Among the possible customizations for Windows PC, one of the best is certainly that of icons, choosing logos and icons other than the standard ones for the various desktop shortcuts and folders.
Windows has a number of built-in icons to choose from to change the default ones, but there is also the possibility of downloading icon packs of all types, going to specialized sites to download free icons of all kinds.
Once the icons you like most are obtained, they can be saved in a folder and used by changing the icons of Windows, all or only some elements .
Desktop shortcut icons can be changed easily thanks to the integrated Windows function, even in Windows 10.
To change the icon of a shortcut on the Windows desktop by right clicking on it and entering the Properties where, in the Connection tab, the Change icon button appears.
In the Change icon window, choose, if present, the one you want from the list of built-in ones or press Browse and select the folder in which the downloaded ones have been saved.
Then find the ICO file (or even the EXE or DLL file that contains icon packs) that you want to use, double click on it and press OK in the next window.
If the change does not work immediately, press the right mouse button on the desktop and then click Update .
In the same way you can change the icons fixed on the taskbar at the bottom.
These are normal links, the important thing is that when changing the icon, the program is closed.
To make things simpler, it may be easier to change the shortcut icon on the desktop first, then press the right mouse button and select Add to taskbar .
Some desktop icons are hidden by default in Windows.
In Windows 7 and 8 it is possible to display the icons of the computer, the profile folder, the network and the control panel, by right-clicking on an empty space on the desktop, going to Personalize and then clicking on Change desktop icons .
In Windows 10, however, you need to open Settings> Personalization> Themes, scroll the right window down and click on Desktop Icon Settings .
From the window that appears, the same in Windows 7 and Windows 10, select the icons you want to see.
Furthermore, always in this icon selection window, you can press on the icons to select them and then on the CAmbia icon button to choose the one you prefer.
The icons that can be modified from here are those of " This PC ", Full and empty recycle bin, Network and profile folder
In the "Change Icon" window, you can select any icon from those included in Windows or, by clicking on "Browse", using downloaded or created icons.
In Windows, you can also change the folder icons .
Changing the icon of a folder is also a good way to draw attention to the most important ones, making them stand out from the others.
For example, it is possible to change the color of a specific folder by making it another color to distinguish it from the others.
To change the icon of a folder, press the right mouse button on the folder to be modified and select " Properties ".
In the folder properties window, go to the " Personalize " tab and then click on " Change icon ".
In the " Change Icon " window, select the one you prefer from the Windows icons or click on "Browse" to locate the downloaded icons.
You can choose an ICO, EXE or DLL file from here.
After selecting the file, the "Change Icon" window will show the icons contained in the selected file, among which you can choose the one you want.
In another article there are some automatic programs to color folders in Windows by changing the color of the icons
To facilitate the task of changing icons on Windows, there are some small programs that automate the task.
let's see some free tools to customize the default Windows icons .
1) CustomizerGod is the latest program available to customize Windows 7 and Windows 8 / 8.1.
With this tool you can customize the Start button, the Charms bar, all the icons, the Windows ribbon menus, the icons of the Action Center, folders, notification bar, login screen and everything.
The tool automatically backs up the original system files before replacing them with custom ones.
The only flaw of CustomizerGod is that the installation brings with it some sponsor program to be deactivated during the process.
2) 7Conifier is a small tool for changing Windows icons by replacing them with a different set already included in the program.
You can change both those of the Windows 7 taskbar and those of the Start menu
3) 7LibraryIconsChanger is a tool to change the icons of the Windows 7 collections (Documents, Music, Images and videos) that appear in the side pane of each folder.
At any time you can always restore the original icons with a click.
4) Tray Icons Changer allows you to change the icons of the notification area, those of the background programs indicated at the bottom right, near the clock such as the volume, the LAN and the Wi-Fi network.
5) Types for Windows 7, XP and Vista, allows you to change the icons with which the various types and formats of files such as PDF, JPG, DOC and so on are identified.
6) W7 Superbar Icon Changer : allows you to change the icons of shortcuts to applications and programs on the taskbar of Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Very easy to use, it only applies to the buttons fixed in the taskbar, the Windows toolbar.
If you do not want to change the icons but simply change their size to make them bigger, in Windows 7 and Windows 10 the procedure is the same and is, trivially, to right-click on the empty space in a folder, and use the View menu.
Even faster, just hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard and move the mouse wheel up and down.
READ ALSO: Change fonts, colors and buttons of windows and on menu bars in Windows
Windows has a number of built-in icons to choose from to change the default ones, but there is also the possibility of downloading icon packs of all types, going to specialized sites to download free icons of all kinds.
Once the icons you like most are obtained, they can be saved in a folder and used by changing the icons of Windows, all or only some elements .
Desktop shortcut icons can be changed easily thanks to the integrated Windows function, even in Windows 10.
To change the icon of a shortcut on the Windows desktop by right clicking on it and entering the Properties where, in the Connection tab, the Change icon button appears.
In the Change icon window, choose, if present, the one you want from the list of built-in ones or press Browse and select the folder in which the downloaded ones have been saved.
Then find the ICO file (or even the EXE or DLL file that contains icon packs) that you want to use, double click on it and press OK in the next window.
If the change does not work immediately, press the right mouse button on the desktop and then click Update .
In the same way you can change the icons fixed on the taskbar at the bottom.
These are normal links, the important thing is that when changing the icon, the program is closed.
To make things simpler, it may be easier to change the shortcut icon on the desktop first, then press the right mouse button and select Add to taskbar .
Some desktop icons are hidden by default in Windows.
In Windows 7 and 8 it is possible to display the icons of the computer, the profile folder, the network and the control panel, by right-clicking on an empty space on the desktop, going to Personalize and then clicking on Change desktop icons .
In Windows 10, however, you need to open Settings> Personalization> Themes, scroll the right window down and click on Desktop Icon Settings .
From the window that appears, the same in Windows 7 and Windows 10, select the icons you want to see.
Furthermore, always in this icon selection window, you can press on the icons to select them and then on the CAmbia icon button to choose the one you prefer.
The icons that can be modified from here are those of " This PC ", Full and empty recycle bin, Network and profile folder
In the "Change Icon" window, you can select any icon from those included in Windows or, by clicking on "Browse", using downloaded or created icons.
In Windows, you can also change the folder icons .
Changing the icon of a folder is also a good way to draw attention to the most important ones, making them stand out from the others.
For example, it is possible to change the color of a specific folder by making it another color to distinguish it from the others.
To change the icon of a folder, press the right mouse button on the folder to be modified and select " Properties ".
In the folder properties window, go to the " Personalize " tab and then click on " Change icon ".
In the " Change Icon " window, select the one you prefer from the Windows icons or click on "Browse" to locate the downloaded icons.
You can choose an ICO, EXE or DLL file from here.
After selecting the file, the "Change Icon" window will show the icons contained in the selected file, among which you can choose the one you want.
In another article there are some automatic programs to color folders in Windows by changing the color of the icons
To facilitate the task of changing icons on Windows, there are some small programs that automate the task.
let's see some free tools to customize the default Windows icons .
1) CustomizerGod is the latest program available to customize Windows 7 and Windows 8 / 8.1.
With this tool you can customize the Start button, the Charms bar, all the icons, the Windows ribbon menus, the icons of the Action Center, folders, notification bar, login screen and everything.
The tool automatically backs up the original system files before replacing them with custom ones.
The only flaw of CustomizerGod is that the installation brings with it some sponsor program to be deactivated during the process.
2) 7Conifier is a small tool for changing Windows icons by replacing them with a different set already included in the program.
You can change both those of the Windows 7 taskbar and those of the Start menu
3) 7LibraryIconsChanger is a tool to change the icons of the Windows 7 collections (Documents, Music, Images and videos) that appear in the side pane of each folder.
At any time you can always restore the original icons with a click.
4) Tray Icons Changer allows you to change the icons of the notification area, those of the background programs indicated at the bottom right, near the clock such as the volume, the LAN and the Wi-Fi network.
5) Types for Windows 7, XP and Vista, allows you to change the icons with which the various types and formats of files such as PDF, JPG, DOC and so on are identified.
6) W7 Superbar Icon Changer : allows you to change the icons of shortcuts to applications and programs on the taskbar of Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Very easy to use, it only applies to the buttons fixed in the taskbar, the Windows toolbar.
If you do not want to change the icons but simply change their size to make them bigger, in Windows 7 and Windows 10 the procedure is the same and is, trivially, to right-click on the empty space in a folder, and use the View menu.
Even faster, just hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard and move the mouse wheel up and down.
READ ALSO: Change fonts, colors and buttons of windows and on menu bars in Windows
