop Icons - Change or Restore Default Icon

**Brink**

How to Change or Restore Default Windows 7 Desktop Icons

Information

This will show you how to restore or change the default icon for the Computer, User's Files (user-name Folder), Network, and Recycle Bin desktop icons and all other locations in Windows 7.

Note

Removable drives do not use or have a Recycyle Bin. Files deleted from removable drives are permanently deleted instead.

Here's How:

1. Right click on a empty area of the desktop and click on Personalize. (See screenshot below)

2. Click on the Change desktop icons link at the upper left corner. (See screenshot below)

3. To Change the Icon for a Desktop Icon
A) In the middle pane, select (click on) a desktop icon that you want to change the icon for, and click on the Change Icon button. (See screenshot below)

B) Select a icon that you want to use instead, or click on the Browse button and navigate to the location of the icon you want to use.
NOTE: Any icon of your own you want to use instead needs to be a 256x256 pixel .ico Vista style icon file to properly display at larger view settings.

C) Go to step 5.

4. To Restore the Default Icon for a Desktop Icon
A) In the middle pane, select (click on) a desktop icon that you want to restore the default icon for, and click on the Restore Default button. (See screenshot below)

5. Click on OK to apply. (See screenshot above or below step 3A)

6. Close the Personalization window. (See screenshot below step 2)

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**Zentachi** · 02-09-2009

Hello!
I changed the icons of my computer,network and user folder with success. After i restarted my PC when i go to Desktop Icon Settings
window there are no icons! Its just blank white!

any ideas what going on?
thanks

**Brink** · 02-09-2009

Hello Zentachi, and welcome to Seven Forums.

That's strange. I have never seen that before. Do the desktop icons still display properly?

See if it may just be a glitch by restarting the computer again to see if they are there afterwards. If not, click on the Change Icon button and change the icon to the same icon again to see if that may help. If not, try the Restore Defaults button.

Hope this helps for now,
Shawn

**Zentachi** · 02-10-2009

Hey Shawn
glad to find seven forums!
I have tried what you said but without any luck! Yes the icons were displayed perfectly on desktop or explorer and i could charge them through registry!

One or maybe both of the below did the trick:
after a refresh problem with the recycle bin icon i download a registry fix of it.
I'm kinda sure I checked the Desktop icon settings window and still had the problem. I went to sleep shutdown the pc for 6 hours (tried before with restart and shutdown but nothing worked) and today everything was fine!

later i will upload my desktop in the related thread

thanks for responding

Zen

**Brink** · 02-10-2009

Zen,

I'm happy to hear that you have got it sorted out. Thank you for posting back your results.

**slithernet** · 05-22-2009

For some reason Windows 7 likes to hide icons. Right click on desktop, choose view, then select to show icons on desktop.

system001 · 05-24-2009

the one icon i want to change i cannot seem to get access to. i have tried every resource i can think of to get access to change the control panel icon with no luck.

**Brink** · 05-24-2009

Hello System001, and welcome to Seven Forums.

This can help show you how to change the Control Panel icon.

Control Panel Desktop Icon - Vista Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**TheSchaft** · 10-06-2009

This link is specific to the recycle bin icons, but it will work for any of the icons in "imageres.dll", if you know the number. (You can install the free program Icon Viewer to add a Icons tab to the Properties pages of files that contain icons in them. For example, with the imageres.dll file. It will let you easily see the number to use for the icon.)

How to change Recycle Bin Desktop Icon

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Windows 7 - Desktop Icons - Change or Restore Default Icon

Desktop Icons - Change or Restore Default Icon

Desktop Icons - Change or Restore Default Icon problems?