I already talked about how to change the welcome screen when loading the operating system. If you're interested, here's the article. I want to continue the topic of changing the appearance of Windows and tell you how to download icons for folders in Windows 7 and other versions of Windows OS, and install them correctly.
There are a lot of sources. I won't list them. I am sure that you will find them yourself through search engines. You just need to specify the request “download icons for Windows” and select any of the sites in the search results. Typically, on such resources you can download elements of various topics. Scroll through, look and download the images you like.
In most cases, the files will have a “png” extension, which is not entirely suitable for achieving our goal. We need "ico" elements that the OS can process. But you can solve the problem very simply by using a third-party application, Aveiconifier. It converts to the desired format in just a few seconds.
Download
The interface consists of two mini-windows:
Drag the downloaded “png” files to the right (holding the left mouse button). And from the left we pull out ready-made icons in ico format into a pre-prepared folder.
It's simple, agree! Minimum time and effort - and you get the expected result.
How to replace icons?
There is a lot of third-party software that can help you change the interface. We will definitely look at a couple of applications in this article. But let's start with a method that involves using the capabilities of the operating system.
Manually changing icons
Let's say you want to install a new icon for a specific folder or for a group of shortcuts (for all mp3 or txt files, for example). We proceed as follows:
- Right-click on the shortcut to display a context menu;
- Select the “Properties” item. It's at the very bottom of the list;
- Now go to the “Shortcut” tab (or “Settings” if we change the folder icon);
- Click on the “Change Icon” button to open the selection window. You can install one of the standard options. But since you have downloaded third-party images in the Windows 7 style (or any other style of your choice), you should click on “Browse...” and specify the path to the folder with the saved files.
- The icon window will refresh to show the new options. Click on any of them and click on “OK” to save the “machinations” done.
Changing the appearance of system icons
To transform the “Trash” and “Computer” follow these simple steps:
- On the desktop, call up the context menu by right-clicking on any free space (NOT on the icons);
- Select the item “Personalization”;
- There will be a list of actions on the left. We are interested in “Changing icons...”. Select it, after which a window will open. There you should select the required element and click on “Change...”;
- Next, as in the previous instructions, specify the path to the folder with ico files, select the desired icon (for example, in macos style) and save the changes.
That's all. Got it? If you have questions, write in the comments. I will definitely help you figure it out! Did you manage to download icons for Windows folders? Now it's time to move on to installation using third-party software.
IconPhile program
Don't want to fuss with system options? Then I recommend downloading this software to replace icons. With its help, you can change the appearance of not only a specific shortcut, but also an entire type (mp3, doc or zip).
We simply launch the software after downloading it from the link and completing the installation. In the application, select the desired type, and then select a new “image” for it. I like the icons for Windows 8.1.
- Changing icons for a specific file type (format);
- One-time replacement of all icons;
- Selective modification of specific elements (shortcuts, folders, drives).
Download
More functional than the previous one. But its essence is the same. I recommend this particular software for beginners.
