How to Change Icon Files

Changing an icon

As a vital part of Graphical User Interface (GUI) systems like Windows, icons identify documents and programs through the use of small pictures. You can move icons to organize them or double-click them to open up the underlying file. If you don't like the appearance of an icon, you can change it using an editor like IconEdit2 and then apply the new icon through Windows.

Things You'll Need

• Icon editing program such as IconEdit2

Instructions

Changing

1. 

   Download, install and run IconEdit2 (see Resources below for link). The program window appears.

2. Choose the "File" menu and then "Open" to display the Open dialogue. Navigate to the file containing the icon you want to edit.

3. 

   Double-click the file. The icon appears enlarged into pixels in the drawing area, with its actual size showing underneath. (A typical icon is 32 by 32 pixels in size, though smaller and larger icons exist.)

4. 

   Use any of the tools on the right to modify the icon. For example, use the Point tool to change individual pixels or the Line tool to draw lines. To define the color used by the tool, click on the Color box at the bottom of the tool bar and choose a color from the palette.

5. Save your icon by choosing the File menu and then Save As. Use the ICO format type. For example, save the new icon as NEWPROG.ICO.

Applying

1. 

   To apply the changed icon, use Windows Explorer to go to the original file and right-click the file. Choose Properties from the pop-up menu to show the Properties dialogue.

2. Look for the Customize or Shortcut tab. If it does not exist, close the dialogue and right-click the file to show the pop-up menu again. Choose Send To and Desktop to send a shortcut of the file to the desktop. Go to the desktop and right-click the file shortcut to choose Properties.

3. 

   Choose the Shortcut or Customize tab and then click Change Icon to display the Change Icon dialogue.

4. Click Browse to display a standard file dialogue.

5. Navigate to the ICO file you saved and double-click it. The icon appears in the Change Icon dialogue.

6. Click the "OK" buttons to close all dialogues. The changed icon appears on the original file.

Tips & Warnings

• IconEdit2 is a shareware program that lets you change icons. To save any changes, you need to pay for registration.

• To change the icon within the file (as opposed to its shortcut), you'll need a resource editor. This is recommended only for advanced users or you may damage the file.

Resources

• IconEdit2