Drive Icon - Change

How to Change a Drive Icon in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8​

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to change a drive icon for an internal or external drive that has a drive letter in the Computer window to any icon you want for just your or all user accounts in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

   Tip

If your default drive icon is missing or was changed and you did not do it with the methods below, then look for a hidden (not always hidden though) autorun.inf file (OPTION ONE below) in the root directory of the affected drive, right click on the autorun.inf file, and click on Delete. Next, approve the deletion. If this was an external device, then you may need to disconnect and reconnect the device for the icon to appear afterwards.

   Warning

If you select to use a custom icon of your own, then it must be a 256x256 pixel icon (.ico) file for it to display properly in all icon sizes.

EXAMPLE: C Drive icon - Default and Changed

OPTION ONE

Change a Drive Icon using a "autorun.inf" File

NOTE: While this option can be used for any drive, it is really useful for external drives like a USB flash drive.
1. Set your known file extentions to no longer be hidden.
NOTE: This way you will be able to rename the file extension in step 3 below.

2. Connect and/or open the drive that you want to change the icon of.

3. In the root of the drive that you want to change the icon of, right click or press and hold on an empty space, and click/tap on New and Text Document. Rename this .txt file to autorun.inf, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: If you already have a autorun.inf file in the root of this drive, then skip this step and proceed to step 4.




4. Copy the icon .ico file (ex: Thumb_Drive.ico) that you want to use to the root of the drive that you want to change the icon of. (see right screenshot below)

5. If this is a New autorun.inf File
A) Open the autorun.inf file, then type each line below followed by pressing enter. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Substitute icon file name with the actual name of your icon file (ex: Thumb_Drive.ico) from step 4.

[autorun]
icon="[B][COLOR=red]icon file name[/COLOR][/B].ico"

B) Click/tap on File (menu bar) and Save, then close the autorun.inf file. (see screenshot above)
6. If you already have an autorun.inf File
NOTE: Be sure that you also check the Show hidden files, folders, and drives option in Folder Options in case the existing autorun.inf file (if there) may have been hidden.
A) Open the autorun.inf file, then add or change the icon= line below. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: Substitute icon file name with the actual name of your icon file (ex: Thumb_Drive.ico) from step 4.

[autorun]
[B]icon="[COLOR=red]icon file name[/COLOR].ico"[/B]

B) Click/tap on File (menu bar) and Save, then close the autorun.inf file. (see screenshots above)
7. If this is for an Internal or eSATA Dive
A) Restart the computer to apply.
8. If this is for an External Dive
A) Unplug and plug in the drive to apply.
9. Open the Computer window to see the changes.

   Note

To Restore the Default Icon


You would just need to do either option below and repeat steps 7 to 9 above.

• Delete the autorun.inf and .ico file.

OR

• If you have other lines (ex: label=) in the autorun.inf while editing it that you wish to continue using, then remove the icon= line entry for the drive, and save the changes.

OPTION TWO

Change a Drive Icon in Registry Editor for Current User Account Only

1. If you did OPTION ONE previously, then you will need to either remove the icon=icon file name.ico entry from the autorun.inf file, or delete the autorun.inf file in the root of the drive that you want to change the icon of.

2. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and press Enter.

3. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes (Windows 7/8) or Continue (Vista).

4. In regedit, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes

5. In the left pane, right click on Classes, click/tap on New and Key, type Applications, and press Enter.
NOTE: If you already have the Applications key under Classes, then go to step 6. (see screenshot above and below)

6. In the left pane, right click on Applications, click/tap on New and Key, type Explorer.exe, and press Enter.
NOTE: If you already have the Explorer.exe key under Applications, then go to step 7. (see screenshot above and below)

7. In the left pane, right click on Explorer.exe, click/tap on New and Key, type Drives, and press Enter.
NOTE: If you already have the Drives key under Explorer.exe, then go to step 8. (see screenshot above and below)

8. In the left pane, right click on Drives, click/tap on New and Key, type the drive letter (ex: C ) that you want to change the icon for, and press Enter.
NOTE: If you already have the drive letter (ex: C ) key under Drives, then go to step 9. (see screenshot above and below)

9. In the left pane, right click on the drive letter (ex: C ), click/tap on New and Key, type DefaultIcon, and press Enter.
NOTE: If you already have the DefaultIcon key under the drive letter (ex: C ), then go to step 10, 11, or 12. (see screenshot above and below)

10. To Restore the Default Drive Icon
A) Right click on the drive letter (ex: C ) from step 8 above that you want to restore, and click/tap on Delete and Yes. (see screenshot below step 8)

B) Go to step 14.
11. To Use a Custom Icon of Your Own
A) Make sure that the icon is unblocked if not already.

B) Make sure that the icon is located in a folder where you have access permission rights. The icon will need to stay here for as long as you are using it for the drive icon, otherwise it will break the link and no longer display as the drive's icon.

C) In the right pane of DefaultIcon, double click/tap on (Default) to modify it. (see screenshot below step 9)

D) In the Modify window, type this below, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Substitute with your icons full path and name with file extension in quotes instead.

"[B][COLOR=red]full path of the icon file with file extension[/COLOR][/B]"

FOR EXAMPLE:

"G:\Windows 7 PNG Files\Start_Orb.ico"

E) Go to step 13.
12. To Use another Icon Included in Windows 7
A) Download and install the free program IconViewer for your 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7.
NOTE: This program will add a Icons tab to files (ex: imageres.dll) that contain a icon library in them so you can see the icons available in it.

B) In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll and right click on imageres.dll, click on Properties, and click on the Icons tab.
NOTE: You can use any of the Windows 7 files that include icons in them that you want though. This is just the most common one.

C) Scroll through the icons and make note of the icon number of the one you want to use to replace the default file extension icon with, then close the properties window. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: For example, icon number 36 for the default C drive icon.

D) In the right pane of DefaultIcon, double click/tap on (Default) to modify it. (see screenshot below step 9)

E) In the Modify window, type in the location below, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

[B][COLOR=red](full path of the Windows 7 file with file extension)[/COLOR][/B],-[B][COLOR=red]####[/COLOR][/B]

FOR EXAMPLE:

C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll,-36

13. The registry should look similar to this now depending on the icon path you entered in either step 11 or 12. (see screenshot below)

12. Close Regedit.

13. The changes should be immediate, but in some cases you may need to restart the computer to apply the changes. If the drive icon does not change for you using this option, then try OPTION ONE or OPTION THREE to change it instead.

OPTION THREE

Change a Drive Icon in Registry Editor for All User Accounts

NOTE: You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this option.
1. If you did OPTION ONE previously, then you will need to either remove the icon=icon file name.ico entry from the autorun.inf file, or delete the autorun.inf file in the root of the drive that you want to change the icon of.

2. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and press Enter.

3. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes (Windows 7/8) or Continue (Vista).

4. In regedit, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

5. In the left pane, right click on Explorer, click/tap on New and Key, type DriveIcons, and press Enter.
NOTE: If you already have the DriveIcons key under Explorer, then go to step 6. (see screenshot above and below)

6. In the left pane, right click on DriveIcons and click/tap on New and Key, type the drive letter (ex: C ) that you want to change the icon for, and press Enter.
NOTE: If you already have the drive letter (ex: C ) key under DriveIcons, then go to step 7. (see screenshot above and below)

7. In the left pane, right click on the drive letter (ex: C ), click/tap on New and Key, type DefaultIcon, and press Enter.
NOTE: If you already have the DefaultIcon key under the drive letter (ex: C ), then go to step 8, 9, or 10. (see screenshot above and below)

8. To Restore the Default Drive Icon
A) Right click on the drive letter (ex: C ) from step 6 above that you want to restore, and click/tap on Delete and Yes. (see screenshot below step 6)

B) Go to step 12.
9. To Use a Custom Icon of Your Own
A) Make sure that the icon is unblocked if not already.

B) Make sure that the icon is located in a folder (ex: a C:\Users\Public folder) where all users (everyone) have access permission rights. The icon will need to stay here for as long as you are using it for the drive icon, otherwise it will break the link and no longer display as the drive's icon.

C) In the right pane of DefaultIcon, double click/tap on (Default) to modify it. (see screenshot below step 7)

D) In the Modify window, type this below, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Substitute with your icons full path and name with file extension in quotes instead.

"[B][COLOR=red]full path of the icon file with file extension[/COLOR][/B]"

FOR EXAMPLE:

"G:\Windows 7 PNG Files\Start_Orb.ico"

   Warning

The custom icon file that you are using must be saved at a location that can be accessed by all user accounts for it to be displayed in all user accounts. For example, in the C:\Users\Public folder.

E) Go to step 11.
10. To Use another Icon Included in Windows 7
A) Download and install the free program IconViewer for your 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7.
NOTE: This program will add a Icons tab to files (ex: imageres.dll) that contain a icon library in them so you can see the icons available in it.

B) In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll and right click on imageres.dll, click on Properties, and click on the Icons tab.
NOTE: You can use any of the Windows 7 files that include icons in them that you want though. This is just the most common one.

C) Scroll through the icons and make note of the icon number of the one you want to use to replace the default file extension icon with, then close the properties window. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: For example, icon number 36 for the default C drive icon.

D) In the right pane of DefaultIcon, double click/tap on (Default) to modify it. (see screenshot below step 7)

E) In the Modify window, type in the location below, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

[B][COLOR=red](full path of the Windows 7 file with file extension)[/COLOR][/B],-[B][COLOR=red]####[/COLOR][/B]

FOR EXAMPLE:

C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll,-36

11. The registry should look similar to this now depending on the icon path you entered in either step 9 or 10. (see screenshot below)

12. Close Regedit.

13. The changes should be immediate, but in some cases you may need to restart the computer to apply the changes.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Rename a Drive in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Hide or Show Empty Drives in Windows 7 Computer Folder
• How to Show Windows 7 Computer Drive Letters Before or After Drive Name
• How to Rebuild the Icon Cache in Windows 7
• How to Change or Restore Default Windows 7 Desktop Icons
• How to Restore Windows 7 Default User Folder Icons
• How to Change the Default Icon of a File Extension in Windows 7
• How to Change Windows 7 Default Control Panel Icons
• How to Change the Windows 7 Default Folder Icon
• How to Change Windows 7 Default Folder Icons using Resource Hacker
• How to Change the Open Folder Icon in Windows 7
• How to Change a Library Icon in Windows 7
• How to Change the Default Libraries Icon in Windows 7
• How to Change Windows 7 System Icons Using Resource Hacker
• How to Add, Change, or Remove a Drive Letter in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Pin or Unpin a Drive to the Windows 7 Taskbar
• How to Change a Folder Icon in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Completely Block Autorun.inf Files in Windows

 

[Brink]

Hey Tom,

Glad it worked for you.

Yeah, with it being encrypted, Windows most likely wouldn't be able to access/see the autorun.inf for the icon.

 

[bawldiggle]

I hope this post is not inappropriate ! :huh:
(Considered using the "software forum" but ... )

In Option #2 step 12 of this tutorial (thread) it is suggested to download IconViewer
I have and would prefer to install "IconViewer" in my preferred location and have access to help according to tables on (IconViewer) Advanced Setup Options

Looks like IconViewer installs itself in default "C:\Program Files" unless a file "unattended.txt" is found

From earlier posts in this thread IconViewer reveals itself as an extra tab on "File Properties" dialog. ?
Is this correct ?

(IconViewer) Advanced Setup Options outlines using an "unattended.txt" file containing special instructions during the install.

I am hesitant in one area.
If "unattended.txt" is located in the same folder as "IconViewer_Setup.exe" I am unsure of "relative path" vs "absolute path"
Relative path:= in the same folder
Absolute path:= in another folder
** how is this for a crude guess
Two wiki pages were not very forthright with simplicity
Would ...

C:\MyPath\IconViewer3.01-Setup-x86.exe /quiet /u:unattend.txt

... in CMD window install IconViewer subject to settings in "unattended.txt"... or icnic:

So the contents of my "unattended.txt" file would be ...

[Setup]
InstallPath=C:\MyExistingFolder
SMShortcutHelp=1
SMShortcutUninstall=0
SMFolderType=2
SMNewFolder=IconViewer Help

[UserInit]
DeleteUserData=0
DeleteMachineData=0

... not sure if [UserInit] key is required ?

I have not installed "IconViewer" on my PC before so I assume [UserInit] key is unnecessary, if is required make DeleteUserData and DeleteMachineData values "1" ?

Thanks for any advice

 

[TomHartwald]

Hi GreyGhost2 !

IconViewer is just an Explorer Extension, so normally it doesn't matter
where it is installed. You're right, the default place is "C:\Program Files".

I downloaded and installed it without fiddling around with options, and it
works fine on my Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit (Versions for x64 and x86 available).

If a file contains any icons, an "Icon" tab is automatically added to the
properties window. If you want to save any icon(s) from that file, you
can choose via a normal "Save As" dialog window where you want to
store it.

Hope that helps,
have a nice day

Tom.

 

[bawldiggle]

Thanks Tom

Now I understand how it works ... well almost ... until I install and use it !
Thanks again for your help

 

[TomHartwald]

Always glad if I can give back a little from the help I got from this Forum.

And ofc, it's better to ask first and install later before blowing up the system ...

 

[MTOakey]

Yikes, I'm old ...

Greetings all,
Even though I have been doing this for years, and on several platforms, I have now encountered an issue which downright baffles me...
I have successfully utilized the "autorun.inf" option on both internal and external, startup and removable drives - until now...
I have 2 different removables, one is a 16g USB flashdrive and the other is an 8g microSD card... and the 16g seems to work {custom icon} in every other computer it is mounted by - except my laptop.
But my laptop just got "updated" to W10 from Win7U64, and the 16g, when inserted does show the custom icon for about 5 seconds, then reverts to the new flashdrive microsoft generic builtin blah icon.
I have tried "Option 3" {until now never necessary}, and, even tried the same path and together with an "autorun", but same issue... ARRRGH !!!
And the microSD just sits there, mocking me, as the autorun file has NO effect on it's prowess. Now, this "autorun" is working on 2 other microSd, a 4g & 8g, and another USB flash, also4g, just peachy on my laptop, and all other processing mavins I insert them into.
Any ideas ?

 

[MTOakey]

Update ...

... And the microSD just sits there, mocking me, as the autorun file has NO effect on it's prowess ...

I did try the "delete IconCache.db", which actually made the troublesome microSD 4G finally work all the time on my laptop (already worked everywhere else) but this had no effect on that 16G USB flashdrive.

 

[Brink]

Hello MTOakey, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you haven't already, you might see if deleting the icon and autorun file on the 16GB USB, and start over on the PC it won't show on to see if it may afterwards. It may be a permissions issue if the USB is formatted with NTFS instead of FAT32.

 

[MTOakey]

That 16g flashdrive is NTFS, and is "shared" on my laptop with "full control" permissions at all 4 levels, as are all the other drives that work {2 of the others are actually FAT32, the fixed internal drives are NTFS}.

I did try your last suggestion... nothing changed... still no worky. very strange.

 

[Brink]

That is odd that one USB won't show the icon, but will for the others using the same method.

You might see if you may be able to use both Option 2 & 3 to set the icon for the USB on that PC.

 

[MTOakey]

Yep, I have tried them all, and in various combinations too... this is my life ... oy vey...

 

[Brink]

Wow, I must admit that I'm at a loss as well for why the drive won't show the specified icon.

 

[Trizmegistus]

Great information

I am an icon freak, i make them from jpg, and use them for everything. For my default drives I was having trouble with iPhone, iPod Shuffle, and Nano, & iPad. with this info I am going in deep for this. Hopefully I can bypass the rotten apple safegaurds. Thanks again

Bill

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Bill. I'm glad it could help, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[drugo]

Hi Brink
thanks for the tutorial
i created and save autorun.inf + icon like the tutorial inside a truecrypt and veracrypt container
and i have mount and dismount several time , but without luck
can't get the icon
do you know why? have you tried?
thanks and have a great day

 

[Brink]

Hello drugo,

It may be because it's encrypted, and Windows cannot access the icon to show.

As a test, you might see if OPTION THREE may work better for this.

 

[Callender]

Hi Brink
thanks for the tutorial
i created and save autorun.inf + icon like the tutorial inside a truecrypt and veracrypt container
and i have mount and dismount several time , but without luck
can't get the icon
do you know why? have you tried?
thanks and have a great day

So is that a file container (encrypted folder) or an encrypted drive?

Also see: Assigning an icon to a Truecrypt/Veracrypt volume

 

[drugo]

Hello drugo,

It may be because it's encrypted, and Windows cannot access the icon to show.

As a test, you might see if OPTION THREE may work better for this.

hi
yes option tree work ,but i like more option 1 because the letter could be changed
thanks Brink