Customization can be a game-changer when it comes to organizing your files. The files on your PC have icons usually chosen by the operating system. In most cases, they all look the same and it is easy to get confused. If you want to give your PC a fresh look and make it easier to handle a large number of files for work (or play), adding custom icons to files will help.
Whether you have a Windows PC or Mac, you’ll find everything you need to know to customize your files in this article.
Find or create new icons
Before changing your icons, look for some icons that will replace the default ones.
Windows has a relatively good selection of icons that it doesn’t use. However, many are outdated or used for system utilities, making them too “official.”
Many online resources offer millions of other icons that are unique and high quality. Some popular icon archives are IconArchive, Findicons, Flaticon, GraphicBurger, and DeviantArt, which also have free content.
If you are a tech and art expert, you can also create your icons from scratch! All you need is photo editing software, like Photoshop or its free cousin GIMP, and some time.
You can download icons in various formats, but the recommended one is PNG for easy conversion to the ICO format since this is the format that Windows uses. At this point, a conversion is necessary to use your new images as icons.
ConvertICOis a server that can help you quickly here. You can upload 50 PNG images at a time to convert them into icons without losing image quality. The program will provide you with a folder where you can conveniently save your future default icons in case you need to change them later.
Add icon to file – Windows
Windows allows you to set a custom icon for a single file or folder. This is useful if you have some important items and have found some great icons that you want to use to differentiate them from other files of the same type.
Here’s how to change a single icon:
- Right click on the folder or file and select “Properties.”
- Go to the “Personalize” tab at the top of the popup window.
- Select “Change the icon…”
- You can choose from a list of preloaded icons (most of them are boring or old) or select “Browse” at the top to open a file manager and locate your custom icon.
- Select the icon and click “OK.”
- You can choose “Restore default values” in the same window to delete the custom icon.
To customize the icons for all files of a specific file type, you will need a tool calledFile Type Manager. The link provided for FileTypesMan is one of many software solutions you can find online, but this one should work quite well. Remember to review everything you download to make sure it is safe.
Let’s look at everything you need to do:
- Download, install and open the free software.
- Click on the “Find” icon at the top.
- Type the extension of the file you want to edit. The cursor should point to it from the list.
- After that, you can close the“Find” box.
- Right click on the list entry and select “Edit selected file type.”
- at the entrance to “Default icon” Click the three dots button on the right.
- Choose your icon. In this step, you can use an existing icon or import a unique icon by clicking“Browse.” Select one of your new icons in the dialog menu and press OK to change it.
- When you are satisfied with the results, you can click “OK”to execute the changes.
Add icon to file – Mac
While Mac is a little simpler in terms of using custom icons, you still need to find icons that are better than the default ones. That’s where icon archives like IconArchive, Findicons, Flaticon, GraphicBurger, and DeviantArt shine. Most of them contain free art that you can use for your icons, but a Premium account can give you endless options to customize the look of your desktop.
When downloading custom icons, you can select JPG or PNG formats. Mac makes it easy to use downloaded files, as you can use JPG or PNG images instead of needing a conversion.
Once you’ve found the perfect images, here’s what you need to do:
- Select the image you want to use and open it.
- Go to the menu bar, select “Edit,” then choose “Copy” from the dropdown menu.
- Click the file or folder you want to customize.
- Select “Archive” in the menu bar, then “Get information.”
- In the information window at the top, click the icon.
- Click “Edit” in the menu bar, then “Paste.” If the option is not available, be sure to click the icon at the top of the Information window.
If these steps don’t work, be sure to copy the contents of the files, rather than the file itself.
If you want to use an icon from another file or folder, follow these steps:
- Choose the file with the icon you want to use.
- Click on“Archive” from the menu bar, then “Get information.”
- Click the small icon at the top of the Information window.
- Gonna “Edit” and select “Copy.”
- Navigate to the file or folder you want to customize and open it.
- Gonna “Archive” and “Get information.”
- Click the icon at the top of the information window.
- Select “Edit” and “Paste” in the menu bar.
If you want to revert to the system defaults for an icon, here’s what you do:
- On your computer, choose the file or folder.
- Gonna “Choose file” and then “Get information.”
- Click the custom icon at the top of the information window. Be careful with this step, you cannot use the icon below “Advance.”
- Choose “Edit” and then “Cut” in the menu bar.
If you want to change the icons for an entire file type, you can use specialized file type management software. You can look for third-party services that offer this feature, but check their credentials and validity before using them.
Change default operating system icons
If you want to edit the basic desktop icons for This PC, Recycle Bin, Network, Files, and Control Panel, you can do so through the Personalization screen, under “Themes” > “Desktop Icon Settings.” The dialog screen will allow you to search for new icons and display its extensive library of (honestly, ugly) default icons to use.
Make your PC iconic
Personalizing the computer is very similar to personalizing our office or our home. With a new set of custom icons, you can create a comfortable, consistent, and coordinated digital workspace.
What icons did you use to customize your files? Let us know in the comments p below.
