Last Updated: November 5, 2020 Tested
This article was written by Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher.
The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work.
This article has been viewed 2,217,315 times.
This wikiHow teaches you how to change a desktop icon's appearance on Windows, both by changing the icon to a different system icon and by downloading or creating your own icon. You can also add your own custom shortcuts to the desktop, change the icons, and even remove the arrows from the shortcut icons.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 6:Changing System Desktop Icons
-
1Open Start. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press the Win key.
-
2Click Settings. It's in the lower-left side of the Start window.
-
3Click Personalization. This is the monitor-shaped icon on the Windows Settings page.
- You can also access this page by right-clicking a blank space on the desktop and then clicking Personalization in the drop-down menu.
-
4Click Themes. It's a tab on the left side of the Personalization window.
-
5Click Desktop icon settings. This link is in the upper-right side of the Themes page. Clicking it opens the Desktop Icon Settings window.
- If you haven't edited your theme at all, this link will be in the middle of the page beneath the "Related Settings" heading.
- You can also click Get more themes in the Store below the "Apply a theme" heading to browse desktop themes. Some themes will change your desktop icons' appearances.
-
6Click an icon you want to change. This will select the icon.
- For example, you might click This PC or Recycle Bin.
- You can also check the box next to a desktop icon's name at the top of the window to make it appear on your desktop, or uncheck the box to remove it from the desktop.
- Check the "Allow themes to change desktop icons" box on this window to enable theme-related icon changes.
-
7Click Change Icon. It's near the bottom of the window.
-
8Select an icon. You can select two different types of icons:
- System icon - Click an icon in the window.
- Custom icon - Click Browse, then click the folder that your custom icons are in on the left side of the window. Select the icon you want to use, then click Open.
-
9Click OK. This will assign your selected icon to the desktop program.
-
10Click Apply, then click OK. Doing so confirms your decision and changes the desktop program's icon to your selected icon.
Method 2
Method 2 of 6:Changing Shortcut and Folder Icons
-
1Open Start. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press Win.
-
2Click the File Explorer. You'll find this icon on the far-left side of the Start window.
-
3Click Desktop. It's a folder in the left-hand column of options in the File Explorer window.
-
4Click a shortcut or folder icon. Shortcut icons have a white box with an arrow in their lower-left corners.
- You cannot change the icons of specific files [e.g., Notepad files or .exe files] using this method.
-
5Click the Home tab. It's in the upper-left corner of the File Explorer window. Doing so will open a toolbar at the top of the window.
-
6Click Properties. This is a white box with a red checkmark in the "Open" section of the toolbar.
- You can also right-click on the icon on your desktop and then click Properties to get to this menu.
-
7Open the icon's "Change Icon" window. This process will vary depending on the type of icon you're editing:
- Shortcut - Click the Shortcut tab at the top of the Properties window, then click Change Icon near the bottom of the window.
- Folder - Click the Customize tab at the top of the Properties window, then click Change Icon near the bottom of the window.
-
8Select an icon. You can select two different types of icons:
- System icon - Click an icon in the window.
- Custom icon - Click Browse, then click the folder that your custom icons are in on the left side of the window. Select the icon you want to use, then click Open.
-
9Click OK. This will assign your selected icon.
-
10Click Apply, then click OK. Doing so confirms your decision and changes the original icon to your selected icon.
Method 3
Method 3 of 6:Downloading Icons
-
1Open a web browser. Microsoft Edge is the official Windows 10 browser, though you can use Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Internet Explorer as well.
-
2Search for Windows icons. Type download windows desktop icons into your browser's address bar and pressing Enter.
- You can narrow your search by entering the program's name [e.g., windows my computer icon] or by using the icon file type [e.g., ICO.
-
3Download the icons you want. You can do this by opening a site that has your icons and clicking the Download button. Doing so will save the icons to your computer.
- If you download multiple icons at once, you may have to extract the icons to a regular folder before continuing.
-
4Open File Explorer. You can do this by opening Startand clicking.
-
5Click Desktop. This folder is on the left side of File Explorer.
-
6Click your icons folder. Doing so selects it.
- If you just downloaded one icon, select the icon instead.
-
7Click Home. This tab is in the upper-left corner of the File Explorer window.
-
8Click Move to. It's in the "Organize" section of the toolbar at the top of the File Explorer window.
-
9Click Pictures. This folder is near the middle of the pop-up window.
- You can select any folder on your computer if you don't want to place your icons in Pictures.
-
10Click Move. This will send your icons to a folder where you won't move or delete them.
-
11Change a program's icon using your downloaded icon. You'll use the Browse method and then select an icon from within the Pictures folder to do this.
Method 4
Method 4 of 6:Creating Icons
-
1Open Start. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press Win.
-
2Type paint into Start, then press Enter. Make sure you don't press Enter until the Paint icon, which resembles a paint palette, appears at the top of the Start window.
-
3Click File. It's a blue button in the upper-left corner of the Paint window.
-
4Click Open. This option is in the File menu. Doing so opens a window where you can open a file location.
- If you'd rather create your own icon by drawing in Paint, skip this step and instead create your drawing.
-
5Select a picture. You may have to click a location on the left side of the Open window [e.g., Pictures] to find the picture you want to open.
- Skip this step if you're drawing your own icon.
-
6Click Open. This will open your image in the Paint window.
- Skip this step if you're drawing your own icon.
-
7Click File again. It's in the top-left corner of Paint.
-
8Select Save as. This option is near the top of the File menu.
-
9Click BMP picture. It's an option to the right of the Save as button. Doing so opens a Save As window where you can name your file.
-
10Type in your file's name followed by .ico. This will ensure that your file is saved as an icon file.
- For example, you might name your file "shortcut.ico".
-
11Click a folder to save your file in. Do so in the left-hand pane of the Save As window.
- The Pictures folder is a safe place to save your shortcut file.
-
12Click Save. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your icon in your selected folder.
-
13Change a program's icon using your created icon. You'll use the Browse method and select your custom icon from the folder where you saved it.
Method 5
Method 5 of 6:Adding Shortcuts to the Desktop
-
1Open Start. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press Win on your keyboard.
-
2Click File Explorer. It's in the lower-left side of the Start window.
-
3Click the Desktop folder. It's on the left side of the File Explorer window.
-
4Click the Home tab. You'll find this tab in the upper-left side of the File Explorer window.
-
5Click New item. It's in the "New" section of the tool bar at the top of the window.
-
6Click Shortcut. This option is in the New item drop-down menu. A window with options for your new shortcut will appear.
-
7Click Browse. It's in the middle of the page. Doing so opens a pop-up window.
-
8Scroll down and click the program's or file's folder. For example, if the program or file is in the Documents folder, you'd click My Documents.
- You may have to click through several different folders to find the program or file for which you want to create a shortcut.
-
9Click OK. Doing so sets the desktop shortcut's target as your selected item.
- If you rename the desktop icon or move it to a new folder, your shortcut will no longer work.
-
10Click Next, then enter a name. The default name for the shortcut is the same name as the program itself.
-
11Click Finish. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. This will create your shortcut in the folder you selected.
Method 6
Method 6 of 6:Removing Arrows from Shortcut Icons
-
1Open Start. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press Win.
-
2Type regedit into the Start window. This will bring up the "regedit" program at the top of the window.
-
3Click regedit. It's a blue group of blocks at the top of the window.
-
4Click Yes when prompted. This will open the Registry Editor.
-
5Navigate to the Explorer folder. To do so:
- Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE by clicking V left of it. This folder is in the top-left side of the Registry Editor window.
- Expand SOFTWARE.
- Expand Microsoft.
- Expand Windows.
- Expand CurrentVersion.
- Click Explorer.
-
6Click Edit. It's in the top-left corner of the Registry Editor window.
-
7Select New, then click Key. Doing so creates a new "key", which resembles a folder, in the column of folders below the Explorer folder.
-
8Type Shell Icons into the key's name, then press Enter. Doing so renames the key.
- Make sure you type this name exactly as it appears here.
-
9Click the Edit tab. It's in the upper-left corner of the window.
-
10Select New, then click String Value. This creates a new code item in the Shell Icons key.
-
11Type in 29, then press Enter. Doing so renames your string value.
-
12Double-click the 29 string value. This opens the Edit String window.
-
13Type %windir%\System32\shell32.dll,-50 into the Value data field. This field is at the bottom of the "Edit String" window.
-
14Click OK. Doing so saves your edit to the registry.
-
15Restart your computer. Once your computer reboots, you should no longer see the icon arrow in the bottom-left corner of your desktop icons.
Community Q&A
-
QuestionI lost the icon for my email. How do I get it back on my desktop?Community AnswerClick on your Windows key and type your email program. Then, just drag it onto your desktop.
-
QuestionHow do I change the background of icon names on my desktop in XP?Community AnswerHighlight then right-click, and a list of things should pop up. Click on "change."
-
QuestionHow do I put icons on my desktop from a program?Community AnswerIf on windows, search using the windows key for the program and then drag and drop it onto your desktop.
-
QuestionHow can I keep new icons from jumping to the top corner of the desktop when I create them?Community AnswerThis is not possible. It will always move there. You can move the icon to where you want it to be.
-
QuestionHow do I change the size of the Icons on my screen. Mine seemed to enlarge without doing anything.Community AnswerRight click on an empty space on your desk top, click view, and then select the icon size you would like. It usually gives you an option of small, medium or large icons.
-
QuestionHow do I put icons that are on multiple pages on one page on my iPhone 5 home screen?Community AnswerHold your finger on an icon until all the icons start shaking. Then, you can drag the icons to any page you want.
-
QuestionHow can I make my icons and texts larger on the desktop?Community AnswerRight-click an empty space on your desktop. Hover your mouse over "View." Select "Large icons."
-
QuestionWhat do I do to get rid of the contents of my Windows recycling bin?Community AnswerRight-click the recycling bin. Then select "Empty bin."
Tips
- You shouldn't have to pay for icons if you choose to download them.
- Some themes will change your desktop icons. To enable this feature, open the Desktop Icon Settings window from within Personalization, then check the "Allow themes to change desktop icons" box and click OK.
- You can find themes for Windows 10 in the Store, which is an app that comes preinstalled on Windows 10.
Warnings
- If you move or delete an icon file, the program you were using the file with will stop displaying the icon.
Related wikiHows
About This Article
1. Click the Start menu and select Settings.
2. Click Personalization.
3. Click Themes.
4. Click Desktop icon settings.
5. Select an icon to change.
6. Click Change Icon.
7. Select a new icon and click OK.
8. Click OK.
- Send fan mail to authors
Reader Success Stories
-
Balaso Phalake
Feb 20, 2017
"When two or more files get the same Icon it becomes a bit difficult & takes time to choose the required file. But when the icon picture is changed, it is easy to locate the required file icon." -
Anonymous
Jan 20, 2018
"Method #4, Creating Icon, helped me a great deal. I love the detail the article goes into."