How Do I Change the Vista Start Button Icon?

Because the "Start" button icon is tied to a larger icon structure, to change it you need to change your Windows theme.

Changing the icon for the "Start" button, or "Windows orb," in the Microsoft Vista operating system is not a simple matter. There is not just one icon in that space, but three: the image you see normally, the image you see when you hover you mouse over the button and the image you see when you click the button. These three images are tied into your computer's wider appearance settings, so to change the icon you need to change Vista's "theme."

Instructions

1. Right-click on a blank spot on your computer's desktop and select "Personalize."

2. Select "Theme."

3. Click the drop-down menu that says "Theme" and select a theme other than the default of "Windows Vista." For instance, the "Windows Classic" theme changes the start button to the gray rectangle used in earlier versions of Windows.

4. Click "Apply."

Tips & Warnings

• You can also download third-party themes for Vista. There are hundreds of sites that provide free themes, a few of which are linked in the "Resources" section of this article.

• To change your theme back to the default, select "Windows Vista" in the "Themes" window and click "Apply" again.

References

• Microsoft Support: Vista Theme

Resources

• My Vista Themes
• Vista Themes
• Free Windows Vista Themes