How to Change the Icons in Windows

27 November 2007 Filed in: Tutorials

Changing icons in Windows Vista

These are the two easiest, and most common methods for changing the icons in Windows Vista.

To change the Computer, User folder, Network, or Recycle Bin icons, follow these steps:

Right click the desktop.
Choose Personalize from the menu.
In the window that opens, click on “Change desktop icons” in the upper-left corner.
Select the icon you wish to change.
Press the “Change Icon” button to open the icon selection window.
In the icon selection window, press the “Browse” button.
Use the file selection dialog to locate to the folder that contains the icons you downloaded.
Choose the ICO file you want to use as a replacement and press “Open”.
Press “OK” in the icon selection window and on the properties dialog.

You can also change the icon for a folder using these steps:

Right click the folder.
Choose Properties from the menu.
In the properties dialog, select the “Customize” tab.
Press the “Change Icon” button to open the icon selection window.
In the icon selection window, press the “Browse” button.
Use the file selection dialog to locate to the folder that contains the icons you downloaded.
Choose the ICO file you want to use as a replacement and press “Open”.
Press “OK” in the icon selection window and on the properties dialog.

Here are the two easiest, and most common methods for changing the icons in Windows XP.

To change the My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places (also called the Network Neighborhood), or Recycle Bin icons, follow these steps:

Right click the desktop.
Choose Properties from the menu.
In the properties dialog, select the “Desktop” tab and then click on “Customize Desktop…”
Select the icon you wish to change.
Press the “Change Icon” button to open the icon selection window.
In the icon selection window, press the “Browse” button.
Use the file selection dialog to locate to the folder that contains the icons you downloaded.
Choose the ICO file you want to use as a replacement and press “Open”.
Press “OK” in the icon selection window and on the properties dialog.

You can also change the icon for a shortcut using these steps:

Right click the shortcut.
Choose Properties from the menu.
In the properties dialog, select the “Customize” tab.
Press the “Change Icon” button to open the icon selection window.
In the icon selection window, press the “Browse” button.
Use the file selection dialog to locate to the folder that contains the icons you downloaded.
Choose the ICO file you want to use as a replacement and press “Open”.
Press “OK” in the icon selection window and on the properties dialog.

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