Most of the objects in the Windows graphical interface can be customized by the user to their liking. True, some of them require a fairly deep penetration into the operating system settings tree. Changing folder icons is not a time-consuming operation and can be performed by a user with a minimum level of Windows knowledge.
Instructions
Step 1
If you need to change the icon of a specific folder, the easiest way to do this is using the capabilities of the built-in file manager of Windows OS - "Explorer". Start this system application by double-clicking on the "Computer" shortcut on the desktop or by selecting the item with the same name in the main menu of the system on the "Start" button.
Step 2
Navigate the directory tree in the left frame of the file manager interface to the desired folder and right-click on it. This can be done both in the left and in the right frames of the "Explorer", the context menu that appears in both cases will have the same set of lines. Select "Properties" among them, and an additional window with folder settings will appear on the screen.
Step 3
Go to the "Settings" tab in the window that opens and click the "Change icon" button in the lower section. By default, you will be offered a standard set of icons stored in the system library shell32.dll. You can select any icon from the set and press the OK button. If there is nothing suitable in this set, click on the "Browse" button and find any other dll-library with icon sets on your computer. Such icons can be found in executable files (exe extension), and in addition, you can use pictures from files with a special ico or icl extension.
Step 4
To change the icons of all folders, you can immediately change the theme by selecting the one in the list in which these objects are displayed using a picture that suits you more. Use the Windows 'Personalization' applet to change themes. The easiest way to invoke it is from the context menu that pops up when you right-click on the background image on your desktop. The necessary item in it is called “Personalization”.
Step 5
In addition to the capabilities provided by the operating system itself, you can use additional applications to change folder icons. For this purpose, for example, Stardock IconPackager, Microangelo On Display, TuneUp Utilities programs may be suitable.
