How to change folder icons in Windows 10

Have you been looking for information on how to change folder icons in Windows 10? We’re getting into that in this article!

Customization is really the spice of things when it comes to technology and gadgets, and these days, it is useful for more than just aesthetics.

Customizing your Windows 10 user interface by changing your folder icons can help you locate and find your icons faster.

This allows you to customize each folder just the way you want it, and it gives your Windows 10 computer a new look – different from the traditional standard yellow-colored folder icons. The same applies to your desktop icon.

It also makes each folder’s icon stand out and allows for an efficient organization. If you have been thinking about changing your folder icons in Windows 10, here are a few tips.

Check below for steps on how to do it.

How to change folder icon in Windows 10
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How to change folder icon in Windows 10

Important things to know about folder icons in Windows 10

When you look at a Windows 10 folder, at a first glance, you get to see a preview of its contents, especially when the view mode is set to”Large Icons”. That’s the default folder icon.

However, if you change it for a custom folder icon for a particular folder, even when viewed as large icons, the previews will no longer show. Only the icon will display. Check out the example below:

Before the Icon was changed, a preview of the content of the folder is displayed.

In advance, we go into the detailed steps of how to change folder icons in Windows 10. You need to get those folder icons ready first. Below are the steps to get those folder icons.

Windows operating system comes with a lot of built-in icons. You can find them by attempting to change the icons, where you will see the various options available.

If you, however, wish to use images of your choice, you can start your search for new icons on Iconfinder. Iconfinder is a website where you can find any type of icon in different formats;

Search for your preferred icons and download them in .ICO format. In the image below, we searched for “Movies” icons, and we selected one;

You must note that any image you intend to use for your folder icon must be in .ICO format. If you have any image that is not in such format, you have to convert it to .ICO first;
Download or create your new icons and save them in a specific location.

STEP 1: Locate or create the folder you want to change its icon

Open Windows file explorer by pressing “Windows key + E” and navigate to its location. If the folder has been sent to your desktop, you can as well change its folder icon from there. The steps below will guide you;
Right-click on the folder and scroll down to “Properties” from the context menu options. Then, click there. You can alternatively press the “Alt + Enter” keys;

STEP 2: Change the icon

Once you click “Properties”, navigate to the tab named “Customize” and click the change icon button;

Note: Alternatively, you can open the folder and right-click on an empty area within the folder. This should be the resulting menu;

Clicking on “Customize this folder”. It will open the “Customize” tab in “Properties”.

Click on “Change Icon”

Once you do this, you will be redirected to a new window where you can change the icon of your selected folder. The window displays the default icon that you can choose from. If you want another icon, you can navigate to the folder where the icons you downloaded from Iconfinder are saved by clicking “Browse”.

Navigate to the folder where your icon is saved;
Select it and then click “Open”;
Click “Ok” to apply the folder icon change. This will return you to the “Customize” tab under “Properties”;

Once your selected icon is displayed next to “Change Icon”, then you can click “Apply” and then “Ok”;
Check the image below to see if the folder icon completely changed to the image we downloaded from Iconfinder.

If the folder does not change immediately, go to the folder’s location, right-click with your mouse and choose “Refresh”.

Wrap Up

Making your operating system look exactly how you want it, is one of the numerous possibilities that come with owning a computer running on Windows 10.

If you have been trying to figure out how to change the folder icon in Windows 10 before, your search ends here.

We hope the methods highlighted above made this process easier and more straightforward for you.

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How to change folder icon in Windows 10

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