Favorites - Change Default Icon

How to Change Default Icon of Favorites in Navigation Pane in Windows 7 and Windows 8

   Information
This tutorial will show you how to change the default icon of the Favorites folder in the navigation pane to any icon of your choice in Windows 7 and Windows 8.

   Warning

  • You can only do this while logged into an administrator account.
  • This will affect all user account's Favorites icon on the computer.
EXAMPLE: Favorites in Navigation Pane
NOTE: This is Favorites with the default icon (left screenshot below) and with a changed icon (right screenshot below) in the Navigation Pane. Default.jpgChanged.jpgHere's How: 1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type regedit, then press Enter.

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

3. In regedit, navigate to the location below: (see screenshot below step 4)
Code:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{323CA680-C24D-4099-B94D-446DD2D7249E}\DefaultIcon
4. In the left pane of regedit, right click on the DefaultIcon key, and click/tap on Permissions. (see screenshot below) HKCR.jpg
5. In Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, or Windows RT 8.1, you will need to take ownership (step 3 of Option Three at link) of the DefaultIcon key before being able to do step 6 below.

6. At the top, select the Administrators group. At the bottom, check the Allow box to the right of Full Control, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below) Permissions.jpg
7. In the right pane of regedit, double click/tap on (Default) to modify it, and do step 8, 9, or 10 below for what you would like to do. (See screenshot below) HKCR2.jpg
8. To Restore the Default Favorites Icon A) In the Modify window from regedit, copy and paste the path below, click/tap on OK, and go to step 11 below. %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-1024
Modify-Restore.jpg
9. To Use a Custom Icon of Your Own A) In the Modify window from regedit, type in the full path in quotes of where you have your custom icon (.ico file) saved at, click/tap on OK, and go to step 11 below. (see screenshot below)

WARNING: You will need to use a 256x256 pixel icon for them to display properly at all of the available icon view sizes in Windows. You will also need to leave the icon (.ico file) saved at the exact location you typed below for it to continue to work. If you delete or move this icon, then it will no longer be displayed. Modify-Custom.jpg
10. To Use another Windows Icon A) If you have not already, download and install the free program IconViewer to add the Icons tab in the screenshot below step 10B.
NOTE: Be sure to download the correct 32-bit or 64-bit version for your Windows.

B) In Windows Explorer navigate to the .exe (ex: for program icons) or .dll (ex: Windows icons) file that contains the icon that you want to use for the default Favorites icon, then right click on the file, click on Properties, and the Icons tab. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: The most common Windows icons come from the C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll file. Tip1.jpg
C) Make note of the icon number for the icon that you want to use instead. (see screenshot above)
NOTE: For example, the default Favorites icon number is 1024. I'm going to change it to the 1029 icon number just as an example.

D) In the Modify window from regedit, type in the full path of the .exe or .dll file followed by ,-icon# (fullpath,-####), click/tap on OK, and go to step 11 below. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: For example, if I want to use the path (step 9B) and the 1029 icon (step 9C), I would type: %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-1029

OR

C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll,-1029
Modify-W7Icon.jpg
11. If you have a 64-bit Windows Installed

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

If you have a 32-bit Windows installed, then skip this step since doing steps 1 to 8/9/10 will change the Favorites icon in the "Open" and "Save as" type windows as well.
A) In regedit, go to the location below:
Code:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Classes\CLSID\{323CA680-C24D-4099-B94D-446DD2D7249E}\DefaultIcon
B) Repeat steps 5 to 8/9/10 above.
12. Close regedit.

13. Restart the PC to fully apply.
That's it,
Shawn



 
Last edited:
Good tutorial, thank you! :)

But I have a question, why is this the only tutorial where the custom icon path has to be between quotes? :rolleyes:
 

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You're most welcome Shrantellatessa.

The full icon path doesn't really have to be in quotes unless the icon file name has a space in it. Since the path is unpredictable, I just went ahead and included having quotes to cover all bases so someone with a space wouldn't have a problem using the steps. I'm currently updating other tutorials that I run across that may have the same situation. That's all. :)
 

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You're welcome. Anytime. :)
 

My Computer

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PC/Desktop
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Self built custom
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64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
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ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
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64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
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ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
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Integrated
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2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
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1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
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Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
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Thermaltake Core P3
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Corsair Hydro H115i
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Logitech wireless K800
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Logitech MX Master 4
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2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
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Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
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Google Chrome
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Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Nice Tutorial dude!
 

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Thank you Dobknobby, and welcome to Seven Forums. :)
 

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64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
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ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
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ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
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2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
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Logitech Z625 speaker system,
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APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Doesn't seem to work for me =[
 

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Windows 7 Ultimate x64
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AMD Phenom II Triple Core 720 AM3 + Socket /DDR3 PIB CPU
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Palit GF GTX 260+ Sonic (216SP) PCI-E 2.0 1792MB DDR3
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hp lp2475w 24" wide
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2x Western Digital Caviar Green 808.8 GB, 32 MB Cache, SATA 3 Gb/s SATA Hard Drives
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cooler master 650w extreme power plus
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cooler master sileo 500 mid tower hd-audio atx micro-atx sou
Hello Jew,

Could you give more details please? (ex: icon you used, error message, what you got instead, screenshots, logged in as administrator, etc.....)


Double check to see if you may have made a mistake somewhere in the steps.
 

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PC/Desktop
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Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
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Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
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Logitech wireless K800
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Logitech MX Master 4
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2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
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Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
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Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I followed all your steps fine received no error messages just when i restarted it was still the default icon.


this is the icon i used. It is 256x256.



 

My Computer

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Windows 7 Ultimate x64
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AMD Phenom II Triple Core 720 AM3 + Socket /DDR3 PIB CPU
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Asus M4A79XTD EVO
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4gb
Graphics Card(s)
Palit GF GTX 260+ Sonic (216SP) PCI-E 2.0 1792MB DDR3
Monitor(s) Displays
hp lp2475w 24" wide
Hard Drives
2x Western Digital Caviar Green 808.8 GB, 32 MB Cache, SATA 3 Gb/s SATA Hard Drives
PSU
cooler master 650w extreme power plus
Case
cooler master sileo 500 mid tower hd-audio atx micro-atx sou
Jew,

Right click on your icon file and click on Properties. Under the General tab, check to see if you have a Unblock button. If you do, then click on the Unblock button to unblock the icon file.

What type of drive is the G drive? As a test, save the icon file to a location on the C: drive (ex: Desktop) to see if it will work from this location instead. This will test to see if there may be a issue with it located on the G drive.

If you like, go ahead and upload your icon file in a ZIP file here, and I'll test it on my system to see if I may be able to spot anything wrong.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
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Logitech wireless K800
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Logitech MX Master 4
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Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Edit: nevermind I've just used iconpackager to change it.
Thanks for trying thought =]
 

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Last edited:

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Custom built
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
AMD Phenom II Triple Core 720 AM3 + Socket /DDR3 PIB CPU
Motherboard
Asus M4A79XTD EVO
Memory
4gb
Graphics Card(s)
Palit GF GTX 260+ Sonic (216SP) PCI-E 2.0 1792MB DDR3
Monitor(s) Displays
hp lp2475w 24" wide
Hard Drives
2x Western Digital Caviar Green 808.8 GB, 32 MB Cache, SATA 3 Gb/s SATA Hard Drives
PSU
cooler master 650w extreme power plus
Case
cooler master sileo 500 mid tower hd-audio atx micro-atx sou
Ok. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted. :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
thanx
 

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You're most welcome Yuri. :)
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
changing libraries in explorer icons in windows 8

I was trying that on my New windows 8 pro , and it didnt work out. Activated an admin account - apart from my usual account which should have all the admin permissions needed.
Went through the instruction but it just keeps saying im not allowed to change the permission in that reg.
Tried also doing it in the safe mode - but no luck there as well.
Any one has any idea ?

(does anyone find that weird and unprofessional that Microsoft is shipping its new product that works and looks exactly the same as win7 - and they dont even bother to change all the icons and leave even the xp icons behind in some of the system dead ends ? Why they are so lazy... Icon change its not a big thing and the old gradient icons dont match the style at all - really disappointed here )
 

My Computer

OS
win 7 ultimate

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks Brink

it worked out after all. I need to to around route as for some resound it did not want to change the permission for one user. But once i did the steps you 've sent me link for and then edit permissions on all the users bellow it finally worked :

permit.png


i must say its not an easy ride. I mean how much this system could gain if there was one simple option to rightclick on any icon in the system and just change it.

anyways thanks again now im trying to figure out how to change ftp icon :)


ftpicon.PNG


thanks again
best,

Adam
 

My Computer

OS
win 7 ultimate
You're most welcome Adam. I'm glad it worked for you in Windows 8. :)

Yeah, it would be nice to have a nice GUI option already included in Windows to make these type of changes.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Brink, is there any way to completely remove the "Favorites" line? I'm not looking to remove favorites from the Explorer sidebar altogether, but I would like my favorites to be listed without the header and the option to hide them by collapsing it.

Ideally it would look like this:
qRi3Mjm.png


Thank you!
 

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PC/Desktop
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Deutschland (DEU)
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