There are various ways to customize your PC and make it look unique. For instance, you can use different fonts and themes to add more style to your computer. However, many people overlook the fact that they can also change default icons and kick their personalization up a notch.
A few years ago, you could easily achieve this with built-in customization software. Nowadays, Windows 10 doesnt come with these features, which means that youll need to think of a workaround.
In this article, well show you several ways of customizing default icons in Windows 10.
How to Change Default Icons in Windows 10
The easiest way to personalize your icons is using icons already configured on your computer. As youre about to see, this approach takes just a few clicks and can improve the bland look of your icons.
Additionally, you can also download icon packs from the internet. They come as .zip archives Windows 10 can handle.
How to Change the Default Folder Icon in Windows 10
This process may vary slightly, depending on your folder, but it will get you the desired results:
- Navigate to the folder whose icon you wish to change and right-click it.
- Select Properties from the dropdown menu.
- Press the Customize section.
- In the Folder Icons part of the section, press Change Icon.
- There will be plenty of icons to choose from. Find the one that suits you, or press Browse to pick a custom icon.
- Return to the previous page and hit OK to save your changes. The change only applies to the folder you selected. To use a different icon for another folder, just follow the same process.
How to Change Default Desktop Icons in Windows 10
A simple way to change your default desktop icons is to download an icon pack. Again, they are grouped as .zip archives, meaning that youll have to extract them to your hard drive. Heres what comes next:
- Right-click on the icon you want to change and choose Properties.
- In the following window, press Change Icon.
- Hit Browse and choose the folder with the downloaded icons.
- In the Change Icon section, youll see that there are now more icons available.
- Choose an icon and press OK.
Your icon has been successfully changed.
How to Change Default Icon View in Windows 10
Icon view is another thing you can modify in Windows 10:
- Go to File Explorer by pressing the Windows Key + E.
- Find the folder that will be used as the source for your view settings.
- Head to the View section at the top of the screen and modify the settings according to your preferences. You can decide which folder details will be displayed, use a different layout, adjust the column width, add more panes, etc.
- Once you complete your changes, press Options to enter the Folder Options section.
- Go to the View tab.
- Click the Apply to Folders button.
- Press Yes in the popup window.
- Hit the OK button in the Folder Options section to save your settings.
How to Change Default Icon Size in Windows 10
Many people may not like the default icon size in their Windows 10 PC. This is how to change it:
- Press the Start button and go to This PC to access your File Explorer.
- Head to a folder on the C drive. For instance, click the Pictures library if it contains picture files.
- Once youre inside a folder, right-click on the blank space within the window and choose View from the menu.
- Select the desired size of your icons. You can go for extra-large, large, medium, and small icons.
You can also make this your default view for all your folders:
- Press the File section in your File Explorer.
- Hit Change folder and search options.
- Press the View section and find the Folder Views heading.
- Press the Apply to Folders button.
- Click Apply and press the OK button.
How to Change the Default Icon of a File Extension in Windows 10
To change the default icon of a file extension, you can download a program called File Types Manager. Make sure you get the right file, depending on whether you have a 32- or 64-bit Windows version.
Unzip your folder after the download completes and double-click the .exe file. This is what to do next:
- Press Default Icon to sort your list.
- Click Find and enter the extension whose icon you wish to change in the following Find window.
- Keep clicking Find Next until you reach the desired extension.
- Right-click on the extension and press the Edit Selected File Type option.
- Hit the option in the window called Edit File Type.
- Press Browse to locate your icon files. File Types Manager lets you select ICO, DLL, or EXE files.
- After selecting your icon file, the available options will appear in the list. Choose the desired icon and hit the OK button.
- Close the program and open your File Explorer to see the changes.
How to Reset Default Icons on Windows 10
After changing your desktop icons, Windows 10 lets you restore them to default settings:
- Open your Desktop Icon Settings.
- Press the Search tab and enter desktop icon in the box.
- Hit Show or hide common icons on the desktop.
- Select a modified desktop icon and press Restore Default.
- Hit the OK button to apply the changes.
Additional FAQs
Read through the upcoming FAQ section for some more information about customizing the appearance of your Windows 10.
How Do I Customize Icons in Windows 10?
There are multiple ways of customizing your icons in Windows 10. One of them is changing the number of icons that appear on your Desktop:
Go to your Settings, followed by Personalization.
Press the Themes option.
Click Desktop Icon Settings.
In the Desktop Icons part, select the icons that will appear on the Desktop using the checkboxes.
You can also change your icons:
Right-click on the icon you wish to change.
Press Properties.
Click the Customize tab.
Hit the Change icon button.
Select a new icon from the provided list, or press Browse to find your icon files.
If youre browsing for your icons, you can choose an ICO, DLL, or EXE file. Once youve selected the icon, the Change Icon section will list the icons in the selected file. Click on the desired one and press OK.
After changing an icon, the new one should be displayed in your File Explorer, taskbar, and on your Desktop.
How Do I Create Association in Windows 10?
Heres how to add a new program to associate your Windows 10 files with:
Press the Windows button + X key combination or right-click your start button.
Select Settings.
Go to Apps, followed by Default Apps.
Scroll until you locate Choose default apps by file type.
Find the extension whose default program you wish to change.
Pick the program on the extensions right-hand side. If there are no programs listed, press the Choose a default option instead.
In the following window, select a program that will be associated with your file extension. If the one you wish to use isnt listed, press Look for an app in the Store.
Find the preferred program, and Windows will open it every time the file with that extension is started from your File Explorer.
How Do I Reset Default Programs to Open Files?
Take the following steps to reset your file-opening programs:
Go to your Settings.
Open Apps and the Default Apps section.
Scroll to the bottom and hit Reset under Reset to the Microsoft recommended defaults.
All protocol and file type associations will now be reset to their default settings.
How Do I Change Windows 10 Default Font?
Windows 10 allows you to change your default font, but youll need to make some modifications to the systems registry:
Hit the Start button.
Find and open Notepad.
Paste this registry code into the text editor:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]
Segoe UI (TrueType)=
Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)=
Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)=
Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)=
Segoe UI Light (TrueType)=
Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)=
Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)=
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
Segoe UI=NEW-FONT-NAME
Go back to Settings and press Personalization.
Click Fonts and choose the font type you wish to use.
In Notepad, replace the NEW-FONT-NAME section with the font you wish to use for your system. For example, you can type in Courier New.
Press File in Notepad and click Save as.
Enter the Save as type menu and choose All Files.
Name your file and make sure to use .reg as your extension.
Press Save.
Right-click on the new .reg file.
Choose Merge.
Click Yes, followed by OK.
Restart your computer, and youre all done.
Be Creative
Despite the lack of built-in software that changes your icons, you can still find a bevy of solutions to customize your Windows 10. No matter which approach you take, the result will be stylish icons that will personalize your PC and make the icons more attractive. Even if youre not happy with the outcome, you can easily revert your changes and keep looking for the ideal solution.
Have you tried changing your icons in Windows 10? Was the process challenging? Are you happy with the new icons? Let us know in the comments section below.