A Windows user may want to change file type icons for a couple of reasons. Maybe you don’t like icons assigned for a file type by one of the installed programs, or maybe you want to have your own icons for one or more file types.
For instance, I love the popular GOM Player but not the default icons that GOM assigns for media files.
In Windows XP, changing the default file type’s icon was very simple and one could change file type icons without the help of third-party tools. But in Vista and Windows 7, one needs to either use third-party tools or manually edit Windows Registry to do the same job.
Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 users who have been looking for a way to change file type icons can now download a free tool named Types.
Types is a standalone tool for Vista and Windows 7 operating systems that gives you access to a few hidden options related to file types. As we mentioned earlier, changing the default icon for a specific file type is cake walk with this tiny utility. In fact, Types is the first and probably the only free tool available to change file type icons in Windows 7 and Windows 8.
The best thing about this is that you can change file type icons of native Windows programs but also installed third-party programs. That is, you can use this to change icons associated to almost all file types. An option to integrate this feature into file context menu would have been awesome. Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful piece of software.
How to change file types icon with Types:
Step 1: Download, extract and run Types to see list of extensions in your Windows.
Step 2. Right-click on a file extension and select Properties.
Step 3: Switch to the Icon tab, browse to your desired icon to change the default file type’s icon.
Step 4: You are done. Good luck!
Download Types
translator says
Thanks a lot for this little but really useful program.
After wasting a lot of hours looking for the non existent “file type” tab, amongst others things, while trying to recover my “rar” files’ icon, I found this little life/time saver.
Great job.
random guy says
this works with many file types, but doesn’t seem to work with .pdf files…
amit says
thanks and woked gread.
by the way download link for types as below:
http://types.en.softonic.com/download
Ferdinand says
After giving up to change the pdf-file icon with Default Program Editor (nothing happened, except some short-cuts getting the image of the first page of the pdf-file as icon). With Types, some short-cuts changes as requested, but not all (on the desktop). In the file manager I’m using (Directory Opus), nothing changes at all.
I’m running W7 – 64 bits.
Very disappointing !
massoud says
Thanks. It works. Very nice.
NC says
not working… not changing file icons on Windows seven ultimate
F1NCH says
Download works, Just Click here -> http://izt.name/apps/types/Types.exe
Erik says
The file does not appear to be available for download anymore.
Leio says
Excellent software. I’ve looking so much this kind of tip.