If you have a Windows PC, you may occasionally want to change the look of your desktop icons. For this, you can download icons that you like or create them yourself. You can also make your own shortcuts appear on the desktop, modify icons and even make the arrows that are on shortcut icons disappear.
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Change the desktop system icons
Step 1. Open the Start menu (
).
Click the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen or press the ⊞ Win key.
Step 2. Click Settings (
).
You can find it at the bottom left of the start window.
Step 3. Click Personalization
On this settings page, the icon is a monitor with a brush inside.
- You can also access this page by right-clicking on an empty area of the desktop. From the context menu, choose Customization.
Step 4. Click Themes
This tab is in the fourth position on the left of the open window.
Step 5. Click Desktop Icon Settings
This link is at the top right of the themes page. By clicking on it, you will open a settings window.
- If you haven't edited a theme at all, the link will be roughly in the middle of the page in the topic Associated parameters.
- To discover desktop themes, you can also click Get more themes from the Windows Store in category Apply a theme. Some themes will change the look of your desktop icons.
Step 6. Click on the icon you want to change
It is thus selected.
- As an example, you can click Computer Where Basket.
- You can also check the box next to the desktop icon name and the desktop icon will appear on the desktop. If you uncheck it, the icon will disappear.
- At the bottom of the window, check the box Allow themes to change desktop icons to activate the themes.
Step 7. Click Change Icon
The button is at the bottom of the window.
Step 8. Select an icon
You can select two types of icons.
- For the system icons, click on an icon in the window.
- For the custom icons, click on Browse, then on the custom icons folder (on the left of the window). Select the desired icon, then click To open.
Step 9. Click OK
The icon thus selected will join the Office program.
Step 10. Click Apply, then on OK.
After confirmation, the start icon is replaced by the one you have chosen.
Method 2 of 6: Change shortcut and folder icons
Step 1. Open the Start menu (
).
Click the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen or press the ⊞ Win key.
Step 2. Click File Explorer (
).
You'll find it at the bottom left of the start window.
Step 3. Click Desktop
This folder is in the options column on the left of the File Explorer window.
Step 4. Click a shortcut or folder icon
At the bottom left of the shortcut icons, you can see a small white square containing an arrow.
With this method, you cannot change the icons of some files (Notepad or.exe files)
Step 5. Click the Home tab
It's in the upper left corner of the File Explorer window. A toolbar appears at the top of the window.
Step 6. Click Properties
The icon is in the toolbar, in the section To open, it is a blank page marked with a red check mark.
- You can also right click on the icon in question, then you will click on Properties.
Step 7. Open the Change Icon to Icon window
The procedure will depend on the nature of the icon that will be modified.
- For a shortcut, click on the tab Shortcut at the top of the properties window, then click Change icon down.
- If it's a folder, click the tab Personalize at the top of the properties window, then click Change icon down.
Step 8. Select an icon
The selection depends on the icon to be changed.
- For a system icon, click on one of the icons in the bottom frame.
- For a custom icon, click on Browse, then on the custom icons folder (on the left of the window). Select the desired icon, then click To open.
Step 9. Click OK
You thus indicate to the system that it is this icon that must be taken into account.
Step 10. Click Apply, then on OK.
The start icon is replaced with the one you chose whether it is your own or downloaded.
Method 3 of 6: Download icons
Step 1. Open a browser
Microsoft Edge is Windows 10's browser, but there's nothing stopping you from using Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Internet Explorer.
Step 2. Look for icons for Windows
In the address bar of your browser, type download icons from Windows Desktop, then validate with the Enter key.
Limit your search by typing only the name of the program (eg my windows pc icon) or using only an extension (eg ICO)
Step 3. Download the icons you want
Find a site whose icons you like, select one or more, then click the download button to bring them back to your computer.
If you download multiple icons at the same time, they will be sent to you in compressed form, so you will have to extract them to put them in a dedicated folder
Step 4. Open File Explorer (
).
To do this open the menu To start up (
), then click (
).
Step 5. Click Desktop
This folder is on the left of File Explorer.
Step 6. Click on the icons folder
It is then selected.
If you only downloaded one icon, select it in the same way
Step 7. Click Home
This tab is in the upper left corner of the File Explorer window.
Step 8. Click Move To
The icon is in the toolbar of the File Explorer window, in the section To organise.
Step 9. Click Images
This folder is roughly in the middle of the window.
You can choose any folder, but the Pictures folder is best
Step 10. Click Move
Your icons are then sent to a folder and you will take care not to move or delete them from this folder.
Step 11. Change the system icon
Edit it by replacing it with the one you downloaded. Come back to the window Change icon, click on Browse and select the desired icon from the Pictures folder.
Method 4 of 6: Create desktop icons
Step 1. Open the Start menu (
).
Click the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen or press the ⊞ Win key.
Step 2. In the menu, type paint
Confirm by pressing Enter. Be careful not to commit until the Paint icon (a palette) appears at the top of the start menu window.
Step 3. Click File
It's a blue button located in the upper left corner of the Paint window.
Step 4. Click Open
This option is in the menu File. The window that opened will allow you to select a file.
If you are creating your own icon in Paint, skip this step and move on to making the icon
Step 5. Select an image
In the window in front of you, search in the tree structure for the image file that interests you, you may need to open several folders, such as the aptly named Images folder.
If you draw your icon, you can move on to the next step
Step 6. Click Open
Your image will open in a blank Paint window.
If you are drawing your icon, go to the next step
Step 7. Click File again
The command is in the upper left corner of Paint.
Step 8. Select Save As
This option is in the menu File, under Save.
Step 9. Click Image in BMP format
This option is to the right of the button Save as. A classic recording window appears in which you will be able to give a name to your file.
Step 10. Give your file a name by adding an extension in
.ico
.
Thus, it is indeed an icon file that you will save.
So you can call your shortcut.ico file
Step 11. Click on the destination folder for the file
Do this in the left frame of the recording window.
The Images folder seems ideal for accommodating your shortcut file
Step 12. Click Save
The button is at the bottom of the window. Your icon is now saved in the folder you have chosen.
Step 13. Change the system icon
Edit it by replacing it with the one you created. Come back to the window Change icon, click on Browse and select the desired icon from the Pictures folder.
Method 5 of 6: Add desktop shortcuts
Step 1. Open the Start menu (
).
Click the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen or press the ⊞ Win key.
Step 2. Click File Explorer (
).
The button is in the lower left part of the start window.
Step 3. Click on the Desktop folder
It is on the left side of the File Explorer window.
Step 4. Click the Home tab
It is located in the upper left corner of the File Explorer window.
Step 5. Click New
The command is in the fourth part of the menu.
Step 6. Click Shortcut
This option appears in second position. By choosing this option, you will see the window appear. To create a shortcut.
Step 7. Click Browse
The button is in the middle of the page to the right. A folder selection window appears.
Step 8. Browse your directories
Click on the folder that contains your program or file. So if the program or file is in the folder where all your documents are located, click, for example, on My Documents.
If your software (or your file) is in a sub-folder, you must open the successive folders to reveal your target, the one for which you are going to create a shortcut
Step 9. Click OK
The target of your Desktop shortcut becomes the item you chose.
If you change the name of your icon or move it to another folder, the shortcut will no longer work
Step 10. Click Next, then enter a name
The default name of the shortcut is the name of the program itself.
Step 11. Click Done
The button is in the lower left corner of the window. Your shortcut is now in the folder you chose.
Method 6 of 6: remove arrows from a shortcut icon
Step 1. Open the Start menu (
).
Click the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen or press the ⊞ Win key.
Step 2. Type regedit in the start window
The regedit program appears at the top of the window.
Step 3. Click on regedit
Its logo, at the top of the window, is a sort of exploded blue Rubik's Cube.
Step 4. At the appropriate time, click Yes
This opens the registry editor.
Step 5. Go to the Explorer folder
For that:
- develop HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE by clicking on the left arrow. This folder is at the top left of the registry editor,
- develop SOFTWARE,
- develop Microsoft,
- develop Windows,
- develop CurrentVersion,
- click on To explore.
Step 6. Click Edit
The button is in the upper left corner of the Registry Editor window.
Step 7. Point to New, then click Key.
You will see a new key appear which is in the form of a folder which will be in the Explorer folder.
Step 8. Name the new key Shell Icons
Confirm by pressing the Enter key. The name of the key is then changed.
Be sure to type the name as it is mentioned here
Step 9. Click the Edit tab
It's in the upper left corner of the window.
Step 10. Point to New, then click String value.
You can then change the name of the new key, which is in the Shell Icons folder.
Step 11. Type 29, then validate with Enter
You now have a new key with a new string value.
Step 12. Double-click on the value string 29
The window that opens allows you to modify the channel.
Step 13. Type
% windir% \ System32 \ shell32.dll, -50
.
Type this code in the field Value data. The latter is at the bottom of the registry editing window.
Step 14. Click OK
Thus, you save the modifications made to the registry.
Step 15. Restart your computer
Once the computer is restarted, the arrow in the lower left corner of your icons is no longer there.
Advice
- Most of the icons available on the Internet are free.
- Some themes change the look of desktop icons. To activate this feature, do Personalize, then Themes. In the desktop icon settings window, check the box Allow themes to change desktop icons, then click OK.
- You will find many themes for Windows 10 on the Windows Store, an application that is delivered automatically on any machine running Windows 10.
