Windows 10: Change Icons based on extension only, not the associated application.

Hi, I want to assign a custom icon to every file type no matter what the associated app is. I can change individual default icons, but they get overwritten by the application icon. Is it possible to do this :



And if so, how ? (I want to keep the file associations: .css and .txt are still getting open by Sublime, .ini by WordPad and so on ...)

Thanks.

:)

 

System Icons in Search Field

So I just realized that it's displaying the icon that is associated with image file extensions, if that helps. Also, if I pin any of those particular applications (calculator, calendar, camera, settings, store), the proper icon is displayed. The only area
in which there is an issue displaying the proper icon is the search field.

 

File associations and file icons in Win 10 for non-MS types

It is, in fact, quite easy, if tedious, to amend file associations in Windows 10:

Go to - Start Button (Windows Flag Icon) > "Settings" > "System" > "Default Apps" > "Choose default applications by file type" (in the right-hand pane); and set/amend the Default apps by working through the list of extensions clicking on the app icons to
get a list of alternatives that can open the files. On completion, the issue you'll be left with is the proprietary file extensions that can only be opened with the 'rogue' application you are trying to remove.

 

The following Microsoft Dev Centre page explains how this can be done via the Registry. (Note: I have not tested this myself in Windows 10)

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/lib...(v=vs.85).aspx

 

Yeah, I did that, but it changes only the default icons. (As you can see, it worked for .rtf). But most of the time, the icons I add in the registry are overridden by the default app icon (in the example, Sublime, Edge or WordPad). I can change the app icon but it is used for all the different extensions that app opens, so that doesn't work either (unless I get a different app for every file type, but that would be absurd). Is there a way the tell Windows to NOT use the associated app icon and keep using the DefaultIcon for files?

ie. in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT for .css I have the default set to CSSfile and Default Icon to my custom CSS.ico

I also have the CSSfile Default set the that same icon, something like this:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
.css
(Default) = CSSFile
DefaultIcon
(Default) = CSS.ico
CSSFile DefaultIcon(Default) = CSS.icoAnd yet the displayed icon is still the Sublime icon. BTW there is no mention of Sublime in the registry entries of .css or CSSFile.

 

Hi, you might find this freeware program helpful:




If you succeed, strongly recommend you also start using disk imaging periodically, so your changes are preserved. (A great backup technique).

 

I think it has to do with the way some apps work. In my registry there are entries for .avi, .mpg, vlc.avi, vlc.mpg, winamp.avi, winamp.mpg. If I change the Default value of vlc.avi and vlc.mpg and associate those file types to VLC, it works: the icons reflect the the extension yet both are opened with VLC.

But it doesn't work with Sublime. both .txt and .css files are associated with it but there are no clear entries to reflect this in the registry. (ie .css point to CSSFile which is weirdly associated with .css and .ini in DefaultProgramsEditor). Nor is there any entry like Sublime.txt and Sublime.css that could help.

Sadly, DefaultProgramsEditor does not help here, as Sublime does NOT appear in the default programs list even though Iit does inthe "Open with ... " context menu, and if I change the icon of any file type associated with Sublime it get applied to all the others as well.

 

Does this one help? I really can't tell as I don't have your program installed..



Nirsoft's software is really reliable..

 

Nope, it just does what the other programs do.

I also tried adding my own keys but it doesn't matter. Weird thing is that if I change .txt default nothing happens, but if I change .css all the other icons are replaced with it, both are opened with SublimeText3. The entry for .txt says it's opened with notepad, and the .css one point to my custom SublimeText3.css entry that redirects to sublime.exe. Something, somewhere is overwriting everything ...

 

Have you tried running the prog as admin? I'd guess you'd have to log off/on to see the effect.

When is the icon you've entered overwritten?

For example, if you change one icon, log off, log on, then inspect the registry/use one of those programs, do you see a change in icon?

Repeat with a clean boot to see if sthg run on startup is having the effect you describe.

Just some ideas as you need to diagnose what is happening. Good luck!

 

I see the change right away, most progs that change icons call a refresh, either on change on on exit. The icons are overwritten when I change some specific extensions, ie. using FilesTypesMan to change the Icon of .ini overwrites the custom icons of the other extensions that are opened with the same app like .css or .txt .

 

I suspect there's a difference between when the change becomes visible- effective if you like- and when the changed registry is written back to disk. Which is why if you suddenly lose power, say, some changes you've made are lost.

Ok, so at what point do you think your change is overwritten?

 

I don't see any difference between the visual change (the app calling a refresh) and a complete restart of the PC, icons are the same. Has to be conflicting entries or windows treating some extensions differently, like stuff that can opened natively by Windows or something.

Edit: managed to make it work by adding my own custom entries like so:

.ext
- (Default) program.extention

program.extention
- DefaultIcon extention.ico
- shell
-- open
--- command program.exe

Had to try to open a file and confirm the "open with" for the changes to apply.

Edit2: made a template to do this faster:

icon changer.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ext]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ext]
"PerceivedType"=""//text/vid/etc...
@="prog.ext"
"Content Type"=""

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\prog.ext]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\prog.ext]
@="ext description"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\prog.ext\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Users\\abc123\\Pictures\\Icons\\ext.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\prog.ext\shell\open\command] //don't forget to add the other commands, if any ...
@=""C:\\Program Files\\prog\\prog.exe""

Edit3: some default Icons are still hard to change, .exe is overwritten by something, but I don't know what.
Edit4: Had to change the default windows application icon to display my icon on .exe files. You can use CustomizeGod or some other program that can edit System Icons.