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]

You're welcome Captain Shyam.

 

[Eelias]

Too bad the pictures dont show as thumbnails in the folder.

 

[mavericks]

Thanks dude, i already test for my win7...its work properly

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Mavericks, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[Shrantellatessa]

Disable Folder Thumbnails

Hello Shawn,
This is a great tutorial, it worked like a charm on my Windows 7-64 Home Premium

But I was wondering if there was a way to disable thumbnails only in folder icons (I want to disable folder thumbnails, not file/image thumbnails) so I can only see the custom folder icons I chose, not the yellow default ones with thumbnails of files which are inside the folders

 

[Brink]

Hello Shrantellatessa, and welcome to Seven Forums.

I'm afraid that it's currently all thumbnails turned off to see all of your custom folder icons. There may be a 3rd party program that will allow this, but I'm not aware of one yet.

 

[Shrantellatessa]

Okay then and thanks for the welcome greetings ^_^

 

[Tyenot]

Hi Shawn,

I followed this tutorial a few days ago with complete success. Thanks for that. I decided to change the libraries icons and control panel ones as well. Using the corresponding tutorials found on this site. All went fine except now my default folder icon and open folder icons are no longer visible. I get the icon of a file that windows doesn't recognize. I hope you know which one I mean. The only icons that remain are the ones I changed individually. I went back into regedit and under 3 and 4 and the correct path is still there.

If someone wanted to change most/all of the folders in windows, is there a particular order they should be done in? (i.e. control panel, libraries, default, etc.)

Or is there a common reason why the icons would no longer be visible.

Thanks for the help,

Tye

 

[Brink]

Hello Tye,

Um, not sure why you are getting this. The libraries and Control Panel icons have nothing to do with the default folder and open folder icons.

Try undoing the default folder and open folder, then restart the computer to see if they go back to default. Afterwards, try changing them again.

 

[Tyenot]

I deleted the entries in regedit. I'll wait a couple of days, then post results.

Thanks,

Tye

 

[Jack8530]

I used a icon changer and it changed the icon and I deleted the program (and forgot what it was called) and I tried doing the steps and I did but i still have to use the icon it changed it to and half of them are the same as default and the rest are different

help??

Thanks Jack,

 

[bpmhawaii]

Hi,

New here and just wondering if there is a more efficient way to change the folder/document icons? Say by copying/cutting/paste method?

Thanks!

 

[Jack8530]

can i see inside your Shell Folders (the one above) Shell Icon

 

[Brink]

Hello Jack,

Here you go.

 

[Jack8530]

how do i get it back to normal folder look ive done that and log out in (didnt work) i tried again turn off on (didnt work) i tried again rebooted (didnt work) help??

Thanks Jack,

 

[Brink]

Jack,

You can try to see if OPTION TWO in the tutorial may be able to restore the default folder icon. If not, you could do a system restore using a restore point dated before you made the change with the 3rd party program.

 

[Jack8530]

Hi brink its me from folder options

hey brink I don't remember when I did that folder 3rd party change can you help me
by letting me know how to get a screen shot as well

Thanks Jack,

 

[Brink]

Jack, this can help show you how to do a screenshot.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-how-post-screenshot-seven-forums.html

I suppose that if you do not have a date in mind that may be around the time you did it, you could do a repair install to fix it.

 

[Jack8530]

Its me again this is what my folder looks like and I cant change it back to default.

Can you email me or something with the default windows 7 icon.

what if i delete the all the things in explorer will that change it back to default??

 

[Brink]

Jack,

Here's the default Windows 7 folder icon in a ZIP file. However, you will not have thumbnail previews if you apply the icon using the tutorial.

View attachment Default_Open_Folder.zip

If the icon changing program is uninstalled, then a repair install will fix this for you without losing anything else.