Folder Icon - Change Windows 7 Default Folder Icon

How to Change the Windows 7 Default Folder Icon​

   Information

This will show you how to change all of the default yellow folder icons in Windows Explorer to any custom icon that you want instead in Windows 7.

User Folder icons will not be affected by this.

   Note

If you have thumbnails turned on, then only empty folders will have the new icon displayed in Windows Explorer when the folder view is set to anything other than Small icons, Details, or List. Otherwise the folders will have a thumbnail preview icon when the folder is not empty instead. When the folder view is set to Small icons, Details, or List, then all folders will display the new icon since they are small icons.

If you have thumbnails turned off, then all folders will have the new icon display no matter what the folder view is set to in Windows Explorer.

   Warning

• You can only do this while logged in to a administrator account.
• This will affect all user account's folder icons on the computer.

EXAMPLE: Folder Icon
NOTE: This is Windows Explorer with the default folder icon (left screenshot) and a custom folder icon (right screenshot). This is with the folder view is set to Details.

OPTION ONE

Change the Default Folder Icon

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

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

3. In regedit, navigate to: (See screenshot below)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

4. In the left pane, right click on the Explorer key, and click on New and Key in the context menu. (See screenshot above)

5. Type Shell Icons and press Enter. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If Shell Icons is already here, then you can skip steps 4 and 5.

6. In the right pane of Shell Icons, right click on a empty space, and click on New and String Value. Type 3 and press enter. (See screenshot below)

7. Right click on the number for the folder type, and click on Modify. (See screenshot above)

8. To Use a Custom Icon of Your Own

   Note

• Be sure to unblock the icon file.
• Be sure save the icon file in a location that all user account's can access (ex: c:\Users\Public\My Pictures) so the icon will be able to be viewed in their account as well.
• You must use a 256x256 pixel icon .ico file for it to display properly in all icon sizes in Windows Explorer.

A) In the Modify window, type in the full path of the icon that you want to use within quotes and click on OK. (see screenshot below step 9E)
NOTE: If you change the icon's location (path), then you must also change the location here in step 8 as well for the folder to still display that icon in Windows Explorer.
"full path of the icon file with file extension"
FOR EXAMPLE:
"G:\Windows 7 PNG Files\My_Folder.ico"
B) Go to step 10.
9. 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 folder icon with, then close the properties window. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: For example, icon number 190 for the green folder icon.

D) In the Modify window, type in the location below, and click on OK. (see screenshot below)
(full path of the Windows 7 file with file extension),-####
FOR EXAMPLE:
C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll,-190


10. The registry will now look similar to this with your icon path under the Data column in the right pane instead. (See screenshot below)

11. If you have 64-bit Windows 7 Installed

   Note

To also change the default folder icon in the "Open" and "Save as" type dialog windows as well in 64-bit Windows 7, you will also need to do this step.

If you have a 32-bit Windows 7 installed, then skip this step and continue on to step 12 instead.

A) In Regedit, go to the location below:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
B) Repeat steps 4 to 10 above using the same settings you used with the location from step 3.
12. Close Regedit.

13. Log off and Log on, or restart the computer to apply the new folder icon.
NOTE: Since you changed the default Folder icon, you might would like to change the Open Folder icon as well in the navigation pane to have them all changed.

OPTION TWO

To Restore the Default Folder Icon

NOTE: This option assumes that you did OPTION ONE above to change the default folder icon.
1. Open the Start Menu, then type regedit in the search line and press Enter.

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

3. In regedit, navigate to: (see screenshot below)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons
4. In the right pane of Shell Icons, right click on 3 and click on Delete. (see screenshot below)

5. Click on Yes. (see screenshot below)

6. If you have 64-bit Windows 7 Installed

   Note

To also restore the default folder icon in the "Open" and "Save as" type dialog windows as well in 64-bit Windows 7, you will also need to do this step.

If you have a 32-bit Windows 7 installed, then skip this step and continue on to step 7 instead.

A) In Regedit, go to the location below:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Icons
B) Repeat steps 4 and 5 above.
7. Close Regedit.

8. Log off and Log on, or restart the computer to restore the default yellow folder icon.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Change the Windows 7 Default User Folder Icons
• How to Change Windows 7 Default Control Panel Icons
• How to Change a Library Icon in Windows 7
• How to Change the Open Folder Icon in Windows 7
• How to Change the Default Libraries Icon in Windows 7
• How to Add or Remove Control Panel from the Windows 7 Navigation Pane
• How to Change the Default Icon of a File Extension in Windows 7
• How to Change a Drive Icon in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Change Windows 7 System Icons Using Resource Hacker
• How to Change a Folder Icon in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Change Windows 7 Default Folder Icons using Resource Hacker
• How to Enable or Disable Explorer Thumbnail Previews in Windows 7 and Windows 8

 

[Brink]

No problem.

 

[johnywhy]

Step 9D says:

D) In the right pane of DefaultIcon, right click on (Default) and click on Modify. (see screenshot below step 8)

Where is "DefaultIcon"? There's nothing in the tutorial about "DefaultIcon".

Where is "right pane of DefaultIcon"? There's nothing in the tutorial about "DefaultIcon".

There is no screenshot in Step 8.

The screenshot shown in Step 10 has "(value not set)" for the "Default" value. There is no "DefaultIcon" in Step 10.

thx

 

[Brink]

Hello Johny,

Sorry about that. The step has been updated.

 

[johnywhy]

thx!

 

[johnywhy]

list of numbers for other windows icons. Not sure if this is good for Win 7/8:

https://www.easydesksoftware.com/regtrick.htm#Icons

 

[Antarius]

I have a question about this. I did everything according to instructions, but I have problem with save as and Open from my Opera browser.

When I try to open/save anything on computer, it works:

But when I'm trying the same (like downloading pictures from internet):



Could you help me and find out how to repair this?

My friend said it could be fun let someone like me "mess with the windows register". So I hope you'll give me an advice

 

[Brink]

Hello Antarius, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You might see if using the method in the tutorial below to change your folder icons may work better.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/144807-folder-icon-change-default-icon.html

 

[Stopak]

Full icon change

Hello, I've successfully changed my default folder icons. However I've one problem.
I'd like to change Full Folder icon as well.
I tried to search for "how to" but i didn't find anything.

Here's the screenshot for better explanation:

Anybody knows how to change this folder icon?

Thanks.


/EDIT:
I'm sorry. I haven't read the NOTE on the top of the text.
Now i see that i have to turn thumbnails off to have changed all folders.
I wonder if there is any way to change Full folder icon without disabling thumbnails. (I dont actually mind if Full folder looks exactly the same as empty folder, but i'm a little bit disapointed by fact that image files won't show thumbnails too.
(Sorry for my english...)

 

[Brink]

Hello Stopak, and welcome to Seven Forums.

For that, you would want to use the tutorial below instead.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/144807-folder-icon-change-default-icon.html

 

[Stopak]

Oh thanks!
I'll definitely do it.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[Ianb79]

So cool. Worked first time. Thanks! However, with Win 8.1 i was really hoping this would work as well but, alas, no joy it seems Do you know if it should work mate? Maybe i'm being daft (which isn't improbable... ), but i've tried a few times and no luck. Cheers again

 

[Brink]

Hello Ian, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I haven't tested in Windows 8.1 yet, but you might also see if this may work. Just be sure to create a restore point before doing it to make it easy to undo if needed.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/144807-folder-icon-change-default-icon.html

 

[HP Win7 User]

Hi Brink,

I followed your tutorials on changing the closed and open folder icons in Windows 7. Could you maybe give me a hint as to why this change is inconsistent on my computer? Particularly in the Start Menu.

As you can see, in some menus, some program folders are changed to the custom icon, while others are not. You can see this in the "Accessories" submenu with "Microsoft Office Tools" and in the "Graphics" submenu with "IcoFX":

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Start Menu, no icons are changed to the custom one. Like in my "Compression" and "Internet" submenus:

But when I go to the properties of a seemingly unchanged folder itself, or view it in Explorer, the icon is different:

What could be causing this inconsistency? I should let you know, that some of the folders have been customized using their Properties dialogues and/or the freebie program Folderico. That shouldn't create an inconsistency, I don't think, in the Start Menu or for other folders, because the icon is entered in the individual folder's desktop.ini. My start menu looks XP-like because I am using the software Classic Shell to make it look that way, and I'm wondering if I should contact the programmer with this same question.

I did remember to put the registry entries for "3" and "4" in both the 32-bit and 64-bit keys you mentioned.

Is there a problem with my icon (an XP icon linked to from a .dll), with my registry entry (do I need additional ones), or with these programs? What do you think?

 

[Brink]

Hello HP Win7 User,

The best way to change all default folder icons would be the method in the tutorial below instead.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/144807-folder-icon-change-default-icon.html

 

[Avengement]

The tutorial works great. Much appreciated.

There are a few folders in "My Doscuments" which are not changed with this process though.

Is there a way to change the "My Desktop" folder icon?

For example, "My Music" you can change the folder icon by right clicking: Properties - Customize - Change Icon but the "My Desktop" foldier icon does not have the "Properties" menu tab when right clicking.

 

[Brink]

Hello Avengement,

You could use OPTION TWO in the tutorial below to change the icons of user folders. Be sure to use the download in the yellow tip box under OPTION TWO to be able to change the Desktop folder icon.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/16336-user-folders-change-default-icon.html

 

[Avengement]

Hello Avengement,

You could use OPTION TWO in the tutorial below to change the icons of user folders. Be sure to use the download in the yellow tip box under OPTION TWO to be able to change the Desktop folder icon.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/16336-user-folders-change-default-icon.html

Thank you for the reply.

I tried that already. Like I stated in my previous post, the "Desktop" folder does not have the "Customize" tab when you right click Properties giving you the option to change the folder icon unfortunately:

Another thing that I noticed is that the folder icons change does not apply to the "Save As" explorer window as all of the folders are blank other then the ones that you manually right lick and change yourself:

 

[derekimo]

Hello Avengement,

You could use OPTION TWO in the tutorial below to change the icons of user folders. Be sure to use the download in the yellow tip box under OPTION TWO to be able to change the Desktop folder icon.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/16336-user-folders-change-default-icon.html

Thank you for the reply.

I tried that already. Like I stated in my previous post, the "Desktop" folder does not have the "Customize" tab when you right click Properties giving you the option to change the folder icon unfortunately:

Another thing that I noticed is that the folder icons change does not apply to the "Save As" explorer window as all of the folders are blank other then the ones that you manually right lick and change yourself:

You tried adding the customize tab as suggested in option two?

 

[Avengement]

I tried it 2-3 times the first round and nothing happened. I just rebooted and applied the reg edit again and this time it was successful. Very odd but that problem is now solved. Thank you.

Is there a similar tweak that can be done to allow the "Fonts" folder located in the "Windows" folder to be changed as well? That folder uses a special icon and does not display a "Customize" tab either.

And then I'm still left with the issue of the folders displaying the blank icon in the "Save As" explorer