How To Change Desktop Icons In Windows 10

Are you bored with the default look of This PC, Recycle Bin, Network, User files folder and other icons on your Windows 10 desktop? In this guide, we will see how to change desktop icons as well as program shortcuts and app shortcuts on your Windows 10 desktop.

Changing the default look of desktop icons is easy in Windows 10. You can change desktop icons without editing system files or installing third-party icon packs.

Following are the three ways to change desktop icons in Windows 10.

Method 1 of 3

Change default desktop icons in Windows 10

Here is how to change This PC, Recycle Bin, Network, User folder, and other desktop icons in Windows 10.

Step 1: Right-click on an empty spot on the desktop and then click Personalize to Personalization category of Settings app.

Step 2: Click on Themes. You should now see all options and settings available for themes. Here, you can view all installed themes on your PC as well as options to delete installed themes.

Step 3: Here, in the Related settings section, click Desktop icon settings link to open Desktop Icon Settings dialog.

Step 4: Click on a desktop icon to select it. Click Change button, and then click Browse button to choose your icon for the selected desktop icon.

Please remember that you cannot select an image file for icon. You can choose only files that are in .ico format. If you have a picture file which you want to use for a desktop icon, convert the picture file to .ico format using one of the free online services first and then select it following the instructions mentioned above.

Browse to the .ico file, select the file, and then click the Open button. Click OK button. Finally, click Apply button to apply the new icon.

To restore original desktop icons

Step 1: Navigate to Settings > Personalization > Themes > Desktop Icon Settings.

Step 2: Choose a desktop icon which you want to reset to default. Click Restore Default button.

Step 3: Click Apply button. Simple as that!

Method 2 of 3

Change program/app shortcut icons on desktop

If you have created shortcut icons for your favorite programs or shortcuts for favorite modern apps, you can change those icons as well. Here is how to do that.

Step 1: Right-click on the program or app shortcut on the desktop, click Properties.

Step 2: Switch to the Shortcut tab by clicking on the same. If you cannot see the Shortcut tab, it’s because you have not right-clicked on a program/app shortcut.

Step 3: Click Change Icon button, click Browse button to browse to the file, select the new icon, click the Open button, click OK, and finally, click Apply button.

Method 3 of 3

Use CustomizerGod To change icons

There is an after-market tool to change many of the icons in Windows operating system. CustomizerGod is a little utility that helps you change hundreds of icons on your Windows 10 operating system with a few clicks.

You can go through our download CustomizerGod article to read the review and download the utility from the developer’s page.

You might also like to read our how to change folder icons in Windows 10.